There’s no escaping the fact that sport is essentially tribal. And, as with all tribes, there’s always going to be intense rivalry and competition at its heart.
Alongside this, over time traditions and rituals build up which are gradually introduced into the culture of a team and its fans. Often the bigger the fan-base, the more strongly these are embedded. So, when looking at some of the most famous examples, a good place to start is with the teams with the largest number of followers. These, incidentally, often also seem to be the teams that often feature most prominently in the NFL betting selections with DraftKings.
Leading the way with around 10.1 million fans are the New England Patriots, closely followed by the Dallas Cowboys at 9.7 million. In the case of the latter team, it might not be a chant or slogan, but the appearance of their legendary cheerleaders performing to AC/DC’s Thunderstruck certainly sets down a marker that gets the home fans fired up.
With 8.5 million followers, one team that has risen up the rankings in the last couple of years, probably courtesy of certain teachers of English and gym, is the Kansas City Chiefs.
It’s also interesting to note that the Guinness Book of Records has also marked the team’s Arrowhead Stadium as having the loudest crowd noise, something that is undoubtedly off-putting for any visiting team.
The Chiefs are also famous for the Tomahawk Chop, in which fans make a threatening war chant accompanied by a chopping motion of the arm. This is a tradition that treads a very fine line between being ok and being unacceptable to many people, as it is seen as a misappropriation and trivialisation of American Indian culture.
Other stadia that are famously intimidating for the visiting team are the Seattle Seahawks’ Lumen Field and the Philadelphia Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Field, both true cauldrons of emotion and borderline intimidation. Any team playing in Philly is sure to be treated to a passionate rendition of the team song Fly, Eagles Fly whenever there’s a touchdown and always a victory. The song dates back to the 1950s when it was written by Charles Borelli and Roger Courtland.
Inspired by the Washington Redskins “Hail to the Redskins” fight song, the Eagles’ owner Jerry Wolman bought the rights in 1963 and it’s been a fixture ever since. Over the years, it has been played by numerous performers, including Coldplay, as part of the half-time entertainment at a game back in 2022.
At Lumen Field, the passion of the fans has even earned them the reputation as being the Seahawks’ “12th man” so great is their influence, said to be on the performance of the team.
While there are countless generic chants, many of which can also be heard at soccer games too, there are plenty that are specific to particular teams as well as rituals which play out in almost every home game. We’ve already heard how the Cowboys, Chiefs and Seahawks attempt to express their dominance and here are some of the others.
Another chant that maybe doesn’t sound so great these days is the New Orleans Saints’ cry of “Who dat, who dat, who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?” to which the predictable response is a roared “Nobody!”. The phrase is said to have come from vaudeville shows in the early 20th century before being adopted as a rallying cry in the 1970s – a very different time, we’re sure that you’ll agree.
Over at the Minnesota Vikings, fans hope to raise their team’s morale and performance by chanting “Skol” while clapping their hands in unison. It’s a tradition that was allegedly adopted from Icelandic football fans. As a team that once knocked England out of the soccer World Cup back in 2016, it certainly seems like a rallying cry designed to bring out the very best in a team.
They do say that sometimes actions speak louder than words, and our last two examples seem to bear this out.
First we have the Pittsburgh Steelers’ famous towel twirl. Imagine the scene where you’re confronted by thousands of fans in the stadium waving yellow towels in the air. It’s a practice that was initiated in 1975 by the broadcaster Myron Cope in a playoff game against the Baltimore Colts. The Steelers went on to win 28-10 and the tradition was born.
Finally, there’s the truly unbelievable table-smashing antics of the so-called Buffalo Bills’ Mafia. Before the game, many gather in the parking lot and proceed to smash their bodies through a selection of trestle tables. This bizarre element of the tailgating ritual is thought to have begun in 2010, inspired by pro-wrestling and undoubtedly fuelled by beer.
Of course, there are many crazy chants and rituals around the NFL, but for our money these are the most extreme – for the moment, at least!
