BY Matthew Nagel
Cries of "booyah" echoed through Technology Square as CNBC's "Mad Money" with Jim Cramer filmed in the courtyard of the Georgia Tech College of Management building.
The hit stock-picking show came to Tech as part of the program's "Back to School" college tour. Cramer is known for his manic hosting style involving sound effects, props and frequent use of the catchword "booyah."
Several hours before filming began, Cramer engaged management students in a question-and-answer session in which he explained the origins of "booyah." He said that prior to the "Mad Money" debut in March 2005, he once took a call on his radio show from a man who expressed gratitude for Cramer's recommendation of Kmart stock by using the New Orleans colloquialism "boo-yah," which refers to making money.
After Cramer transferred into TV, callers remembered the expression and would use it. Exclamatory use of the word has since become synonymous with Cramer's show.
During taping of the show, Cramer said he frequently hears criticism of his larger-than-life hosting style. "I do some entertaining, and I do some educating," he said. "Some people say it's wrong to do stocks and entertain. I say I'm a showman in the tradition of Jack Benny and Bob Hope."
Management students enthusiastically supported Cramer's performance in pep-rally style by wearing Georgia Tech T-shirts and chanting school cheers from the bleachers set up in the courtyard. Buzz and Georgia Tech cheerleaders were on stage to get the crowd pumped.
Cramer fielded questions from members of the Georgia Tech Student Foundation Investment Committee and praised their performance investing endowment funds in recent years. The student-run group has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 Index Fund, distributing earnings to student organizations.
Jonathan Clarke, associate finance professor at Georgia Tech, said he's a fan of "Mad Money" because it "gets students interested in finance and investing and that helps bring some excitement to the classroom. Cramer's very passionate about what he does."
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