Other common elements of fight song lyrics are mentioning the team's colors, spelling out the school's name, and using the words "hail" and "rah." Many songs were composed by students, alumni, or faculty of the institution for example, Cole Porter wrote "Bulldog" for his alma mater Yale College. An analysis of 65 college fight songs by FiveThirtyEight identified words commonly used in the lyrics of these songs, including fight, win, and victory.
Some fight songs have a long history, connecting the fans who sing them to a time-honored tradition, frequently to music played by the institution's band. In Australian rules football, the team song is traditionally sung by the winning team at the end of the game.
For example, the band might play the fight song when entering the stadium, whenever their team scores, or while cheerleaders dance at halftime or during other breaks in the game. These songs are commonly played several times at a sporting event. First associated with collegiate sports, fight songs are also used by secondary schools and in professional sports.įight songs are sing-alongs, allowing sports fans to cheer collectively for their team. In Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand, these songs are called the team anthem, team song, or games song. The term is most common in the United States and Canada. Not to be confused with school songs, a song used to represent a school or university.Ī fight song is a rousing short song associated with a sports team.