Why are there no Walmart Spartans?

There's no need to make a distinction that would include the entire group anyway.

Wait, which of us was A again?

Cause Wal-Mart is too expensive for a MSU grad and they have to shop at the dollar store.  Oh sorry, that was answer to another question.

Why there are no walmart Spartans.



You could have just saved the trouble and said because walmart wolverines sounds good whereas walmart Spartans sounds stupid.



State fans are spartan Spartans (of Sparta!)

wow i didn't realize that even since the 70's how dominant we have been over lil bro.

When  the majority of a fanbase that lives in the Jackson-Lansing-Flint corridor makes a joke about Walmart.

I would love to see Michigan beat MSU 119-0 in this day and age. Imagine what the offenseive numbers would look like for that. Talk about getting Denyarded!

The bottom line is that a large majority of people who don't attend either school end up following Michigan because Michigan is better and more relevant.  All of the PR work done by the "objective" instate media and even the success of Izzo's basketball team hasn't changed the fact that more people like Michigan than MSU. 

Even Izzo's success at MSU can be attributed more to being there while the Ed Martin scandal paralyzed Michigan for ten years than anything positive about MSU.  Izzo was in the right place at the right time; all he had to do for ten years of recruiting against Michigan was say "Ed Martin" or "dirty program" and parents and coaches steered their players to EL. 

Izzo had THE program in two areas (Detroit and Flint/Saginaw) that have traditionally produced tons of NBA players since the scandal was unearthed.  I think a better coach would have pulled another NC or two out of such a great recruiting advantage.  Izzo is very good, but he would never be percieved as "great" without the help of Ed Martin.

So, really, even MSU's shining crown jewel isn't as bright as it may appear.  They have nothing to offer, no tradition, no banquet hall full of alums who have had high-profile success after graduating, and people who aren't affiliated with either school choose to cheer for Michigan.  All MSU can to is wallow in their envy.  It's no accident that they wear green uniforms.

I think another reason there are so many “Wal-Mart Wolverines” (Myself included) is the fact that the University of Michigan is a difficult school academically in which to be accepted. I am a Wayne State graduate and lifelong University of Michigan sports fan. Unlike my sister who went to U of M, I sort of always knew it wouldn’t be in the cards for me due to my grades and test scores. I don't think this should make me exclusively a Wayne State athletics fan and somehow ineligible to be a Michigan fan.

How many Spartans were Michigan fans until they attended MSU and changed their allegiance?

This, combined with a very successful, perennial conference powerhouse football team with a VERY large fan base, makes Spartans envious of the fact that the fans who did not attend either university choose the traditionally more successful of the two.

But asking "why are there no Walmart Spartans" is like asking, "why are there no Nickelback groupies?"  Easy answer, even if you ask the question of a few brosephs.

I'm curious what the definition of consensus NC's is.  Is it your definition or the NCAA's or the Athletic Department's?  The reason I ask is that all of the ND students/fans get all high and mighty about how they only have CONSENSUS 11 NC's and Michigan's aren't.  To be honest I just blow them off and never took the time to look into it.  Is their definition of consensus then different than what you are saying we have 11 for?  Are they just ignorant and incorrect (please God be so)?  Just curious.

They can't afford Walmart. That's why there are only Save-a-Lot Spartans.

(credit to someone funnier than me)

15 wins in 35 bowl games?

Eff this.  I'm switching allegiance.

I think that sparty is so proud of the term wal-mart wolverine because they actually created something that has traction in their circles. The term is obviously for people who didn't attend the school, but love the program.

The logic is funny considering that sparty thinks that everyone in their little stadium is clearly a grad from MSU. They also love this because one of our most prominent players in the last 10 years (Mike Hart) coined the term little brother. (GOD I LOVE MIKE HART)

They know its true based on results on the field, but also there is a "Michigan is the bettter school" aspect that they know about and will never admit.

The most annoying thing about MSU fans is that every year if sparty takes a 3 point lead on the first drive my phone will get 34897385904738954 texts messages talking trash. Whats even better when we win the game I say nothing back and they feel like douches.

Personally I am a life long Michigan fan but did not go to UM (I decided to play D3 football instead) and furthermore am not a native or resident of the state.

Ithink a lot of the non traditional out of state fans have more to do with a hatred for their home state team. At least in my case, when I was younger, I could not stand the way Ohio State fans act. I developed a deep hatred for them and their pompous ways such as putting a t in front of OSU.

So when I learned that there was a team and most of a state that despised them as much as I did, I instantly became a follower. 18 years later, I still live 50 miles from Columbus, and love the Wolverines more than ever. 

The numbers surprise me. I always thought all the SPARTA 300!!! stuff referred to their typical win percentage. But I see they are a 500 team. Yay, little bro.

In my experience, I've seen many more bandwagon MSU fans than UofM in the state of Michigan.  I don't know why, but it's the case.

I find the whole thing hilarious.

I have a lot of friends that are "MSU fans" and they call me a Walmart Wolverine because I didn't go there.  If you ask my parents, I was a Michigan fan for as long as they can remember.  I annually donate to Michigan, purchase season tickets, buy additional football tickets and buy tickets for other sports and follow just about all Michigan Athletics (including the non-revenue sports).

Yet my friends that are "MSU fans" didn't go to MSU, don't donate, never buy tickets or go to games at all and only follow football and basketball.  Whenever stories come out about MSU sports and I bring it up, I always seem to know about it first and know more about it than them and I'm not even a fan (ie I knew about Dantonio's heart attack WAY before any of them did).

But somehow I'm a Walmart Wolverine....

There are Walmart Spartans.  You just don't ever hear about it because they don't have a rival trying to justify their much smaller fan base.

Damn it we need to give Little Brother his proper due. I am sure you have all seen the Big Ten network highlight on the space program, and the all Michigan flight crew. Extremely impressive and proud of that fact, my chest swells for the orbital prowess of "our school". We do need to credit those who made that incredible feat possible. It is possible some may see us as "arrogant asses" for not acknowledging the "little people".  For instance the paint job was tremendous and we all know how proficient with spray can are the folks from down south where they grow small hairless nuts. But more important is "Little Brother" no one and I mean no one can clean like sparty, I defy you to find any dust in the Space Shuttle, and the windows, OMG they are spotless and streakless. Without good clear vision flying a Space Shuttle would be dangerous and give you a headache. So for all you do a case of Milwaukees Best for you, carefull drinking don't want you to set the couch on fire.

B has 621 all-time wins, good for 32nd place among all FBS schools.

Huh. That's better than I expected, actually.

Because everyone can get into Michigan State. Including Walmart shoppers. 

I was a Michigan fan for as long as I followed football and I really wanted to attend the University of Michigan.  Through a screw up at my high school, my application got to U of M late and I was conditionally accepted or something like that (namely if a spot opens up, you're in).  So I applied to Eastern Michigan and got in with a scholarship (full tuition but not the full ride scholarship).  I was going to transfer after my freshman year but I liked it at Eastern (small classes  and good professors) so I stayed there.  I still followed Michigan football (don't really care for basketball) and when I graduated I followed it with more gusto.  So if that makes me a Wal Mart Wolverine...so be it.

I would be willing to believe that the fan base among non-grads of either schools in the state of Michigan is about split.  I get cut off by as many "S" plates as I do "M" plates and I'm not willing to believe that all those people are grads.  So whatevah.....And while on the subject of "Wal Mart" fans...I'm willing to be that Notre Dame probably has the most hangers on of that category since it's like a sin or something to root against them.

the Pontiac challenge cup...nuff said.

I still think that MSU's biggest problem is that we refuse to put them up there with OSU and ND as football rivals. They beg for respect but refuse to earn it.

There are no WalMart Spartan fans because they are all WalMart employees.

Because nobody gives a fuck.

Whoa, you had me guessing til the end about the identities of team A and B.  Have you considered writing mystery fiction?

Your numbers are a bit off. What counts as a consensus national title? Even in the 40s and 50s there were shared titles. This wasn't a new thing that sprouted up in the 1997 aftermath.

So while State shared their titles  in the 60s, Michigan shared many of theirs in the 30s and 40s.

There's just no way to say one team is consensus. In some years there were 4 or 5 polls selecting national titles. Maybe we should go by AP, or Harris poll, but still, each scenario would work in Michigan's favor some years and not in their favor in other years.

I'm sure I will get negged for being critical but it is the truth,

While it's clear that UM has been more consistent over time, when it comes to winning it all, it seems the two teams are closer than I would like. I sometimes hear MSU fans ask what we've done post-1950. Sadly, they may have a point.

Football: MSU 3 (1952, 1955, 1966) to UM 1 (1997)

Basketball: MSU 2 (1979, 2000) to UM 1 (1989)

Hockey: UM 8 (1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1964, 1996, 1998) to MSU 3 (1966, 1986, 2007) (in the past 25 years, it's 2 vs. 2).

It's a shame with our success year-in and year-out that we weren't able to hang a few more banners along the way.