When I think of pandering, for some reason, my mind goes right to sports. I'm a huge Wisconsin Badgers fan (my whole family is from Wisconsin, so it was bound to happen!), and going to Camp Randall Stadium for a football game is unparalleled. The feel of the crowd is awesome, and you can just feed off the energy by being there.
One of the big things that UW does is during the break between the third and fourth quarters, they play a song by House of Pain called "Jump Around"--you've probably heard it! It's been a tradition at the university and at Camp Randall since 1998, and it's definitely an experience. The whole stadium shakes as over 80,000 people jump and dance like you wouldn't believe.
But, what I've noticed while watching other football games on TV, Chapel Hill has tried doing the same thing, at the same time (between the last two quarters), by playing the song and telling people to "Jump Around". Chapel Hill certainly didn't start this tradition, and though the song isn't licensed to UW, it still feels like Chapel Hill is trying to get the same tradition going in their stadium, and get the same feeling of Camp Randall in Kenan Memorial Stadium. I'm not sure a brand (like Chapel Hill as a university is) can pander a feeling, but that's what it appears they're doing. They want their fans to get just as loud and get crazy as Badger fans by playing a song that makes you want to, well, jump around.
Well, Chapel Hill, hate to break it to you, but there's nothing quite like "Jump Around" back home.
Hope I don't have any Chapel Hill fans following me--if so, sorry, but your Athletic Department is pandering! :)
(Any of you guys have some brands or universities or whatever that you think are pandering? Let me know!)
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