Michigan v ohio: Fan perspective/treatment
Perhaps I'll be lampooned, but I figured I'd try to get some discussion on a slow day/week/month/summer...
Background:
I live in Columbus. Therefore, I am subject to ridicule from ohio fans. Recently, a mutual friend (who apparently has family in Michigan) claims the rivalry is "much worse" in Ann Arbor and cites being picked on and "having an ohio yard ornament/floaty shot with a shotgun in his front yard." Perhaps the latter was embellished a bit, but this leads me to my...
Question:
For those that live in Michigan or, better yet, Ann Arbor, how have you viewed the treatment of ohio fans in a hostile environment? If possible, what is the HARSHEST treatment you've seen an ohio fan experience?
Perhaps a "cool story, bro" lead-in, but I was interested in some shared insight on an ohio fan in Michigan, seeing as my role is reversed.
August 13th, 2012 at 10:51 PM ^
Honestly, never been to Columbus but I can almost guarantee being in East Lansing the past couple of years has been worse.I haven't made either trip, but I know people who have, and they all say the opposite.
August 13th, 2012 at 11:25 PM ^
Honestly, never been to Columbus but I can almost guarantee being in East Lansing the past couple of years has been worse.I haven't made either trip, but I know people who have, and they all say the opposite.
August 13th, 2012 at 8:54 PM ^
I went to my first "Game" this year, and for the most part I can't remember any poor treatment of Buckeye fans. I was in the student section and even there, all the Buckeye fans there got nothing more than the expected trash talk.
August 13th, 2012 at 10:34 PM ^
I recall hearing a Michigan student in front of one of the houses on the corner of State & Hoover yell "Wow! You're a ginger and an ohio state fan?! God must hate you!" to some poor redheaded 15 year old with his dad.
I thought it was kind of funny actually. At least there wasn't any physical hazing involved
August 14th, 2012 at 1:28 AM ^
That's fairly borderline, but honesty, that's nothing overly offensive and no physical altercation. I'm not a ginger, so I have a soul and all, but if I was a 15 year old me in Columbus and heard that I think I would laugh more than anything as well, I wouldn't be offended by that.
August 13th, 2012 at 9:02 PM ^
I've been to games at both EL and Columbus and have been treated both horribly and politely by both sets of fans.
It is, of course, a fallacy to presume that all people can fit under one generalization of what a team's "fans" are. I've found that efforts to be polite to opposing fans sitting near me are generally well received, and even if they aren't particularly magnanimous in defeat they will be polite to your personally if you are polite to them. A lot of fans who get treated badly are fans who act deliberately provocative, yelling at others, standing and taunting fans around them, and such.
August 13th, 2012 at 9:04 PM ^
August 13th, 2012 at 9:12 PM ^
When I was a student (96-99 seasons) and following the UM football team on roadtrips, my worst experience bar none was at Notre Dame. The fans were 10 times worse than anything I experienced on multiple trips to OSU, Penn State, and MSU. It made me a little disappointed to be Catholic.
August 14th, 2012 at 1:15 AM ^
I've been to at least one Michigan game at every opposing B10 stadium save Lincoln (going this year) and the new stadium at Minnesota. And I've been to two games at Notre Dame including most recently in 2010 when Denard went ham.
All things considered I'd say the fans at ND have been among the very best I've encountered as an opposing fan. Even after the game there was a healthy dose of respect for Michigan, its fans, and the rivalry. We felt quite welcome in the South Bend bars both before and after the game.
IME, the most hostile fan bases have been: Wisconsin, MSU, OSU, and PSU.
A few factors that matter IMO:
- Rivalry. For road trips at rival stadiums, expect to hear a bit more from the opposing fans. Depending on their creativity this banter can range from witty to not so much.
- Competitiveness. There are some fanbases that seem resigned to losing to Michigan forever which generally makes for a friendly if not apathetic reception (see Minnesota, Indiana). For other schools, recent success against you can make fans nearly unbearable (see Ohio 2004-2010 or I can only imagine MSU 2008-current).
- Age. I've found that the older I get, the less likely I am to be harrassed. When I was a student and recent alum, I and other members of my group tended to engage with opposing fans shall we say a bit more vigorously. Obvious inverse relationships apply with age vs. amount of alcohol tolerated, waking-to-sleeping hrs, testosterone, etc.
August 13th, 2012 at 9:07 PM ^
This is a very neat story that Brian wrote about his tri[p to Columbus several years back.
After reading the story, it would be safe to say, "your honor, I rest my case".
August 13th, 2012 at 9:24 PM ^
August 13th, 2012 at 9:26 PM ^
We are members of the League of Shadows.
August 13th, 2012 at 10:44 PM ^
It doesn't mean much more than that Columbus is a much larger city/metro area than Ann Arbor.
There are a decent number of Buckeyes in the Detroit area, FWIW.
August 13th, 2012 at 9:26 PM ^
August 13th, 2012 at 9:29 PM ^
August 13th, 2012 at 9:55 PM ^
My experience has been the last four Ohio State games in Ann Arbor. I've had beer thrown at me, people following me repeating app state as much as possible, and had two students in the student section tell me they were going to beat my ass once I started taunting them. I have had good experiences too. But the bad overpower the good for sure
August 13th, 2012 at 10:03 PM ^
...my high school friend and I suffered friendly fire in the form of occasional tossed marshmallows and white bread for the better part of the first half. Eventually they ran out of ammo - my buddy Evan was wearing a red rain jacket.
Postscript: It was anonymous dumbs---s well above us, and it probably could have been stopped had either of us cared to confront them.
August 13th, 2012 at 10:47 PM ^
I've been to every Ann Arbor edition of the Game since 1999, and I really haven't noticed much in the way of poor treatment for Ohio fans. Some have been verbally harassed, but I don't think I've seen it get worse than that.
August 14th, 2012 at 6:55 AM ^
One or both of you don Michigan shirts and stroll down High St. on campus down there, then don their colors and do the same down State in A2. See how you're treated.
August 14th, 2012 at 8:56 AM ^
IIRC, 10TV from Columbus (which would have no reason to be biased in our favor) did exactly that one year and they concluded that OSU fans were much, much worse. I cannot find a source to back this up, however. Anyone else remember hearing this?
August 14th, 2012 at 9:52 AM ^
I'm a Buckeye fan who lived my high school years outside of Ann Arbor, worked for the city during the summers and spent a lot of time on and around campus. I used to wear my Archie jersey to Mr. Spots and would joke with the guys that they were going to spit on my sandwhiches. I've seen it all from the crude to the cordial. I think it varies across many factors, but the biggest are the people who went to school, are planning on going to school and the ones who never could have gone to UofM. I never attended OSU but I am a lifelong Buckeye fan because of several of my family members having gone there and I grew up in Ohio before moving to MI my freshmen year of HS. So I don't judge the so often dubbed "Walmart Wolverines" because I could be considered by some as the OSU equivalent. I think there is a difference between "Walmart" fan-hood and fanhood of someone who didn't necessarially attend the school but cheers for them, like my situation. It's not like I jumped a bandwagon only because of proximity or apparel at a department store.
I think there are students and fans in Ohio that grew up much more influenced by the Woody Hayes legendary mentality of violent hatred of, not just UofM, but all things from "That State Up North." The stories of Woody punching a ref over a call in The Game and even more stories of him screaming at his own players when they lost or were losing to the Wolverines inspired a generation of fans to also act out violently towards Michigan and its fanbase. Then my generation grew up with that generation as their parents. Therefore a lot of them have a violent hatred instilled in them from birth.
I think I grew up with a hatred, not so much so violent, of UofM because of my family all being from the Woody and post-Woody generation. When I moved up here, I was knowledgable and I have a good sense of humor. So I was able to hold my own against real fans and difuse the more crass ones by being able to take a joke and dish a few of my own out. My hatred has certainly waned in the past 10-15yrs of living in MI. I've learned to separate the State of MI and even the university itself from the sports teams. This is because a) I have lived here and therefore can't hate the state too much, b) have degrees from other schools and cheer for OSU, thus I understand the separation from the teams and the school (which I hope we can all learn in light of the recent PSU scandal) and c) the UofM hospital has saved the lives of a few of my family members and friends.
August 14th, 2012 at 10:12 AM ^
Interesting post. I'm kinda the opposite - being an M grad living in Columbus. (Don't laugh people - it's better than Flint) Honestly the plurality of folks down here are decent. Now, of course, there is always going to be (as BHGP's Pro Combat article nicely put it) "That Guy, You Know Who I Mean" and they are a lot higher than the 2% that decent Columbusites wish they numbered. Still, several of my close friends here went to OSU at some point*. Almost none of them give a rat's ass about the Buckeyes. And so, other than their teams and being a legendarily dickish client for architectural firms, I have little animus towards OSU. I probably wouldn't have hardly any if I didn't live in the heart of enemy territory and if THE LAST TEN YEARS HADN'T HAPPENED. But I digress.
I've rarely gotten harassed when wearing a Michigan shirt around town, though I avoid campus area like the plague on football Saturdays. It also helps that I try to outwardly be a good sport about the rivalry and that I sadly haven't had much choice to be anything other than a good sport. I would guesstimate that the dickholes are 30% students and 70% whatever the OSU equivalent of Walverines are. (Can we call them Big Lots Buckeyes?)
* - There are a lot of Columbus residents who resent the peer pressure-fueled expectations to be a Buckeye fan and who secretly hope they fail. One of my friends initially rooted for Michigan to spite everyone else. He has since changed his allegiance to not caring at all, reasoning that that would probably piss off the locals even more.
August 14th, 2012 at 10:37 AM ^
I would guesstimate that the dickholes are 30% students and 70% whatever the OSU equivalent of Walverines are. (Can we call them Big Lots Buckeyes?)
I've been calling them that for years. I'd say it's more of a 20/80 split. A lot of the assholes at tailgates along 15th and things aren't students, they just go there because none of the students check IDs and the beer is cheaper than Heinegate or the bars on Lane.
August 14th, 2012 at 11:05 AM ^
Fwiw, I went to my first The Game last year and was really impressed by the civility of fans on both sides.
August 14th, 2012 at 11:20 AM ^
August 14th, 2012 at 12:17 PM ^