# Origins of Chant:  "U.S.A!  U.S.A!"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-chant-u-s-a-u-s-a/81825>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 15, 2001, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-chant-u-s-a-u-s-a/81825 "2001-09-15T15:29:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![JohnW77707](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@JohnW77707](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnW77707)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-chant-u-s-a-u-s-a/81825/1 "2001-09-15T15:29:01Z")

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{Re: W. appearance in NYC)

I certainly recall this in the context of the 1980 Olympic Hockey team, but no earlier (note: I was born in 1968). I’ve never seen it any earlier, even on the History Channel, etc. Could that possibly have been the first use? If not, when?

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**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-chant-u-s-a-u-s-a/81825/2 "2001-09-15T17:21:30Z")

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I was born a little earlier than you, but I would give a WAG that it’s long been a part of Olympic competitions. That’s the only event where you have large parts of the audience identifying with a particular country, rather than a person or a team. That is, I don’t expect people to chant this at the Super Bowl.

Perhaps a doper who had been to one of the previous Olympics could enlighten us on this.

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**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-chant-u-s-a-u-s-a/81825/3 "2001-09-15T18:45:37Z")

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The first time I heard it was the 1980 Winter Olympics hockey tournament, too.

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**Author:** ![Lance\_the\_Advancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Lance\_the\_Advancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_the_Advancer)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-chant-u-s-a-u-s-a/81825/4 "2001-09-15T18:51:01Z")

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[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=87393](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=87393)

Look what this idiot has to say about it.

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**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-chant-u-s-a-u-s-a/81825/5 "2001-09-15T19:43:50Z")

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We do not insult fellow member in GQ, even if in reference to a thread in the Pit.

Please do not do this again.

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**Author:** ![Lance\_the\_Advancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Lance\_the\_Advancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_the_Advancer)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2001, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-chant-u-s-a-u-s-a/81825/6 "2001-09-16T05:04:46Z")

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my bad