If You Want a Better Atmosphere, Change It

(Note, this is somewhat related to VandyImport's terrific post earlier if you haven't read it, seriously, it's legit).

No doubt, game atmosphere is one area in which Vandy lags behind other schools. And what has there been to get excited about?

But most Vandy fans agree that there is now, or at least might be, something to get excited about. Yet, by and large, no one expects our crowd to be even a little different until the team starts to win.

Coach Franklin and the football operations people are trying to make these games as much an experience as they can, but I think most of us would agree that it isn't any kind of an event without a crowd that's excited, and not just excited about the score, but excited to be Vandy fans.

My challenge to fans is simple: learn and SING Dynamite.

I'll be honest, this is as much of the fight song as I know:

Dynamite, Dynamite, when Vandy comes to fight!

[mumbles the tune for a while, occasionally switches accidentally to high school fight song, drinks some refreshing Coca-Cola]

V-A-N-D-Y, Vandy, Vandy, Oh hell yeah!

Now, I feel quite certain that many of you longer tenured Dore fans do actually know all of the words. But, I don't know if I've ever heard anyone singing any but the last line. (This may be due to the fact that I had been sitting in the sad-sack grad student section).

As a U.S. soccer fan, I have gotten into singing the national anthem lately, singing it loudly (and usually badly) because I hated when Mexico or Costa Rica or some other country, playing in the U.S. got a louder anthem than we did. I now just sing it loud at any event, just because I wish more people would singing it.

Vandy football is the exact same way, we show up and hear Rocky Top and whatever else sung louder than anything a we sing.

Enough of that. If the recruits all said, I'll get excited about Vandy when they start winning, we'd never get any better. Coach Franklin has committed himself. The team has committed themselves. Kimbrow and Batey and Azubike and everyone else are committing themselves.

It doesn't matter if you aren't even convinced that this time will be different. If you want Vandy to be better, if you want the crowd to care, let it start with you. Be excited to be a fan of Vanderbilt. Be excited not for what Vandy has been, but for what it could be.

Sing Dynamite as loud as you can. If you're the only person in your section singing, sing louder.

We're past the days when just showing up to a Vandy game was taken as commitment. No one will get excited until we get excited.