U-S-A! cheer
Encyclopedia
U-S-A! is a chant
that was first popularized after being yelled by fans during the 1980 Winter Olympics
, held in Lake Placid
, New York
, USA
, where the US men's ice hockey team defeated the Soviet Union in what became known as the "Miracle on Ice
", later moving on to beat Finland for the gold
. The origin of the phrase is unknown, although there are reports which pre-date the 1980 Olympics.
During the USA's 7-3 win over Czechoslovakia in the tournament's
the second game, the crowd began chanting "U-S-A! U-S-A!" in support of the American team as the Americans scored a decisive win over one of the best teams in the world. The chant became a fixture of the team's remaining games and gained national attention during the famous "Miracle on Ice" game against the Soviet Union. A group of four enthusiastic young fans from New York, Bruce Levey, Andy Lampert, Steve Sachs, and Stan Kopman, honestly claim to have been the first spectators in the arena at the "Miracle on Ice" game to begin yelling the chant, which quickly caught on throughout the crowd. Since that time, American sports fans have spontaneously chanted "U-S-A! U-S-A!" at many international events, and during times of nationalist
fervor.
In professional wrestling
, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
was popularly known for making the cheer during his wrestling matches and inciting the crowd to repeat it after him. The chant has also been used by fans to taunt characters who dislike America, such as Bret Hart
. It has also been used to support wrestlers with pro-American gimmicks, like Hulk Hogan
, regardless of the nationality of their opponents. A six-man tag match in 2003 on WWE SmackDown! featuring Hogan (as "Mr. America"), Kurt Angle
and Brock Lesnar
vs Big Show, Charlie Haas
and
Shelton Benjamin
in Madison Square Garden
had the crowd performing the chant in support of Hogan's team despite the fact all six wrestlers were Americans and none had an anti-American gimmick.
The 9/11 attacks found a revival in the chant during patriotic ceremonies at sporting events; the chant was also heard when U.S. President George W. Bush
visited the ruins at the World Trade Center site
in the week following the 2001 attacks. The chant at the ruins was started by North Hudson Firefighter Thomas Irving, who was there for clean-up along with many other first-responders.
Crowds gathered outside of the White House
on May 1, 2011 could be heard chanting U-S-A! after President Barack Obama
announced that al-Qaeda
co-founder Osama bin Laden had been killed
by American forces in Pakistan
. The cheer was also chanted that Sunday evening at the only MLB baseball game being held while the news was breaking between the Philadelphia Phillies
and the New York Mets
. Not only that, but also did the cheer chant at the 2011
WWE Extreme Rules
event in Tampa, Florida
on the same date when the crowds gather at the White House, as the death of Osama bin Laden was announced by then-WWE Champion, John Cena
.
The chant has even shown up on The Jerry Springer Show
, where it may spontaneously and inexplicably follow the show's standard cheer of "Jer-ry, Jer-ry!" and is also often delivered by Homer Simpson
on The Simpsons
as a celebration of almost anything, often accompanied by honking of his car's horn and flashing of its headlights.
The "U-S-A" chants has recently been adopted by English soccer supporters during matches against Manchester United
, who have American owners unpopular with the club's supporters, due to the clubs being saddled by massive debt. Opposing supporters remind the United supporters of this with the "U-S-A" chant. This was also true of Liverpool, until the RBS
takeover. The chant is also used by teams to celebrate achievements of American players, such as Clint Dempsey
at Fulham
and Tim Howard
and Landon Donovan
at Everton
. It is also used widely by supporters of the United States men's national soccer team
.
On February 22, 2011, the first annual International U-S-A chant day was observed. Parties were held all across the country to celebrate the holiday. Thousands of patriots also celebrated on Facebook and Twitter via posting U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A.
Chant
Chant is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes to highly complex musical structures Chant (from French chanter) is the rhythmic speaking or singing...
that was first popularized after being yelled by fans during the 1980 Winter Olympics
1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...
, held in Lake Placid
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where the US men's ice hockey team defeated the Soviet Union in what became known as the "Miracle on Ice
Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" is the name in American popular culture for a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, on Friday, February 22...
", later moving on to beat Finland for the gold
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
. The origin of the phrase is unknown, although there are reports which pre-date the 1980 Olympics.
During the USA's 7-3 win over Czechoslovakia in the tournament's
Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics was held at the Olympic Arena and the Olympic Fieldhouse in Lake Placid, New York. Twelve teams competed in the tournament, which was held from February 12 to February 24...
the second game, the crowd began chanting "U-S-A! U-S-A!" in support of the American team as the Americans scored a decisive win over one of the best teams in the world. The chant became a fixture of the team's remaining games and gained national attention during the famous "Miracle on Ice" game against the Soviet Union. A group of four enthusiastic young fans from New York, Bruce Levey, Andy Lampert, Steve Sachs, and Stan Kopman, honestly claim to have been the first spectators in the arena at the "Miracle on Ice" game to begin yelling the chant, which quickly caught on throughout the crowd. Since that time, American sports fans have spontaneously chanted "U-S-A! U-S-A!" at many international events, and during times of nationalist
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
fervor.
In professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
Jim Duggan
James Edward Duggan , better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment in the 1980s, when it was known as World Wrestling Federation , and World Championship Wrestling...
was popularly known for making the cheer during his wrestling matches and inciting the crowd to repeat it after him. The chant has also been used by fans to taunt characters who dislike America, such as Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
. It has also been used to support wrestlers with pro-American gimmicks, like Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, regardless of the nationality of their opponents. A six-man tag match in 2003 on WWE SmackDown! featuring Hogan (as "Mr. America"), Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
and Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
vs Big Show, Charlie Haas
Charlie Haas
Charles "Charlie" Doyle Haas II is an American professional wrestler and former collegiate amateur wrestler. He competes on the independent circuit, and is signed to Ring of Honor , where he is one-half of the reigning ROH World Tag Team Champions with Shelton Benjamin...
and
The World's Greatest Tag Team
The World's Greatest Tag Team is the professional wrestling tag team of Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin, who currently perform as Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team. Originally formed in World Wrestling Entertainment , they started out captained by Kurt Angle, during which time they were known as...
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton James Benjamin is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Benjamin has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling in high school and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, Benjamin has acted...
in Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
had the crowd performing the chant in support of Hogan's team despite the fact all six wrestlers were Americans and none had an anti-American gimmick.
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
visited the ruins at the World Trade Center site
World Trade Center site
The World Trade Center site , also known as "Ground Zero" after the September 11 attacks, sits on in Lower Manhattan in New York City...
in the week following the 2001 attacks. The chant at the ruins was started by North Hudson Firefighter Thomas Irving, who was there for clean-up along with many other first-responders.
Crowds gathered outside of the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
on May 1, 2011 could be heard chanting U-S-A! after President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
announced that al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
co-founder Osama bin Laden had been killed
Death of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden, then head of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 a.m. local time by a United States special forces military unit....
by American forces in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. The cheer was also chanted that Sunday evening at the only MLB baseball game being held while the news was breaking between the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
. Not only that, but also did the cheer chant at the 2011
Extreme Rules (2011)
Extreme Rules was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE, which took place on May 1, 2011 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida...
WWE Extreme Rules
WWE Extreme Rules
Extreme Rules was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on June 7, 2009 at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the first event promoted under the Extreme Rules name and initially noted by WWE to be a direct...
event in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
on the same date when the crowds gather at the White House, as the death of Osama bin Laden was announced by then-WWE Champion, John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
.
The chant has even shown up on The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show is a syndicated television tabloid talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician, broadcast in the United States and other countries...
, where it may spontaneously and inexplicably follow the show's standard cheer of "Jer-ry, Jer-ry!" and is also often delivered by Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
on The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
as a celebration of almost anything, often accompanied by honking of his car's horn and flashing of its headlights.
The "U-S-A" chants has recently been adopted by English soccer supporters during matches against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, who have American owners unpopular with the club's supporters, due to the clubs being saddled by massive debt. Opposing supporters remind the United supporters of this with the "U-S-A" chant. This was also true of Liverpool, until the RBS
Royal Bank of Scotland
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
takeover. The chant is also used by teams to celebrate achievements of American players, such as Clint Dempsey
Clint Dempsey
Clinton Drew "Clint" Dempsey is an American soccer player who plays for Fulham and the United States national team. Dempsey usually plays as either an attacking midfielder, or a striker....
at Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
and Tim Howard
Tim Howard
Timothy Matthew Howard is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for English club Everton and the United States national team....
and Landon Donovan
Landon Donovan
Landon Timothy Donovan is an American soccer player for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer in the United States. He usually plays as a withdrawn forward, and can also be used as an attacking midfielder on either wing....
at Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
. It is also used widely by supporters of the United States men's national soccer team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
.
On February 22, 2011, the first annual International U-S-A chant day was observed. Parties were held all across the country to celebrate the holiday. Thousands of patriots also celebrated on Facebook and Twitter via posting U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A.