As with many other traditions in the world of softball, cheers and chants have a special role in building morale and uplifting a sense of camaraderie and friendly opposition. Today I am going to share with you some of the funniest Softball chants that everyone can participate in!
So what is a funny chant or cheer? One of the most common funny Softball chants is – “You made the connection, but in the wrong direction, so make the correction and DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE IT!”. Choosing softball chants can be challenging, but the idea is to find what unites the team. Chants and cheers give teams the ability to feel unified while still maintaining a sense of competition.
There’s an interesting history and role that comes into play when thinking about chants and cheers. Fortunately, I’m going to be giving you some interesting examples of cheers, along with an explanation of their role in the game. Keep reading through this article to learn more!
12 Cheers and chants you can use in softball
Cheers and chants are a central part of the softball game and help to build camaraderie while giving players the chance to establish themselves as a superior team to their opponents. Since softball chants are often carried out by players, there’s an opportunity there.
Depending on the position you hold in softball, there are some interesting chants that you can employ. There are various kinds of chants, and there is often a lot of flexibility regarding what kind of chants are allowed during games.
However, chants must follow some basic rules regarding the use of profanity, any kind of personalized attacks, or any kind of hate speech. Aside from that, you can have funny or cheeky chants as long as they’re not disrespectful.
Here are some common cheers you can use when you’re playing softball, or even as a spectator of the game:
- “You made the connection, but in the wrong direction, so make the correction and DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE IT!”
- “Riding on a donkey, sitting on a cactus, we think your team needs a little practice!”
- “I love you (echo), You stole two (echo), Golly gee (echo), now steal three (echo), just one more (echo), then we’ll score (echo), slide on it (echo), then we’ll win (echo)”
There is a sense of humor that is employed when softball cheers are concerned. Many teams and spectators often use humor in the game to engage with the match and add another sense of fun while watching. There are a lot of examples of funnier chants.
As long as the chant maintains the general decorum of respect, it is completely allowed in the game, even if it uses a cheeky sense of humor. Here are some examples:
- “Call the Cops! Call the Cops! We just stole your stinkin’ base! Here they come, (Imitating a siren sound)!”
- “We don’t play with little dolls, we hit hard with bats and balls, we don’t got ribbons in our hair, we slam that home run outta there!”
- “Holy cow the ball went foul, mooooove it over! (Imitating the sound of a cow)”
As you can see, these cheers play on some interesting ideas, either using a funny sound or negating common tropes about young women. Since softball is a sport dominated by women, it makes sense that cheers and chants would tackle the idea that women cannot engage in the game.
One of the primary objectives of cheers is to up the morale of the team. This can help create a sense of intimidation for the opposing team as well. The idea is to bolster up your image, so the other team starts second-guessing their abilities.
There are a lot of chants that play into this idea, for example:
- “See that batter at the plate, she’s the best in the state! She has spirit, she has pride, too bad for you, she’s on our side!”
- “Don’t you know? Can’t you guess? We are the B-E-S-T best!”
- “Way to watch it wayda wayda watch it, way to be wayda wayda be, way to watch it wayda wayda watch it, way to be wayda wayda (shouts) WATCH IT!”
These chants help to bring about a sense that the game is a little more competitive, and can unnerve the other team. It helps to build pressure and lets the opposing team know that your team is great at what you’re doing, and can catch up to them in no time.
Aside from chants used in specific circumstances, there are also chants that players can use depending on the position they are in. For example, here are some of the chants that can be used for pitchers in a softball game:
- “Hubba, hubba, hubba, ding-a-ling-a-ling, your pitcher’s got an arm like a washing machine! Hubba, hubba, hubba, ding-a-ling-a-ling, our pitcher’s got an arm like a pitching machine!”
- “When (the player) is on the mound, the ball flies fast as the speed of sound! When (the player) is in the fight, the ball flies fast as the speed of light!”
- “Hey batter, better take a hike, ‘cause (the players) gonna pitch a strike!”
All in all, these chants help to elevate the position of the team and create an engaging atmosphere in the field that is hard to deny.
The history of cheers in softball
As long as softball has been played, whether indoors or on the fields, there have always been cheers involved. Softball became a known sport at the end of the 19th century, by which time, there was already evidence of cheers being incorporated into the event with the help of cheerleaders.
Singing cheers and chants to encourage players of the team you like is an important part of the game, one that has gone hand in hand with the game itself. The cheers and chants have historically been helpful in allowing the teams to build a sense of friendly opposition while still playing on camaraderie within their own ranks.
In terms of the history of cheerleading though, it is interesting to know that the event became common in the 1860s before softball came into being. Another fascinating part of the practice’s history is that it was commonly carried out by men, whereas we now associate it almost exclusively with women cheerleaders.
That being said, cheerleading is not common at softball games. In fact, there isn’t usually a cheerleading team heading the cheers. Instead, cheers are carried out and handled by the team themselves.
For many spectators, this may not be an ideal practice, as they find the cheering by the teams distracting from the object of the game. However, they undoubtedly have a huge role in maintaining and creating a feeling of togetherness.
Another benefit to cheering by the players that have emerged over time is that the cheers often allow players to get comfortable. It’s an excellent way to dispel negative energy and anxiety before the game and get into the groove before the match starts.
When cheers are used in softball
For many other games, there are strategic points in which cheers are used during games. This is often at the beginning of the game, or during the middle, and they are often played out by a team of cheerleaders. However, that is not the case in softball.
Softball teams can engage in cheers whenever they like, although you will typically see this happening in moments of the game where there is a lot of momentum. An example of a common point where this can happen is when a new pitcher comes out.
While it may all seem like fun and games, there are specific rules about how cheering is conducted in a game of softball. For example, teams are often directed to follow certain guidelines to avoid being disrespectful, rude, or causing unnecessary strife between teams.
The use of profanity and improper language is absolutely not allowed when creating softball cheers. This is to maintain friendliness between opposing teams and to avoid any disrespect that can cross the line and affect people outside of the field. Click here for How to Be a Good Bench Player
In the same vein, players and fans are encouraged to not use cheers and chants that are personal or targeted toward any one player on the opposing team. For example, making a chant or cheer about someone’s physical attributes will be considered an instant issue.
In fact, players are instead encouraged to look inwards and focus on themselves when creating chants. The idea is to build strength amongst team members and to have a rallying cry available. Therefore, it would help if players focused on what makes them, as a team, great.
The focus on the positive attributes of the team is essential as it highlights how players must act and discourages the extensive focus on what makes the other team “unworthy.” It also helps players understand the core benefit of cheers – that it helps members of the same team stand together.
While players can take part in chants and cheers, the audience can as well. That is what makes softball games so fun and interesting to watch, as the whole crowd engages with the teams and vice versa. Cheers and chants can help build a competitive yet powerful atmosphere for the game.
Frequently asked questions
1. Are there cheers in baseball?
Yes, just like softball, baseball players do sing cheers and chants during games. Since the two games have a lot in common, it is no surprise that there is a similarity between them when it comes to chanting and cheers.
2. Can noisy cheers affect players during softball games?
Yes, there are a lot of players that have reported that chanting and cheers during games can be distracting. There are some teams that do not engage in chanting at all. However, in general, players learn to tune the chants out and play when they need to.
Final note
Chants, cheers, and songs have a huge role to play in the traditions of games like softball. While the chants can be used in many different ways, ultimately the idea is to create an environment of fun, engagement, competition, and above all camaraderie within the team.
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