The student sections at Saturday's football game were surprised when the song \Jump Around,"" by House of Pain, was not played. Many sat in protest of the song's elimination and yelled obscenities at the sound technician.
According to Steve Malchow, assistant athletic director of communications, the song, traditionally played before the fourth quarter, was excluded due to complaints received from some patrons regarding the song's content and also to ensure student safety.
Since Camp Randall is undergoing major skybox renovations, Malchow said UW-Madison athletic administrators agreed it is a necessary safety precaution to exclude ""Jump Around"" in an effort to keep students from getting dangerously rowdy.
However, this decision is only temporary and will be reconsidered when the field's renovations are complete.
Some UW-Madison students said they think the song's removal is unwarranted.
""I don't know whether a bunch of students jumping on bleachers is really going to cause anything, but I really don't see how that can make a difference,"" Sangeev Bhatia, UW-Madison junior, said.
UW-Madison Sophomore Nora Shumway agreed.
""Everyone was jumping around anyway, so it didn't really [act as a safety measure]. If they're not going to play the song, I am still going to jump around.""
However, Shumway also said she agreed with the crowd's negative response.
""Every game they play [""Jump Around""], and for them not to play it seems weird. It's one of the traditions,"" she said.
Despite the collective show of disapproval, UW-Madison administration did not consider student response when making the decision, according to Malchow.
""Our concern wasn't so much with the reaction,"" Malchow said. ""The safety of getting people in and out of [the stadium] and enjoying a game day is our No. 1 priority.""
Other UW-Madison students held mixed views regarding the elimination of the song and the crowd's reaction.
""Personally, I didn't care that much [about the song being eliminated] because I was more interested in how the game was getting really close at that point. I thought the students should have been more focused on supporting the team and [remain standing],"" Danny Cooper, UW-Madison senior, said. ""Sit down if you don't like how [the team] is playing, but don't sit down for something [the team] can't control.""
In accordance with Cooper, Bhatia said, ""When the crowd sits down, I think it has a negative impact on the team.\
