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Columnist calls on University of Virginia to eliminate fight song over 'not gay' chant
“There’s no place to ‘not gay!’ if there’s no ‘Good Old Song.’” Maybe @uva fans shouldn’t have nice things if they feel the need to make them homophobic.
Link to tweet
MEDIA | COLLEGE FOOTBALL | HOMOPHOBIA
Columnist calls on University of Virginia to eliminate fight song over ‘not gay’ chant
Not even Tina Fey can get UVA fans to stop being homophobic and gross.
By Brian C. Bel | @WonderboyOTM | Sep 11, 2019, 4:00am PDT
An early season matchup between the University of Virginia and William & Mary football teams was focused more on the return of former Cavaliers head coach Mike London than the action on the gridiron.
But an entirely different yet all too familiar issue was cause for concern coming out of the 52-17 drubbing.
The chant of “not gay” after the word “gay” in Virginia’s fight song, “The Good Old Song,” hasn’t gone away despite the effort of the university and its alumni.
The university has been combating the apparent need of the majority of a college football stadium to decry “no homo” for years. As Outsports reported seven years ago this month, the school’s student council passed a resolution calling on students to end the chant in 2012. The university’s LGBT Union’s fight against the chant dates back even further.
UVA’s latest attempt is a video featuring UVA football players, students and prominent alumni, including Tina Fey, asking fans to refrain from using the chant. The video airs in the stadium ahead of games in the hopes that fans will take the message to heart.
https://vimeo.com/356768751
They aren’t. And UVA fans are getting fed up.
Most notably the Augusta Free Press’ Chris Graham. Graham, who regularly covers the Cavaliers, called for the university to stop using the song in a column Monday.
....
Columnist calls on University of Virginia to eliminate fight song over ‘not gay’ chant
Not even Tina Fey can get UVA fans to stop being homophobic and gross.
By Brian C. Bel | @WonderboyOTM | Sep 11, 2019, 4:00am PDT
An early season matchup between the University of Virginia and William & Mary football teams was focused more on the return of former Cavaliers head coach Mike London than the action on the gridiron.
But an entirely different yet all too familiar issue was cause for concern coming out of the 52-17 drubbing.
The chant of “not gay” after the word “gay” in Virginia’s fight song, “The Good Old Song,” hasn’t gone away despite the effort of the university and its alumni.
The university has been combating the apparent need of the majority of a college football stadium to decry “no homo” for years. As Outsports reported seven years ago this month, the school’s student council passed a resolution calling on students to end the chant in 2012. The university’s LGBT Union’s fight against the chant dates back even further.
UVA’s latest attempt is a video featuring UVA football players, students and prominent alumni, including Tina Fey, asking fans to refrain from using the chant. The video airs in the stadium ahead of games in the hopes that fans will take the message to heart.
https://vimeo.com/356768751
They aren’t. And UVA fans are getting fed up.
Most notably the Augusta Free Press’ Chris Graham. Graham, who regularly covers the Cavaliers, called for the university to stop using the song in a column Monday.
....
President Ryan responds to pushback against the Good Ol’ Song video campaign
University urges students and fans to keep the song positive
By Nik Popli | 09/12/2019
The University released a public service announcement video last week urging students and fans to “keep the Good Ol’ Song good” by not adding homophobic words or profanity to the song’s lyrics. The video, which has generated over 86,500 views on Twitter, was broadcast to fans at the Cavaliers’ first home football game of the season on Saturday night.
University President Jim Ryan said in an interview with The Cavalier Daily that the Good Ol’ Song is meant to bring unity to the U.Va. community, but some fans at football games are “turning it into a divisive and offensive chant.” In the 1970s, it became a practice for fans to shout “Not gay!” in the small pause that follows, “We come from Old Virginia, where all is bright and gay.” Petitions and organized protests by students led to the removal of this practice in 2001 — and it was replaced by a “F—k Tech!” chant, referring to U.Va.’s in-state rival, Virginia Tech.
In an attempt to address this, University officials asked several members of the U.Va. community to participate in a public service announcement, including alumna and actress Tina Fey, Prof. Larry Sabato and football Coach Bronco Mendenhall, among others.
"The massacring of The Good Old Song is embarrassing for the University," Sabato said in the video. "It is embarrassing for the people who do it but most of all it is juvenile.”
....
University urges students and fans to keep the song positive
By Nik Popli | 09/12/2019
The University released a public service announcement video last week urging students and fans to “keep the Good Ol’ Song good” by not adding homophobic words or profanity to the song’s lyrics. The video, which has generated over 86,500 views on Twitter, was broadcast to fans at the Cavaliers’ first home football game of the season on Saturday night.
University President Jim Ryan said in an interview with The Cavalier Daily that the Good Ol’ Song is meant to bring unity to the U.Va. community, but some fans at football games are “turning it into a divisive and offensive chant.” In the 1970s, it became a practice for fans to shout “Not gay!” in the small pause that follows, “We come from Old Virginia, where all is bright and gay.” Petitions and organized protests by students led to the removal of this practice in 2001 — and it was replaced by a “F—k Tech!” chant, referring to U.Va.’s in-state rival, Virginia Tech.
In an attempt to address this, University officials asked several members of the U.Va. community to participate in a public service announcement, including alumna and actress Tina Fey, Prof. Larry Sabato and football Coach Bronco Mendenhall, among others.
"The massacring of The Good Old Song is embarrassing for the University," Sabato said in the video. "It is embarrassing for the people who do it but most of all it is juvenile.”
....
‘Not gay!’: UVA wants students to stop controversial football cheer
BEN WALLS - VIRGINIA TECH •SEPTEMBER 16, 2019
SHARE THIS ARTICLE: The College Fix on Facebook The College Fix on Twitter The College Fix on Youtube Share on Email
‘Heinous and pretty divisive’
The University of Virginia has recently begun urging students to stop singing allegedly homophobic lyrics to the school’s fight song, “The Good Old Song.” The school is also urging students to stop using vulgarities when slamming their collegiate football rivals.
Written more than a century ago, a lyric of the university’s fight song reads: “We come from old Virginia / where all is bright and gay.” The word “gay” in this context is meant to refer to happiness and lightheartedness, its common usage in the early 20th century.
At many football games, however, some students will shout “Not gay!” following that line, an instance of wordplay on the term’s more modern definition of “homosexual.”
In a video released by the school, faculty, students and alumni urge students to stop singing the controversial lyric.
“‘The Good Old Song’ is really good as written,” said the school’s president, Jim Ryan.
“That, obviously, is not only not politically correct, it’s heinous and pretty divisive,” one student said of the tradition.
....
BEN WALLS - VIRGINIA TECH •SEPTEMBER 16, 2019
SHARE THIS ARTICLE: The College Fix on Facebook The College Fix on Twitter The College Fix on Youtube Share on Email
‘Heinous and pretty divisive’
The University of Virginia has recently begun urging students to stop singing allegedly homophobic lyrics to the school’s fight song, “The Good Old Song.” The school is also urging students to stop using vulgarities when slamming their collegiate football rivals.
Written more than a century ago, a lyric of the university’s fight song reads: “We come from old Virginia / where all is bright and gay.” The word “gay” in this context is meant to refer to happiness and lightheartedness, its common usage in the early 20th century.
At many football games, however, some students will shout “Not gay!” following that line, an instance of wordplay on the term’s more modern definition of “homosexual.”
In a video released by the school, faculty, students and alumni urge students to stop singing the controversial lyric.
“‘The Good Old Song’ is really good as written,” said the school’s president, Jim Ryan.
“That, obviously, is not only not politically correct, it’s heinous and pretty divisive,” one student said of the tradition.
....