Sooner sports are steeped in history and tradition. Many of those traditions are upheld by not just the players but by members of the OU fan base.
These are things Sooners need to know and need to be doing at all games.
Sports-specific rituals
Football: Leading up to each kickoff, the fans hold up their index finger and say “OOOOO” as the kicker runs up to the ball and end with a resounding “U!” at contact.
When the game is essentially won — usually in the last two minutes of the game, but it’s been known to happen as early as the third quarter — the band plays the first strain of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” and the student section sings along. “Sweet Caroline ... bum bum bum!”
Basketball: When the announcer introduces the opposing team’s starters, the student section — with newspaper pages raised in front of their faces — loudly say, “Who cares?” after each name is announced.
After the opponents are finished, the students crumple the papers and throw them before the home team is introduced.
When an opposing player fouls out, the student section narrates his actions as he walks to the bench: “Left, right, left, right, left, right ... Sit down!”
Gameday attire
This should really go without saying, but Sooner gear is a must at games.
You should always wear an OU shirt, at minimum, to any game you go to. On football gamedays, whether you are going to the game (if you have tickets, you should be) wear a shirt — no exceptions.
If there’s a game in any sport that day, specifically an OU-Texas game, wear an OU shirt to show your Crimson Pride.
National Anthem
Like just about every sporting event in the country, OU games are kicked off with a rendition of the national anthem. Unlike all of those other games, however, the Sooner faithful put a little spin on the song.
Despite what some might try to convince you, at OU, the song ends “...O’er the land of the free. And the home of the...Sooners!”
This is almost always true, except for when OU plays one of the military academies or plays a Sept. 11 game.
Boomer Sooner
Now, despite anything you might have heard, the OU fight song does not consist of saying “Boomer Sooner” over and over — at least not only those two words. There are, in fact, lyrics to the song. The fight song goes:
Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner
Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner
Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner
Boomer Sooner, OK U!
Oklahoma, Oklahoma
Oklahoma, Oklahoma
Oklahoma, Oklahoma
Oklahoma, OK U!
I’m a Sooner born and Sooner bred
And when I die, I’ll be Sooner dead
Rah Oklahoma, Rah Oklahoma
Rah Oklahoma, OK U!
Learn it, know it, love it. If you don’t, you’re going to have a pretty miserable time. This song will be played roughly every 20 seconds at games. Embrace it; sing along.
Oklahoma Chant
After every game — win or lose — fans pay tribute to the university by singing the OU Chant. Put your left hand behind your back, extend your right arm and point your right index finger to the sky while reciting the chant:
O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A
Our chant rolls on and on!
Thousands strong
Join heart and song
In alma mater’s praise
Of campus beautiful by day and night
Of colors proudly gleaming Red and White
’Neath a western sky
OU’s chant will never die
Live on, University!
It’s a great way to feel united after a game. It’s admittedly a lot easier after a win than a loss, but win or loss, do it anyway.
These are just a few of the traditions done on a game-by-game basis at OU. You’ll learn more as you go to games.
The most important thing to remember is participation. Participating in the traditions make all the difference.
Kedric Kitchens is a journalism junior and the sports editor for The Daily. You can follow him on Twitter at @KedricKitchens.
