Yooooooook!
They’re not booing, they’re saying ‘yoooooooooou suck!’
Here in Cleveland, we root for Shin-soo Choooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
1,000,000 BC
Raquel Welch in an animal skin bikini.
A stadium full of Neanderthals intone: “BOOOOOOOOOOOOBS!”
The “Big Woo” ran for U. Texas in the late '60s – and so postdates the two baseball players discussed above – but hearing a full house in Austin calling “Wooooooo” after each of his runs was pretty intimidating to this Razorback fan. On the television broadcasts the announcers would always let the audience know the fans were not booing. Of course, we only got a game or two a week of college football on TV “in the day”, so most non-UT fans would have no idea of this tradition.
The first I heard it was in the early Sixties whenever Elmer “Moose” Vasko of the Chicago Blackhawks touched the puck. I guess the announcers by then didn’t need to say it, so it was up to my dad to explain to me that the fans weren’t booing him, they were saying “Moo-oo-se”. He started his NHL careeer in 1956 though I don’t have any idea when fans began chanting his name. I see that Skowron’s first year in the majors was 1954 so I’d guess that he predates Vasko as far as the “oo-ing” goes.
In recent years, Redskins fans would chant “COOOOOOLLLLL” for tight end Chris Cooley.
On one of the episodes of PBS’ “History of Rock n’ Roll” series, Tom Petty talks about opening for Bruce Springsteen and being rushed off the stage to a chorus of boos from the crowd. His manager or someone offstage says, "They’re not booing you, they’re shouting “Bruuuuuce!” to which Petty replies, “isn’t that the same thing?”
I remember that, but in the 80’s, not the 70’s. I’m sure they did it his whole career.
GB Packer fullback John Kuhn. Sounds like he’s being booed everytime he gets the ball.
This is what I’ve always heard started the trend.
YOUK!