Old (Bull)dog, New Tricks: Bringing Harvard-Yale Traditions Into the Present

What keeps Harvard grads coming back to Cambridge the Saturday before Thanksgiving year over year? Some might argue that it’s to catch a glimpse of the last bit of fall foliage still clinging to the branches along the Charles River. But more than the stunning New England landscape, fans come to watch the Crimson take down its biggest foe — the Elis of Yale — as part of a storied, nearly-150-year-old rivalry.

But time-tested traditions can sometimes stand to see some updates, and even The Game could stand an injection of some newfound fun. Whether it be a classic tune pumped through the loudspeakers, or a group of dapper Harvard students dressed in their penguin suits on Cumnock, there are tons of ways to reintroduce a feeling of lighthearted fun and reinvigorated sense of buy-in around the day.

Not needing to reinvent the wheel, The Crimson set out to highlight a few clever ploys orchestrated by other colleges on their gameday that might liven up the stands this Harvard-Yale weekend.

Auburn’s Toilet Papered Trees

TP’ing trees isn’t something that should be relegated to middle school-aged Halloween shenanigans, especially when it’s done in the spirit of supporting your home team. For instance, lining the streets of Auburn University’s Toomer Corner is a set of trees outside the Tigers’ stadium at the University of Alabama. After a big win — especially over its most hated rival, the Crimson Tide (no, not the Crimson) — the Auburn faithful cover these trees in toilet paper. Harvard has no shortage of big, beautiful trees near the stadium that are ripe for the same treatment. Why not celebrate our victory in the best way college students know how? Head down to your building manager’s office with your roommates and collect your allotted two rolls, because we are going to need a lot of the good stuff come Saturday.

A Millennial Classic: Pumping The Killers Through the Loudspeaker

Everyone knows the chorus. It’s a houseparty anthem that gets everyone up on their feet, shouting the lyrics in seconds. Let’s not leave this banger to be used solely at the tailgate — Boston College and the University of Michigan, two certified Fun Schools, certainly don’t relegate “Mr. Brightside” to the fringes of campus.

Get a DJ on the aux and pull out a classic song at the start of the fourth quarter to re-engage and re-energize the crowd that’s been cheering its heart out for 45 minutes. What if Harvard even embraced this mellifluous mayhem, but with a song of its own? Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” comes to mind instantly. It is fun and upbeat, along with already being a Boston sports staple at Fenway Park. If the fans sing it loud and proud, it would be enough to give the team a jolt of energy after a long game, especially in a season in which Harvard has tended to leave its fate to the last few moments of each game.

Eye of the Tiger, Eye on the Bulldogs

Another great mid-game song is The Eyes of Texas, the University of Texas’ fight song. After every game, win or lose, its football team finds the student section and sings it together.

Why don’t we clear our throats, dust off our pipes, and join in the music making? Let’s not leave the fun to the band and the Harvard Krokodiloes, talented as they are. We have “10,000 Men of Harvard,” and the players already sing it with each other after victories. Why don’t the fans join in on the fun and let our team know, vocally, how much we appreciate them?

From music to tailgate ammendments, reinvigorate Harvard-Yale weekend with the excitement the rivalry deserves. By Kacy Bao

Tailgate Mania: Make Mignone Field Look Like a Yard Sale

The tailgate itself leaves much to the imagination. While fun, it can feel monotonous. Let’s make the most of the two school-sanctioned hours before the first whistle blows, and let our creative spirit fly. Of course, we won’t forget to include the obligatory scattering of U-Hauls that serve as elevated surfaces for the students to relive their childhood playground dreams. But. let’s do something different.

With rain on the horizon, let’s be practical yet fun: more tents. Cram as many pop-up tents as humanly possible into whatever space the Harvard administration decides to bestow upon its faithful, and make Cumnock resemble the magically-tented grounds at the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter.

While we’re at it, and out of the elements, let’s add another new idea: make it fancy. We all have suits and ties laying in the back of our closets collecting dust. Harvard and Yale are old and historic institutions with decorated, eloquent pasts. Why not bring that energy to the tailgate?

Before we watch Craig pass it into the endzone, let’s enjoy some tray passed cocktails and canapes. For once, let sport coats contribute to one of the oldest sporting rivalries in the nation.

Vanderbilt Victory: Flood the Field

While Vanderbilt University overthrowing Alabama, a football powerhouse, earlier this college football season should not hold any more importance than the Crimson potentially taking down the Elis, the Commodores’ celebration at the end of the game certainly caught national attention.

A Crimson victory should certainly elicit a similar level of excitement from its loyal fanbase, but its response to a win should be more civil. Rushing the field, tearing down the goalposts, and causing mayhem on the turf only brings a fleeting feeling of joy to the students involved. Not worth it.

What’s more worth it? Filing home one by one down the steps to finish your weekend p-sets. Think about it, grades are forever and that moment of glory will fade.

As Joan Didion aptly put it “Time passes. Memory fades, memory adjusts, memory conforms to what we think we remember."

Sike: that would be antithetical to the injection of fun. While memories certainly do fade, let’s make a tradition of our own. Let’s leave the goalposts standing – that’s the Harvard of the South’s thing – and embrace our team on the field. Let’s keep it sportsmanlike in the face of defeat; after all, we are the Ancient Eight.

Dethroning the Bulldogs

Finally, the most important tradition of all: winning. It began for Harvard in the very first contest against the Bulldogs, circa 1875, and has extended throughout the years. The last few years, Yale has built up a well of confidence — the Elis have won five of the last seven — but it is not too late to reestablish the oldest tradition, once and for all.

Sweet victory for the Crimson would cement the new leadership of Head Coach Andrew Aurich, bringing back the luster of a bygone era of Harvard football.

Harvard has spirit, but not enough. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel — other schools and other sporting venues have already created a roadmap. By taking a cue from some of the other elite sporting programs around the country, the spirit of Harvard-Yale can be channeled into a bombastic present-day experience.

—Staff writer Reed Trimble can be reached at reed.trimble@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Daniel Hochberg can be reached at daniel.hochberg@thecrimson.com.