Explain Sparty hate to a puzzled outsider

I loathe Sparty for the fan base, namely my circle of Sparty friends.
And the program's exceedingly tired act of poor sportsmanship while playing the disrespect card.

To me it's 2 things

1) they act like this is the way it has always been. They give off no cognitive memory of losses past, but their subconscious still displays this in their angst and they are in complete denial

2). They actually think it has made their school academically better as well. Somehow they take the fact that since they have won some football games that they are now the dominant intelligent being in the state or even somewhere. That is the most annoying aspect.

For me it's Spartan Bob, Dantonio, and Jemele Hill. If all that existed of Sparty was just those three, I could rest easy in my hatred.

Even though I'm a UM grad, I didn't grow up in Michigan, and havent lived there since graduating in 1989. One of my best friends is a Sparty grad, but we end up going to Michigan games together and he is a big Michigan fan.

Been following Michigan football closely since 1985. At first Sparty was an annoyance, and never lived up to its potential (think Tony Mandarich), and would occasionally upset us. 

Then the tripping penalty of Desmond in 1990 when we were ranked #1 meant it was more than an annoyance. Add in Plaxico Burress' performance and I started taking them seriously, but still no absolute hatred. Then the bad timekeeper made things worse.

My hatred from them really, really started with Gholston twisting Denard's facemask when he was helpless on the ground.

So for me, it comes down to:

1) They are thugs; when their guys get in serious legal trouble, they suspend them at best for a game, and then reinstate them. Nice discipline, almost Lawrence Phillips nice.

2) Their coach is a serious douchebag. No explanation needed.

3) They have a chip on their shoulder, as everyone has said. A woman I know professionally (I was her boss) said that everyone at Michigan thinks they are so great.

Which brings me to #4:

4) We are better than them...academically. Sparty may have better looking girls, but the academics don't even compare. I can't stand Notre Dame fans, but I at least respect them. I respect and really like teams like Stanford or even Northwestern who actually take the "student" part of student athlete seriously. I may not love every competitor, but at least there is some respect for their student body who worked their way in to a school and are not there just to party or burn couches.

I may not love a school like Iowa that beats us and doesn't have as good academics. But it's hard not to like them because they are nice people, work hard, and don't brandish the inferiority complex, with a coach that plays by the rules. It's like Dantonio is the embodiment of all that was sour under Tressel, and he moved in next door to your house. And all of his kids turned out like him.

I can only imagine what it would be like to live next to that neighbor for 365 days/year. Glad I live in So Cal.
 

 

90% of the MSU fanbase is a cess pool. Scum bags

Pretty simple.  Michigan dominated the rivalry for 40+ years.  But I think all through that domination Michigan and its fans for the most part have always been civil to MSU fans, at least as far as I know.  Perhaps MSU fans interpreted that civility as arrogance?  Then Mike Hart came up with the "little brother" thing in 2007, which I actually do not like, and it made Sparty nation go all psycho bitch.

Since 'little brother' 2007, MSU has been relevant and beating Michigan frequently.  Now most of their fans, and also their coach, will take every opportunity they can get to rub our faces in it.  They do not act like they've been there before and I doubt they ever will.  I would respect them if they treated Michigan with the same type of civility that we treated them with when we were winning.  Dantonio fuels this behavior which is why I hate that fucker with a passion.

Pardon my French.

I don't hate any school or fan base, not even OSU and MSU. 

But I speak only for myself. In any case,here's the root of Sparty's hate for Michigan: resentment.

Michigan is a much tougher school for applicants to get an acceptance letter from than MSU. Lots of MSU alums and students were outright rejected by Michigan, and lots didn't bother applying because they knew they'd be rejected.

Rejection seems to hurt their feelings. It plays into their disrespect mantra.

In any case, they seem to hate Michigan more than Michigan hates them, but lately it's getting reciprocated because Michigan hasn't been very successful against MSU in football. So Michigan fans are showing frustration.

Harbaugh will turn this around, and soon the so-called rivalry will return to its divinely-ordained, one-sided resentment. Sparty will care a lot. Wolverines fans will ignore them.

And all will be well with the world again.

 

I get the MSU hatred in-state. But for me, OSU will always be the main rival, and I will never hate MSU to the same degree.

I went to the 2011 game in East Lansing wearing a Michigan shirt and not talking or saying a single thing to anyone I didn't know.  Yet I was called homophobic names twice, once by a Sparty bro who got in my face over it - yes he just randomly walked up to me, got in my face and called me a "gay faggot."

In the game, there were several D-bags and one fan cheering for MSU to injure Denard on purpose.

This is typical.

I have a coworker whose dad was a head BigTen ref and said that Dantonio/Narduzzi were the biggest jersk/whiners and would tell the media that they weren't complaining about calls, but would call and complain constantly to the BigTen.  I could go into more detail on the D-baggery there.

As much as I hate OSU, they tend to know what success is and act like they've been there before.  When MSU has success, their program and fans just confirm why they should never have it.

most of my life.  I just don't like them

 

As a fan base their whole lives revolve around Michigan.  They are actually happier when Michigan loses than when their team wins.    When MSU does beat Michigan they practically pop out of their damn skin to try and rub it in your face, even if you've never said boo to them when Michigan beats them.

 

 

The Sparty fans in my life are going to be unbearable these holidays. Seriously, I don't know if I can deal with it. There is no retort left for us right now.

They're annoying. We beat them six years in a row and act like we've won games before. They finally start winning the recent games and they act like their team has been doing it since the 40s. They'll tell you to stop mentioning the past yet gloat about games as far back as 08. But Mich's six wins in a row thru 07 are "the past" that can't be mentioned. Plus they always stick up for Ohio state ONLY because they know you can't stand them. Oh ya forgot one, when mich basketball was dominating the recent years they claimed their basketball program is better because they've been better over the last 15+ years. When talking football our program isn't better because the last 15+ years are irrelevant. Just the current state.

I honestly thought the question was going to be about why MSU hates US so much.  There isn't really a history of emotion from the Wolverine side.

OSU is our rival. Sparty is more of an annoyance, mostly because of the inferiority complex their alumni. The "rivalry" between the two schools is more like a pro sports rivalry, think Red Wings-Avalanche, in that it only matters when MSU is good and beating them has meaning. 

despite everything you said about how much we have owned them...in their minds those years never happened or at least are A LOT shorter than they really were. They are beyond obnoxious about everything. If not on mobile I would rant MUCH more but luckily for all of you I am. I hate them so much more than osu it's not even funny.

Their coach is a total hypocrite too. WAHHHHHH, respekt us wahhhhhh...but then he slams M at every corner and his players taunting the student section after they fluked one of many of their wins this year is far worse than that tent stake incident.

They're also happier about us losing than themselves winning.

Three reasons:
1. There seems to be more Sparty fans in the state of Michigan because a) MSU is a much larger school with a 60%+ acceptance rate. b) Michigan alumni tend to leave the state for better jobs in Chicago, NYC, West coast, etc. while MSU grads tend to stay in the state since MSU doesn't carry the same brand value outside of Michigan. c) There are a TON of neutral fans in the state who simply root for whichever team is doing better at the time.
2. Because of #1, you have to deal with cocky MSU fans on a daily basis. Many of them are overly enthusiastic because this is the first time MSU has been good in their lifetimes.
3. MSU fans know that the school itself cannot hold a candle to Michigan's academics so they try to find every possible way that MSU is better and point that out whenever they can.