| "Who Dat" is slang for who is that or who is there | | | | because of the poor performance of the Saints. |
| and was first recorded in the 1800s. It was mainly | | | | The fans did not want to be seen coming to the |
| used by black ministries and vaudeville acts to ask | | | | games. When the fans wore bags on their heads, |
| the question, who is there or who is that. It later | | | | it is said, other fans would walk up and say "Who |
| resurfaced in the 20s and 30s during the big band | | | | Dat". |
| era, when the band members or band director | | | | The first concrete records occurred in 1983, |
| would shout at the audience, " who dat down | | | | when Aaron Neville and five Saints players, John |
| there". The audience in response would shout | | | | Hill, Dave Waymer, Brad idelman, Louis Oubre, and |
| back, "who dat up there". The Marx Brothers | | | | Reggie Lewis, along with sportscaster Ron |
| recorded a movie called "A Day At The Races" | | | | Swoboda, all as backup, recorded a song to the |
| where they sing a song, in black face, called " | | | | tune of "When the Saints Go Marching". The |
| Who Dat Man". | | | | backup chorus sang "Who dat say they going to |
| The slang was taken up at high School sports | | | | beat them saints". |
| game, and college sports games. In the Early 80s, | | | | Then in 2006, after a Saints - Cowboys game, |
| the Cincinnati Bengals football fans started | | | | which the Cowboys were heavily favored to win, |
| chanting "Who Dey". This is after several losing | | | | but the Saints won instead. People from around |
| seasons and then all of a sudden the Bengals | | | | the nation called into a sports radio show, hosted |
| started having a winning season. Fans wanted to | | | | by sports commentator, Bobby Hebert, a former |
| know where this team came from. | | | | Saints quarterback, in which he commented " Man |
| How it got to be the Saints chant is a little murky. | | | | there is a whole Who Dat Nation out there". |
| Some say it started in the late 70s, when the | | | | I would conclude that the chant was born by the |
| Saints fans started calling themselves the "Aints" | | | | recording in 1983 by Aaron Neville. |
| and wearing paper bags over their heads, all | | | | |
