That deep, resonant gong or bell sound you hear during football games is almost always a stadium sound effect played over the PA system to pump up the crowd, typically on third down when the defense needs a stop. Different teams use different versions of it, but the most recognizable one belongs to the Detroit Lions, who ring a massive bell tied to AC/DC’s “Hells Bells” every time the opposing offense faces third down.
The Detroit Lions’ Third Down Bell
The Lions have used their third down bell tradition since 2016. When the opposing team reaches third down, the stadium sound system plays the iconic opening bell toll from AC/DC’s “Hells Bells,” and the crowd erupts. It’s become one of the most recognized in-game sounds in the NFL, partly because it’s so distinctive on television broadcasts. The deep, metallic ring cuts through crowd noise in a way that makes viewers at home immediately notice it.
If you’ve been watching an NFL game and heard a loud gong-like sound that made you pause and Google it, the Lions game is the most likely source. The tradition has become closely associated with Ford Field and the team’s defensive identity.
Other Teams With Similar Sounds
The Lions aren’t alone. Many NFL and college football teams use bells, gongs, horns, or similar percussive sound effects as crowd-energizing cues at key moments. These sounds typically play on third downs, after big defensive plays, or during momentum swings. Each stadium has its own flavor. Some use a single deep gong hit, others loop a siren or horn, and college programs often layer in fight songs or unique traditions.
At Mississippi State, the cowbell is the school’s signature auditory symbol. Fans bring actual cowbells into the stadium and ring them throughout the game, creating a wall of metallic clanging that’s unlike anything else in college football. It started as a good-luck superstition and evolved into one of the sport’s most famous (and loudest) traditions.
College football tends to be more creative and chaotic with noise traditions because the rules around artificial noise are less strict than in the NFL. You’ll hear everything from train horns to cannon blasts to literal gongs depending on the program.
NFL Rules on Stadium Noise
The NFL does allow teams to use their PA systems to play music, sound effects, and hype clips, but there are limits. All music and artificial noise must stop by the time the play clock hits 20 seconds. This rule exists to prevent home teams from using the sound system to interfere with the visiting offense’s ability to communicate at the line of scrimmage.
That’s why you’ll notice the gong or bell sound fires right after a play ends or at the start of a defensive stand, then goes quiet as the offense approaches the snap. The crowd itself can be as loud as it wants for the entire play, but the speakers have to cut out. This is also why stadiums invest so heavily in getting fans to scream on their own rather than relying purely on amplified sound. The PA system is a spark to ignite the crowd, not a replacement for it.
Why It Sounds So Prominent on TV
You might wonder why the gong seems louder on your television than other stadium sounds. Broadcast microphones are positioned around the field to capture the full atmosphere of the game, and sharp, low-frequency sounds like a bell toll or gong hit carry extremely well through those mics. Crowd noise is a constant wash of sound that blends into the background, but a single percussive hit at a specific pitch stands out immediately in the audio mix.
Stadium audio engineers design these sound effects to be attention-grabbing in person, which means they also tend to punch through on broadcasts. The effect is even more noticeable if you’re watching on a system with decent bass response, since gong and bell sounds are rich in low frequencies that resonate through speakers and subwoofers.