Explain Sparty hate to a puzzled outsider

Act like little brothers. Their team may very well not be the "little brother" anymore, but you wouldn't know that by the way they act. They are insufferable assholes who spend all day talking nothing but shit about you but the second somebody from a different fanbase comes along they act like the innocent sweetheart and that we are the devil. I despise them more than I despise the Buckeye fans now a days. And that gap is pretty significant.

Michigan fans need to tighten it up in this regard. Its annoying that Sparty made the playoffs this year, but thats all. Our season was a ton of fun and the future is bright. Its easier to say this living out of state, but Sparty is not a big deal, and frankly them being good adds spice to the season.

The constant "fuck sparty" posts on this board are 1) beneath the board in terms of style 2) little brothery.

 

Different day. Same threads created on the board

Basically the Spartans had a glorious past - in the 1950s with Duffy Daugherty they were national champions and championship contenders. They played in one of the first of many "game of the century" when an undefeated MSU played an undefeated Notre Dame (led by Ara Parseghian) to a 10-10 tie.

Michigan was mired in a decade long period of average to below average teams.

Then Bo arrived and it ushered in a multidecade period of great football 1969-2007 (end of the Lloyd Carr era) - characterized by good to great defenses, power running, smart quarterbacking and increasingly great receivers.

The Spartans during this time had an occasional good team but never could figure out what to do and foundered - until Dantonio arrived. He arrived just at a time when Michigan decided to abandon what had worked so well and go in a new direction. I won't go into this and even a quick search can fill you in.

Dantonio unlike previous coaching hires built his team around defense (a stifling punishing defense), power running and passed enough to win. He proved himself to be tricky (fake field goals and punts) and now after beating Meyer and OSU in Columbus with a team that is inferior in talent, arguably (Harbaugh is only in his first year) the reigning best coach in the Big Ten.

So that is the background in a nutshell.

Many people seriously dislike the Spartans because they are what we were!

Great defense. Power running. Smart accurate passing. Trickiness when needed but tough. ARRRGH. We hate them because they have become us and like the changeling in old folklore and myth they have taken over our rightful place in the world.

There is also the usual socio-economic aspects of who goes to which school etc. But that is now increaesingly meanlingless when merely going to university is no longer a ticket to a middle class life.

Go Blue! I hope I can say the same of Harbaugh in the coming season, that he is the reigning best coach in the Big Ten.

I hate losing to Sparty so much more than OSU because I never stop hearing about it. I've been hearing about their wins since I was in high school- after I got into U of M and the other kids didn't (read: Spartys). Their inferiority complex forces them to overcompensate when they win.

The reason is number 3, while there have always been a huge number of Michigan fans who are fine with cheering for Michigan State out of state pride, Michigan State's fan base derives more pleasure from Michigan losing than their own team winning... they spend a lot of time on sports radio stations talking about how long it will take for them to eclipse Michigan in popularity amongst young kids, etc. It is not a rivalry built on any kind of mutual respect, there is nothing but childish envy and seething hatred. Honestly, I'd rather beat Ohio State more but Ohio State being successful doesn't upset me. Michigan State being successful now bothers me more than anything else in sports.

I have many good friends and colleagues that attended school at MSU but the majority of their fan base is bandwagon, classless, and arrogant. The players act like pricks any chance they get and are known for taunting other teams fan bases at stadiums. The MSU program doesn't show any respect to anyone else and then wonders why no one respects them.

Would neg again if I could.

I see their fans everyday and it's nauseating. They are like new rich people, don't know how to act. It's a way more personal rivalry for me because of their fans everywhere. Their actual team? I have a ton of respect for their players and even their coach. They have built a powerhouse from the ground up and that is not easy. But screw their fans, these holidays are going to suck because of their fans.

I got into an argument with a State fan once because he said Dantonio is better than Bo ever was due to more 11-win seasons and top 10 finishes.  Then I slowly have to explain to him that they only had 11-game seasons up until the 90s and Bo finished in the top 10 for 10 straight seasons and 16 times total out of 22 seasons.  They just think Dantonio is the greatest coach that has ever lived.

It's this:

"Michigan people" have always been told they were the best.  "Michigan State people" have always been told they were second best.

So when Michigan beats Michigan State, Michigan people feel relieved.  "Thank God I didn't lose to THEM."  Michigan State people feel embittered and resigned.  "Oh those arrogant Michigan fans - they win every time!"

When Michigan State beats Michigan, Michigan people feel ashamed.  "I can't believe we lost to THEM!"  Michigan State people feel vindicated.  "WHO'S LITTLE BROTHER NOW!!!"

So, to a Michigan fan, a game against Michigan State risks shame and offers only relief.  To a Michigan State fan, a game against Michigan offers pride and risks only an opportunity to stew over a revision to an unfair "natural order."

Of course, it's all about expectations.

MSU is a douchebag nation led by a douchebag coach. That whole program, top to bottom, reeks of douche. There are many other, far more successful programs than MSU, that carry themselves without their level of douchiness. MSU just won the B1G championship yet something tells me Michigan football will be the most important topic on RCMB today.

MSU fans bought out every piece of S Dakota St merchandise on the Internet when we played them in the first round of the basketball tournament in 2013, so that's pretty telling

The inferiority complex in its fans is just cute. I hate MSU because Dantonio lets his players commit crimes (often violent) and barely punishes them. He runs a trash program. Here's a sample.

http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/301969-rather-hall-incident-embarr…

http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2009/08/msu_hockey_player_aj_st…

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state/spartans/2015/…

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Chris-L-Ruc…

In addition, I can't stand Connor Cook. He's a punk, mocked our student section after their "win" and did the same to OSU.

Here's a sample,
http://larrybrownsports.com/college-football/connor-cook-archie-griffin…

All in all, they're a trash program with insecure or bandwagon fans. It's fucking annoying to see them do so well and act so poorly.

I was at the Library of Michigan, as in the library for the State of Michigan, doing some geneology research recently. Noticed a whole bunch of Red Wings colors and logos out of the corner of my eye and stumbled onto their section covering sports in the state. When I got to college football, there were several dozen U of M-related titles. Made me wish I had all day to sit and read.

Had two MSU titles. Both were by the same guy, and both were about how Michigan allegedly moved heaven and Earth to try to keep State out of the Big Ten.

There's a great start for this question, right there.  

Growing up in michigan, you simply have to deal with them way more than osu fans. And I'm sure all of us have at least a few sparties that have infiltrated our families. So familiarity breeds contempt.
More important than that is the attitude with which their fan base (and frankly both their bball and football) operates with. They are going through their best stretch of football in 60 years, yet they still frame all of their success relative to michigan. To me, it seems like they enjoy Michigan losses more than their own wins. It's amazing how many texts messages/Facebook posts I see from sparties when Michigan loses to non-msu teams. They just do not know how to handle success and it frustrates me to no end that they continue to win games they way they do, when their inferiority complex driven fan base simply doesn't deserve it.

"I have lived in Columbus, Ohio my whole life". There you go. Come live in Michigan for a while.

He came from a corrupt tOSU program and made a very sudden change at his new school.  Yes, some of that is coaching, but there have been many rumblings about "better play through chemistry"  We are in an era where it pays to cheat...

degrees for 5 national championships. State fans don't get that, instead they seem to believe that any success is evidence of their superiority. All I know is that my diplomas have served me better than flashing a football record at an interview.

Most of it has to do with proximity.  Any time you have to sit next to opposing fans every day at work or at the dinner table the stakes and emotions go up a notch.  The rivalry is hot right now because of how good State has been and how unbearable they have been about it.  Dantonio is like Phil Leotardo from Sopranos, everything is some kind of slight or disrespect.  Maybe once it was good motivation for a team that has long been down but at this point its just an uncomfortable inferiority complex.

All that said, Ohio State is always the primary rival and its not close.

I'll find the post again but a State News sports editor once listed App State beating M as his best Spartan sports memory from his time at the student paper.

That sums up their mentality.

Add to that the preening and boasting and general lack of humility and class, and there's a disdain. I do not hate Sparty but am more annoyed with their fans due to the attitude.

Interestingly at least where I live the M and S fans act very differently. Michigan fans are known by wearing maize&blue on game days. Spartan fans are known by wearing green&white the day AFTER wins.

If you need it explained to you, then you need to pay more attention - no explanation is necessary

People like Mike Valenti, Jemele Hill, Rico Beard, Sean Baligian, Pat Caputo, Scott "The Gator" Anderson etc. are unabashed in representing them without anyone with "Michigan Influence" to counter. They're all quick to gloat for their success and snicker or turn their nose up at Michigan for having any.

Twitter trolls are the worst. Especially people who single out people like Brian for having an anti MSU opinion.

Also, Dantonio spewing crap that "God favors [his] program" is arrogance at its finest...coming from the guy who allows players to walk out of jail right onto the field (Chris L Rucker, Williams, etc.), on top of all his other actions.

Their fans are also annoying. They all freed off of the crap that people like Valenti and Hill spew and bring up their talking points to make arguments. Sitting in their stadium and hearing things like "Go Fuck Yourself" after wishing them good luck or good game, or chanting "First Down Bitch" as an entire crowd is complete douche-baggery.

No, it wasn't this intense 15 yrs ago..they sucked. Now they don't and there is hell to pay. Yes, it's the dumb ass fans. They are obnoxious, not too bright, classless, and boisterous asf (now). Their whole existence rests on us and what we're doing yet too dumb to know it. They've been trash forever and suddenly forget that. Idc about the State in this instance. Sparty must be stopped. They even counterfeited our Go Blue motto. I hate them now. Born and raised in Lansing btw. Thank you for this festivus airing of grievances!

I'm generally okay with MSU.

My brother went there. I spent many a siblings weekend there.

It's what I refer to as the "300" that annoy the shit out of me.

For years I heard them whine about Michigan arrogance, and I tried to be civil. I'd root for MSU when they weren't playing UM.

But then dantonio came with all this "chip" bullshit. With it I got called "stinkbear, scUM, etc"

Then, they go on about "walverines" while benefitting from their own, recent subway alumni.

So with reasonable Spartan fans I'm fine. With dickheads.. They can go to hell.

If it was Ws and Ls, I'd feel the same vitriol about OSU as I do MSU. I hate that the Little Brother thing ever came up, but in some respects, it's an apt description. Little Brother in today's parlance isn't about one school owning the other on the field. To me, it's acting like a 13 year old who's still mad that their big brother stole his candy when he was 3.

MSU doesn't have the grace to handle it's own success. The first thing they all tweet last night isn't positive stuff about their own season, it's "haaa, look at us Michigan fans... losers... haaaa". They don't enjoy their achievements because they're always looking around to see who's watching, who's noting how great they are, and who's slighting or disrespekting them in any way.  I can guarantee you, if Michigan was in their position this morning, we would NOT be taunting Spartans.

The MSU loss still hurts today but I got over the OSU loss very quickly. I have to live with and work for Spartans. I can't function in a world where they win a National Championship. They would be unbearable. They would care less about winning it for themselves than for lording it over everyone who's ever slighted them.