Good 11W article on rooting for the conference
http://www.elevenwarriors.com/college-basketball/2015/04/52196/the-killing-tree-ohio-state-buckeyes
Based on something like 5 years of mostly-lurking, I know 11W is not anyone's favorite here. However, I thought this was a particularly good article, especially in light of the immense consternation Wisconsin's loss on Monday caused on the board.
My personal favorite portions:
Conference pride started as southern bullshit and then infected the rest of the country via ESPN bullshit and lucrative television contract bullshit.
and
As for the non-southern regionalism bit, it's bullshit. Ohio State's national title win is a boon to Ohio State alone. Had Wisconsin beaten Duke Monday the spoils would have been all theirs. Conference pride is delusion wrapped in hubris.
Undoubtedly, this gives away my personal feelings on the matter.
I'm also a UVA fan, and I often hear my classmates talk about ACC pride, which I am not a big fan of either. That isn't to say I would never root for a fellow B1G or ACC school - it's just I wouldn't root for them just because they were in the conference.
For example, I did root for Wisconsin to win against both UK and Duke, but that wasn't because they were in the B1G - it's because I have an utterly irrational dislike of both of those teams. If it had been Wisconsin vs Florida, OTOH, I would not have had strong feelings either way; if forced to pick, I'd honestly have gone with UF, because Wisconsin's style of play is irritating (and yes, I fully recognize the hypocrisy of that as a UVA fan. What can I say? That's what make sports fun - I can be a total hypocrite and not feel bad about it!)
Anyway, I'm interested in hearing everyone's thoughts on this.
Cheers!
I agree about MSU and OSU. I would add PSU to the list because sodomy and because James Franklin.
Root for any team in the B1G. Sorry, can't do it.
Actually, I currently live outside the footprint, and I have for the last 3 years. I still find it silly though
fuck every other team. Go Blue!
If you like conference pride, more power to you. But I will continue to root against the dick programs led by their dick coaches surrounded by their dick fans. Screw those guys.
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The other reason to root against the Irish is that, while we don't play them anymore, they are still a recruiting rival for us....not that any of us need another reason to hate Notre Dame. Fuck those guys.
with conference pride being bullshit, however i think Kentucky taking pride in Alabama/LSU dominance is different than hoping one of your conference-mates don't shit the bed on a national scale. The perception of the B1G is already low, and if Ohio would've got smoked by Bama, then it does hurt all of us. When ranking come out next year, Big Ten teams are moved down a notch or two because they are in the B1G, not because they deserve it.
I'll root for MSU and even OSU when playing. In conference teams. I like the B1G. I hate the sec. I loathe Oregon.
Maybe my background is different. I went to Michigan but my brother went to State.
Now, when UM plays MSU or OSU I want us to kick their teeth in. But when we aren't I'd rather have them win.
A) it's good for the conference and I like the conference.
B) is beating them and them beating everyone else makes us look good
C) the way I understand the B1G money sharing all B1G teams did benefit from OSU going to the nat title game through B1G revenue sharing (though I may be wrong on that).
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I like turtles
during seasons when we had beaten them, esp. if we had better records than they did.
One more thing I miss about days gone by.
Now I can't do it. It will take a lot of losing by MSU and OSU to bring back that back-slapping B1G boosterism.
Kentucky in not a darling. Neither are Michigan State or Wisconsin. You can admire a ruthless killing machine for its efficacy but it's unwise to become enamored with one. It's better to save your affection for a deli sandwich that deserves it.
I guess this passage speaks for me in a way. I admire what these teams have been able to do through the years and moreover sustain through the years, but ask me to root for them openly or engage in conference pride of a serious nature? No.
I wanted nothing more than to laugh in his face. Tennessee has been one of the most lowly, underachieving programs in the country for the past 15 years. All those national titles for the SEC did absolutely nothing for them. I've always thought of them as the Michigan of the SEC. A program that's been kicked around by its rivals for years and has had to cling to a distant past to find any semblance of respect.
I don't mind rooting for B1G teams (other than MSU/OSU) when they're not playing Michigan, but that whole "root for "x" team in the Final a Four because it makes us better" is crap. Pure, undisputed, unadulterated crap. OSU a winning a title helps only OSU. Had Wisconsin won on Monday night, only they would've reaped the benefits.
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Yeah, let the conference go to shit so your wins matter less. I bet we see the Fuckeyes tube change when Michigan starts kicking their ass this year and beyond. Conference prestige does matter, I just root for the non-OSU/MSU Big 10 teams.
I will never root for other Big Ten teams unless it DIRECTLY affects Michigan. It's easy for OSU fans to say it's best to root for the conference when they're sitting on top (at least in football), but I say fuck that. I want OSU to lose every fucking game unless their winning directly affects our team and that is normally hard to happen since we play them the last game of the regular season.
Ask yourselves: If we were in OSU's shoes and they were in ours (again, I'm talking about football), would they constantly be rooting for Michigan? The answer is FUCK NO and I don't want to see any OSU fan reply that they would be rooting because I simply won't believe you.
Oh no, you've got it all wrong. In 1997, while OSU was in the midst of their 2-10-1 streak against MIchigan, Buckeyes were totally in our corner when we were facing off against Washington State in the Rose Bowl for the National Championship
<smirks>
I sincerely hope you guys lose every game you play
:D
Haha, I wouldn't have it any other way.
And I feel the same way about y'all, as it should be!
I upvoted you for your comment. Not my sig. :-)
Maybe pre 2011 I would have had more conference pride but the B1G has fallen out of grace with me with who they've expanded with.
I get the whole argument about money for the conference, etc...but I will NEVER root for teams just out of conference loyalty. I really don't care for other programs as much as I do Michigan.
I had NO interest in the UW and Duke championship game...could care less who won. Since Michigan wasn't in it, I much rather have seen the historic match up between UK and Duke and see a possible 40-0 team.
The only reason why an Ohio State slappy wrote this is because they're still screaming about the Get Over It incident.
but I rooted for tosu once. I forget the exact circumstances (or maybe I'm blocking because of the shame), but it was several years ago. I think they were playing Notre Dame, and a tosu win would have directly benefitted UM. So, I drank a lot of beer, bit a very large bullet, and silently pulled for Buckeyes.
Except those mouthbreathers from Lord Sweatervest's Remedial School for Inbred Tattooed Boys lost, which meant I took a swim in the sewer for nothing. I've lived with the shame ever since - and I still can't get the stink off.
So, the whole "root for your conference" thing? Yeah, bullshit.