They say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, but stealing a fight song? To quote Chris Rock’s character in The Longest Yard, “man, that’s just un-American.”

I mention this because it has come to our attention that East Tennessee State uses Penn State’s “Victory” fight song as their own primary fight song.

Now, although “Victory” falls below “Fight On, State” and “The Nittany Lion” in the Penn State fight song pecking order, it nonetheless truly belongs to Dear Old State. And, while I’d love to find a way to blame Ed DeChellis for this (perhaps he was the Coach To Be Named Later in some sort of fight song trade?), common sense dictates that ETSU has used “Victory” for quite some time now.

The bottom line is that one university claiming another university’s fight song as their own is nothing more than lazy and uninspired. Yes, plenty of schools do share some songs and cheers, but rarely as their primary fight songs. A school’s fight song should echo proud tradition and unique identity, and it should be a rallying point for alumni and fans.

Sorry, ETSU, but you’re never going to shake the “directional school” perception by using a fight song that belongs to one of the big boys. Hey, at least you have Kenny Chesney, right?

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