Well I graduated in 2006 and I figured we maybe progressed a little since then. Honest question, what do we do now that is different/better than 14 years ago?

I'm good with no yell leaders so long as we don't have crotch shot cheerleaders

Gigemrunrs said:

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We need to put the student section on the side. Behind the benches. Too many old Ags are there sitting on their hands.

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Agree 100%. Embarrassing that big time programs have students right on screen and outs are tucked away in the corner.

I'd be ok with yell leaders staying, but actually doing yells needs to go away. Makes no sense at basketball games

PatAg said:

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I'd be ok with yell leaders staying, but actually doing yells needs to go away. Makes no sense at basketball games

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Even during football games unless during quarter breaks, time outs, and before the game. Let the students scream and make noise and this can be prompted by cheerleaders.

Philip J Fry said:

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We've been saying this for literally a decade or more. Yell leaders don't belong on basketball and it's beyond me why the admin doesn't see that after all these years.

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I think we were saying it in 1994, but my memory is aging fast.

Aston04 said:

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The ultimate example of why they shouldn't be at Reed is Aggie Baseball. It was allowed to develop its own culture and developed a great game day environment. It would be cringe worthy too if they tried to lead yells at baseball games.

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I don't hate yell leaders at games and have never advocated removing them (although I understand the reasons why some people are anti)... but I do think this take is the strongest argument against keeping them at Reed, I would be curious to see what kind of atmosphere and unique b-ball culture our students could create on their own.

Then again, it could suck

Take them out of basketball and add cheerleaders to football.

Philip J Fry said:

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We've been saying this for literally a decade or more. Yell leaders don't belong on basketball and it's beyond me why the admin doesn't see that after all these years.

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Other than as an auxiliary side show, they don't belong on a football field either.

Aston04 said:

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The ultimate example of why they shouldn't be at Reed is Aggie Baseball. It was allowed to develop its own culture and developed a great game day environment. It would be cringe worthy too if they tried to lead yells at baseball games.

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I was one of the front row raggers at Olsen from 89-92. We weren't called the Raggies yet back then. I think it was around 1991 or so, that the yell leaders decided to make an appearance at Olsen and stand in front of the student section facing the crowd and start trying to lead yells during the last home series of the year against the sips. They showed up about 5 minutes before first pitch for the Friday night game and tried to take over the front row walkway area in front of the student section on the second deck.

We basically threw them the hell out. Told them that if they didn't get a foul ball in the back of the head, they were going to get dogpiled by those of us on the front row whose space they were trying to take over. They quickly went and found seats and as far as I know never again attempted to take over baseball games.

I don't think we need "cheerleaders" at basketball games as the dance team fills that role just fine, but the yell leaders certainly don't add to the atmosphere in a basketball arena.

(And I fully support yell leaders at football games, where the tradition started.)

The "student" leaders at baseball include a lot of non-students who still sit there. So the living memory of the traditions is a lot longer. That and I think the pace of the game helps and the whole student section maybe holds 1,000 people. There are a lot of reasons that not having yell leaders works for baseball.

I just think, and have seen, that there's a middle ground between only having them and kicking them out completely. I do think the students need freedom to be more creative when the ball is live though.

A great example of how they're useful is the Rick Barnes watermelon chant. Sure, it would have been possible to do it without them, but getting them on board with it made it really easy.

There just needs to be planning an interaction between the student leaders and the yell leaders. They need to be aware when the students are planning something so they can either help or step aside (like the PJ Tucker book drive and chanting stupid all game, they were aware that was going to happen and obviously couldn't exactly help, but they didn't interfere.)

But having a small group that students are already used to looking at is much more of an opportunity to create an atmosphere than it is a hindrance to it in my opinion.

Now, if the Rowdies or other students try to work with the yell leaders and they're like 'nah, we're good' then that's a different story.

You might be trolling, but I actually agree with this. They need better music or something.

The yells being bad for basketball does not necessarily equate to the yell leaders being bad for basketball. They just need some new material (again) and for us to be good long enough for people to remember it.