CroomDiaries, did I inspire your most recent post on M&WN? Excellent writeup. Link:

[Lloyd Christmas]

Link (http://maroonandwhitenation.com/2014/07/25/new-cowbell-rule-good-msu/)

ETA: Someone send this link to Stricklin. This is so vital to stadium atmosphere getting better. He doesn't really get that stuff, though. Hashtags + Ads = Atmosphere in Strickworld

[The Croom Diaries]

I actually sat down at my computer to write that post yesterday afternoon, but I decided to check Elitedawgs first and saw your thread. That thread definitely helped me write it quicker though. I am kind of surprised no one has called me an idiot yet...but that may mean there are more who agree with you and I than oppose..

[preachermatt83]

I actually sat down at my computer to write that post yesterday afternoon, but I decided to check Elitedawgs first and saw your thread. That thread definitely helped me write it quicker though. I am kind of surprised no one has called me an idiot yet...but that may mean there are more who agree with you and I than oppose..

Don't be so sure.

[preachermatt83]

I actually sat down at my computer to write that post yesterday afternoon, but I decided to check Elitedawgs first and saw your thread. That thread definitely helped me write it quicker though. I am kind of surprised no one has called me an idiot yet...but that may mean there are more who agree with you and I than oppose..

I respect you, so I will not be calling you an idiot. I vehemently disagree with this article but you are still a very good writer and far from an idiot.

[Lloyd Christmas]

I respect you, so I will not be calling you an idiot. I vehemently disagree with this article but you are still a very good writer and far from an idiot.

Can you cite specifically what you disagree with? Anyone who bothers to observe our fans before and during defensive plays will see this problem.

[preachermatt83]

Can you cite specifically what you disagree with? Anyone who bothers to observe our fans before and during defensive plays will see this problem.

Certainly...

1) "I do lean towards it hurting the atmosphere."

- This is referring to the new and more lenient cowbell rule. I think that it is just not logical to think that at DWS, More Cowbell is a bad thing for the atmosphere. The more cowbells there are, the louder they are, and the longer they ring the better the "atmosphere". Atmosphere is a key word in all of this.

2) "But I also think it’s used as a crutch by many who bring them in."

- Can't speak for everyone but in the section in which I sit this is simply not the case. I think it is faulty to think that we are too dumb to do BOTH , Ring and Yell! The folks that sit around me know how to do both.

3) "Then there are cowbell ringers who follow the rules. But how many of these folks will stop ringing and start yelling at the appropriate time? My guess is half"

- See #2

4)"Finally the non-cowbell carrying fans, which represent the largest group in the stadium"

- This is just simply not true... I stood outside LP field at the music city bowl and talked a few mins with strick and this actually came up. I asked him what percentage of fans he thought would be carrying a cowbell at a typical game in Starkville.. He said he felt like it was atleast 70 percent. I think that is a little inflated but my guess is atleast 60 percent are cowbell carriers.

[BulldogBear]

Certainly...

1) "I do lean towards it hurting the atmosphere."

- This is referring to the new and more lenient cowbell rule. I think that it is just not logical to think that at DWS, More Cowbell is a bad thing for the atmosphere. The more cowbells there are, the louder they are, and the longer they ring the better the "atmosphere". Atmosphere is a key word in all of this.

2) "But I also think it’s used as a crutch by many who bring them in."

- Can't speak for everyone but in the section in which I sit this is simply not the case. I think it is faulty to think that we are too dumb to do BOTH , Ring and Yell! The folks that sit around me know how to do both.

3) "Then there are cowbell ringers who follow the rules. But how many of these folks will stop ringing and start yelling at the appropriate time? My guess is half"

- See #2

4)"Finally the non-cowbell carrying fans, which represent the largest group in the stadium"

- This is just simply not true... I stood outside LP field at the music city bowl and talked a few mins with strick and this actually came up. I asked him what percentage of fans he thought would be carrying a cowbell at a typical game in Starkville.. He said he felt like it was atleast 70 percent. I think that is a little inflated but my guess is atleast 60 percent are cowbell carriers.

I believe you're right about the bells Matt. I think it's 2 things (1) the lift of the ban and (2) that more so than even a decade ago cowbells are much more available to those without welding skills nor know anyone who has them. There are a lot more cowbells than there were 10 and even 5 years ago. A lot more.

[The Croom Diaries]

I don't think the cowbells are hurting the atmosphere, I think the lack of yelling due to the cowbells presence hurts the atmosphere. I could be completely wrong, but I hypothesize that this new rule is going to hurt the volume of yelling when we are supposed to be yelling. On third downs, no, but on 1st and 2nd down yes.

I don't have season tickets because I live too far away and only make it to a couple of games per year, so I don't catch every game but I do sit all around the stadium depending on where my tickets are. Upper, lower deck, alumni, sidewalk, etc. The last couple of years I've noticed a sizable drop off in noise. In 2010 I couldn't hear myself think. Last year it wasn't good at all.

Most of this I blame on the video board. 95% of it. The lack of yelling due to cowbells is a minor issue. It can certainly be refuted, but from my vantage point it is worth noting. The main point of the article is for everyone to recognize that yelling is important and they need to make sure they are. Even if 80% of the fans are already doing this, then there are 20% who could use the advice. I'm striving for an A+ atmosphere rather than a B+.

[FISHDAWG]

61,000 yelling doesn't have the same effect as 100,000 + yelling ..... I have heard more than one opposing coach say they had cowbell blared over their loud speakers during practice in preparation to play in DWS so we know this is an intimidating factor .... opposing fans hate the cowbells so that makes me favor them even more ... dont care about the fines with all of the new revenue coming in .... why would we want to mess with the only tradition we have left ? .... screw a bunch of yelling, you have a better chance of selling a deep freezer to an Inuit than this idea to state fans .... it's our identity !