OldBlue74

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All Wolverine faithful are familiar with Mike Hart’s “little brother” jab and the indignation it generated among the MSU fans and their football coach.  But why did that comment produce so much more resentment among fans of the green and white than all the other epithets (cow college, Spartoons, CMU punching bag) thrown at them over the years?  In order to understand this, we need to do an objective comparison between the two institutions.  Following mgoblog tradition, this comparison can best be viewed in chart form.

            Michigan                                                        Michigan State

Founded in 1817 as the University of Michigan	Founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan
Home:  Ann Arbor, the intellectual capital of Michigan	Home:  East Lansing, a suburb of Lansing, the dysfunctional political capital of Michigan
Nickname:  Wolverine, the state animal of the state of Michigan, known for its strength and ferocity.	Nickname:  Spartan, named after a city state 5,000 miles away that ceased to exist in 195 BC.
Criminal notoriety:  Hash Bash	Criminal notoriety:  Burning sofas
Founding member of Big 10 conference in 1896 [Edit, from 1885 typo]	Joined Big 10 in 1949, replacing the University of Chicago when the latter quit intercollegiate athletics.
Most wins in college football history	Some good football teams back in the 1960’s
Defeated Stanford in first Rose Bowl game (1902) by a score of 49-0	Defeated UCLA in 1955, their first Rose Bowl, by a score of 28-20
20 Rose Bowl appearances, most recently in 2007	4 Rose Bowl appearances, most recently in 1988
3 Heisman trophy winners	No Heisman trophy winners
Mascot:  None, thank goodness.	Mascot:  “Sparty” a roided-up hulk made of plastic and felt, wears a skirt.
Fight song:  The Victors, “The greatest college fight song ever written” said John Philips Sousa.	Fight song:  MSU Fight Song, the tune is based on the hymn “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus.”*
The most famous helmet in all of football.	Helmet design changes periodically, most recently in 2007
Home field:  The Big House, capacity 106,201 this year, 108,000+ next year	Home field:  Spartan Stadium, capacity 75,005

We could go on, but you see the point.  Whatever MSU does, Michigan has done it first, and better, just like an older brother.  It’s not about one game, or even one season.  It’s about all of the ways that Michigan is superior to MSU.  And this is why the little brother epithet is so devastating.  Because deep down, in the depths of the Spartan soul, they know that it’s true.  They are the little brother! 

And here’s what makes it even worse for Sparty.  MSU is a pretty good school, with a successful basketball program, renowned academics in such areas as veterinary medicine and agriculture, and an enrollment of over 40,000 students.  In fact, in many states in this country MSU could be the leading public university. 

But…they are in Michigan…where they will always be second… to the Wolverines…and it DRIVES THEM CRAZY!!!

So, Michigan fans, enjoy the game on Saturday, which I am confident will be another Michigan victory.  But no matter what happens, keep your head high and remember “It’s great to be a Michigan Wolverine” and not the little brother.

* https://www.msu.edu/~carillon/fitesong.htm