Silence the Silent Treatment

So this went out to the student body:

Fellow Red Raiders,
The Student Government Association would like to share a new and exciting tradition to support our school spirit and sportsmanship at football games. We are calling it “The Silent Treatment!” The Silent Treatment is something SGA feels will be a new, intimidating way to get students excited for the game this weekend. As the opposing team runs onto the field and the visiting band plays their fight song, everyone in our stands will go silent . As we all go silent, everyone in the stands will turn to face our Double-T scoreboard and put our guns up. Not only is this intimidating, but it will also catch the opposing team completely off-guard. Once our players run out, we want our fans to go crazy with school spirit.
We believe this could be extremely effective if everyone participates, but we need students to help us promote this new tradition. Only with your help can this become a reality. Let’s make it happen Texas Tech!
Wreck ‘em!
Jenny Mayants Internal Vice President
Guns Up!
Drew Graham President

This is a classic case of what might look good in theory, is half-retarded in practice. I mean I get it. I get the concept. And I appreciate the desire of the SGA to create something meaningful.

And if that’s what they want to do, they should go plant a tree. Go give Plasma. Adopt a puppy.

But don’t screw with the ambiance of the Jones – because it isn’t broken, and doesn’t need to be screwed with…

SSSHHHH!!! BE QUIET, YOU JERKS!!!

Let’s break this thing down, and really take a look at what the SGA is trying to do here:

First off, there’s no way in hell anyone, or anything, is going to get 60,000 people to be silent, even if they aren’t a 12 pack and a bottle of Jaeger deep.

In this setting, complete silence is impossible.

Instead of the “Cricket” effect the SGA is hoping for, you’re going to get this half-ass mumbling lull. And because this is being beta-tested at one of the biggest games of the year, it’s sure to run about as smoothly as Edward James Olmos’ face.

I understand the power of contrast – it’s a triggering stimuli used throughout marketing, advertising, entertainment, etc. But it’s useless if the execution isn’t dialed-in. And from how this e-mail has been received, I’m thinking this isn’t very likely.

This is a selfish, self-serving attempt by the SGA, or uppity players within the SGA, to put their stamp on one of the most important events that will happen this year not just for Tech, but for the Hub City, too.

If this is something they really want to do, then test it out at a Basketball game. 2,500 people are much easier to coordinate than 60,000. And the price for failure is much, much less.

And yes, there is a price for failure. What is it? Well ask Coca-Cola what happened when they messed with their recipe for success.

That’s right. They shit themselves.

DUMB!

Over the past few years, the Jones Stadium experience has become a notable stop on the Big XII tour. It’s taken a few goal posts, a handful of aluminum bleachers and some viral worthy YouTube videos to build the Red Raider Brand to what it is today… and when you’re brand is breathing fire, you don’t try to put it out, light it back up, put it out, light it up again, etc, etc.

The game experience at the Jones is an important, and integral contributor to the success of the athletic program not only today, but for years to come… don’t believe me?

Go research just how many High School athletic recruits – Football AND Basketball – will be at Saturday’s game.

And ALL of them are going to remember the screaming, the roar, the pure fired up aggression that erupts throughout the stadium. Not a half-ass coordinated prank.

So please, someone, fix this epic fail before it happens.

Article Tags:

Big 12 Football, College Football, Edward James Olmos, Half-Retarded, SGA, Silent Treatment, Student Government Association, Texas Tech Red Raiders

10 Responses

RRR said:

September 16th, 2010 at 3:07 pm

As I said on BC, reverse-psychology experiment, imo. Will end up being louder than ever.
Tim said:

September 16th, 2010 at 3:53 pm

I think something that started with good intentions, got twisted by the media and is now covered in all sorts of fail. From the pieces I have managed to gather it looks like the SGA was trying to get the students to A. correctly sing the fight song, B. Not boo or chant while the opponent is playing their school song, and C. not to boo as the opposing team runs onto the field.

What an Austin newspaper “reported” was that the SGA was encouraging Tech fans to give Texas the “silent treatment” on their offensive possessions. Which is completely inaccurate and incredibly stupid.

The apparent reasoning behind all of this is due to a donor “supposedly” pulling out his $5 million donation because he attended the Tech v. SMU game and was appalled by the defamation of the school song and the booing during SMU’s song.

I understand what Kent Hance is saying, it’s easier to convince deep pocket donors and politicians to assist Texas Tech in reaching Tier 1 when we don’t throw cuss words in our own school song and disrespect the opponent during the playing of their song.

In the end is it worth giving up part of our home field advantage to impress some politicians who have spent decades funneling West Texas Oil Money into the coffers in Austin and College Station? Winning a Big 12 Title, and/or a BCS game will do more towards the goal of reaching Tier 1, than not booing the opposing team, and the path to the Big 12 title runs through the team that is coming to Lubbock on Saturday.
RRR said:

September 16th, 2010 at 4:35 pm

If the $5 million donation story is real, that would explain a lot of the sportsmanship push the last few weeks. But the Raider Power chant during the opposing band playing their fight song has been going on for a while. I remember it happening vs North Dakota last year.
TTU Alum said:

September 16th, 2010 at 5:03 pm

They have been making a sportsmanship push for years. When I was there I was in the SGA and we passed out t-shirts were passed out with the correct words to the fight song on them and that was good. It’s good to encourage good sportsmanship and no one can blame the SGA, Hance, Meyers, ect for that. However, this was a stupid idea and anyone who is in that office should know students better than this. How did this guy get elected? Does he not know his own constituency? Tech students are loud, proud, and always fired up, especially when the longhorns roll into the Jones. Encourage people not to yell obscenities, to sing the words right and to treat visitors with a certain amount of respect. That is good and makes sense. This botched attempt at self-aggrandizing behavior by the SGA executive office is outrageously stupid. These kids need a lesson in PR and in I don’t know, actually trying things that will work and create impactful, positive change. They have brought a negative light on the SGA hurting its legitimacy has the representatives of the student body. I guess they either don’t care or don’t get it. Neither is good.
MarshallDillon said:

September 16th, 2010 at 6:17 pm

1) I’ve heard about the ‘alterations’ to the fight song, but I sit on the west side and I’ve never been able to hear/understand it. We didn’t do it in my day. I can see where folks with kids sitting near the students might not like it. Of course, parents with kids should know that sitting among a bunch of drunken, worked up 18-22 year olds is not going to be like Sunday school class.
2) When the other team’s fans are quiet during our school song, it does seem rude to start Raider Power during theirs. I didn’t like it at the SMU game. But in ’08, I heard plenty of Texas Fight during our song, in which case all bets are off IMO. Other teams can have respect by showing it first.
3) Booing the other team coming out of the tunnel doesn’t bother me at all. Get over it, as TT likes to say. It’s a football game, not a chess match at Emily Post’s house.

Considering the other propaganda our administration has tried to pump up our ass in the last year, I have a healthy skepticism about the donor story. Give me names.

So don’t say F in the fight song, give respect when respect is given for the school songs, limit the batteries to AA or smaller (j/k) and I’m good to go. This silence crap is making us look like the Giant Vaginas that deadspin is calling us.

Hance, haven’t you inflicted enough national embarrassment on us recently? And don’t send out some nerdy geek from the SGA to do your dirty work. Grow a pair. Better yet, hit the road. You want to tell us about courtesy and class when you’re making money off a toxic waste dump your pal is putting in our backyard? Hell, we can’t get clean water at a game the way it is.
RRR said:

September 16th, 2010 at 6:47 pm

Strong, imo.
ChicagoTTU said:

September 17th, 2010 at 6:03 am

The “F-Bomb” in the fight song is a whole other issue – It’s stupid, it’s awkward, and ultimately just feels forced – really poor execution, imo. Last week I watched the New Mexico game at a bar here in Chicago, and the jack-ass next to me got all pumped up to say the F-word when they played the fight song during commercial breaks — What. A. Choad.

Look, I’m all for profanity. But the modified fight song has Stevie Janowski-type written all over it… and not in a genius Eastbound and Down way.

RRR – I’m thinking you’re right about the reverse psych effect…

Tier 1 Status – Maybe I’m really uninformed on this one, but I’m surprised that a few “bad apples” could ruin a good thing for everyone (relax, I’m pre-law…) Sounds like Hance is manipulating the relationship between cause and effect here…
Freakville said:

September 17th, 2010 at 7:36 am

Meanwhile Okie light can slap those goddamn billy clubs a foot from the football team.
Elisabeth said:

September 17th, 2010 at 9:13 am

Sounds something a Jr. High football would implement. Red Raiders feel insecure?
Skellytown said:

September 17th, 2010 at 11:27 am

Silence should be reserved for when there is an injury on the field followed by applause when the player is removed. We should all be polite to the opposing fans to and from the parking lot before and after the game. Once inside our house though we should all be loud and proud and we owe no respect to the other team or their traditions until they earn it on the field.

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