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Clutching Pearls Because Penn Students Did a Basketball Chant that’s Been Around Since the 1970s
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Some people are upset on the internet because Penn students hit Illinois with the “that’s alright, that’s okay, you’re gonna work for us some day” chant –
Classism? Come on, man. The Ivies are having some fun. College students busting chops at a basketball game before they put on their Patagonia vests and head home. It’s not a big deal. They didn’t say anything racist or sexist or homophobic.
I guess people have this notion that the Ivy League kids are all stuck up or whatever but there’s been a version of this chant going around since the 1970s and schools like Harvard and Northwestern have used it. High schools have used it. The only thing that’s new is fake outrage on social media.
You know how much shit we took in West Virginia? The Pitt, Syracuse, and VPI fans killed us nonstop with “hoopie” jokes and Deliverance memes on the Rivals message boards. And you know what? That shit was funny! They hit us with redneck and hick insults all the time. Then we’d get ’em back with Yinzer jokes and throw in a healthy dose of “eat shit Pitt.” You always had to be on your toes because you never knew what the Yinzers were gonna come up with next. We’d often point out that they hadn’t won a meaningful football game since the leather helmet era. That was a good one. They were also a safety school for IUP and Penn State Beaver rejects.
Serious question, not being facetious – is busting balls a lost art? Does Gen Z not do this? Do they not insult each other for laughs? We grew up on that. It was healthy. Nobody took themselves too seriously back then. Let’s get it back to insulting our friends and ripping the opposing team. Everybody needs to grow thicker skin and learn how to take a joke.
“Sweeeet Caroline… eat shit Pitt!“
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com