Need A Whiskey To Boycott? Comment Count

Brian

Reader Nick Walstra provides a picture of this enormous Columbus-area billboard analogue for your general disgust:

makersad

Next time you're strolling the aisle looking for a libation, suggest you skip the Maker's Mark.

Comments

CPS

February 25th, 2009 at 1:15 PM ^

Maybe it's not true, but I will believe it till the day I die based on what I know.

Hail to the victors, everyone. Our fanbase is certainly among the leaders and the best when we can we can construct our beliefs based on our own narrow anecdotal experiences, all the while recognizing that there may, in fact, be a larger truth out there, but actively reject the possibility of such an alternate reality because it may shatter our carefully constructed bubble.

With this attitude, we have every right to feel superior.

Wolv54

February 25th, 2009 at 11:57 AM ^

the Cooper years...what was it 2-10-1? Damn, and Maker's Mark was one of my favorite bourbons. I doubt they drink Maker's Mark in columbus, they are more of a Yukon Jack or Evan Williams type of town.

Don

February 25th, 2009 at 11:59 AM ^

I'm not so sure we wouldn't see something like this in Ann Arbor/Washtenaw County, especially given the recent nature of the rivalry. Given the intensity of feelings around town, if I were a national advertiser looking to place billboard ads locally I would consider it if the product was appropriate for a football reference. Outside Washtenaw County, I'd bet that the percentage of diehard M fans drops off dramatically, and a billboard referencing the rivalry might make much less sense.

jmblue

February 25th, 2009 at 12:34 PM ^

Well, it drops off from the standpoint that Washtenaw is like 95% pro-UM and the neighboring countries are like 60%.

Ironically, if an anti-OSU ad along these lines were put up in Metro Detroit, it would probably be MSU fans that would take the most offense (because they'd feel ignored).

wolverinewest

February 25th, 2009 at 12:04 PM ^

it's not so much an offensive ad, as much as it is a commentary on the city's fixation with the rivalry. For instance, I don't think I've ever seen a similar ad in here in Denver, say giving a cheers to Lane Kiffin and the Raiders for being so terrible. Especially in a season when the Broncos themselves weren't that good. Basically, most large cities are identified by more than a single sport or rivalry. In Columbus, that is not the case. You know they have a newspaper counter on the Dispatch website that counts the number of days since Michigan last beat OSU. Most OSU fans could probably tell you what that number is without having to check because they really care that much and think about it pretty much non-stop. But from the MM perspective, it was definitely smart advertising.

Brodie

February 25th, 2009 at 12:07 PM ^

When I was 12 or 13, I spent a day in Denver on my way to LA. This was the height of the Avs/Wings thing. I had a Red Wings coat on a guy at a restaurant REFUSED to serve my family because of it. So I call bullshit on your stories.

wolverinewest

February 25th, 2009 at 12:14 PM ^

you spent one day in Denver, and one guy gave you some crap about the wings, and you scale that to a major city wide marketing campaign dogging the wings? Nope, sorry dude not the same as a lifetime of experience. Not the same at all. Yeah, people here hate the wings, but I have never seen an advertiser rip the wings in order to booster customer loyalty. People here probably wouldn't fall for that shit. Face it, Columbus is a one trick pony man. I'm sorry you made the poor life choice of moving there. Perhaps you would have been better off doing some crack.

poguemahone

February 25th, 2009 at 12:16 PM ^

I suggest you vacate the internet immediately. It's a humorous dig at a rival in a huge football town. It is not classless, it is not rude, it isn't even crude.

In sum, you are all vaginas.

Blue Durham

February 26th, 2009 at 7:26 PM ^

types on this thread for having a little too thin of skin, the vagina crack was akin to calling those who took exception pussies. Not the first time I have heard this.

But I agree that the "you are all vaginas" wasn't the wittiest thing he posted; he should have said "grow up and grow some foreskin."

dex

February 25th, 2009 at 12:16 PM ^

offended? really? offended?

it's not like it says "here's to funerals" and "especially bo's" underneath or something. it's a joke about that terrible football team we had this year.

bronxblue

February 25th, 2009 at 12:22 PM ^

Who's the ad wizard who came up with that one? Hilarious.

Honestly, it was a crack against a big rival, and I don't think people should read more into it than that. It seems sophomoric to me, but I guess I'm not the target of this type of ad. I think of it the same way I thought of MSU printing scoreboard t-shirts and renting out road signs touting their victory over UM this year - it speaks to a complex that, I hope, Michigan fans never allows to manifest.

bronxblue

February 25th, 2009 at 12:55 PM ^

I don't deny the superiority complaint one bit, and I totally agree with everyone that it was a funny idea for an ad. But as a Michigan fan and alumni, I also think the ad is a little dumb. If a third party did the same thing in Ann Arbor referring to ND, MSU, OSU, etc., I'd still think it was a little embarrassing and childish.

Blue2000

February 25th, 2009 at 12:36 PM ^

I thought of MSU printing scoreboard t-shirts and renting out road signs touting their victory over UM this year - it speaks to a complex that, I hope, Michigan fans never allows to manifest.

Didn't the proprietor of this fine website make a "Bow Down Sparty" t-shirt last year, listing the scores of the previous 7 years Michigan-MSU games? (I believe that's what the shirt said - sadly, mgostore is not currently with us).

Not that there's anything wrong with that. In fact, it's awesome. But we Michigan fans SERIOUSLY need to get over ourselves. As Omar would say, "it's all part of the game," and this ad is pretty funny. We had a crappy season, and a company not affiliated with the University of Ohio State made fun of it. Big deal.

bronxblue

February 25th, 2009 at 12:52 PM ^

But I don't remember the official UM merchandise site/store selling said shirt. Fans are fine making dumb t-shirts (and the road signs were privately owned), but when it becomes part of official school merchandise, you might have an issue.

I certainly don't disagree that UM fans need to "get over themselves." But I suspect that the average alumni of OSU might find it a little embarrassing that a major building in the downtown area of Columbus is plastered over by an ad knocking a football team to the north. It just looks dumb and a little petty on such a large scale.