Buzzfeed Sports: Great read comparing Michigan to Ohio
A buddy of mine at work sent me this article. Great read leading up to 'The Game.' Enjoy amigos!
http://www.buzzfeed.com/bml/why-michigan-and-ohio-state-need-to-get-ove…
November 27th, 2013 at 1:08 PM ^
buzzfeed =/ great
November 27th, 2013 at 1:21 PM ^
"There is almost no difference between Michigan and Ohio State."
You shut your mouth when you're speaking to me.
November 27th, 2013 at 1:22 PM ^
November 27th, 2013 at 1:23 PM ^
I have at least one significant issue with the article. Suggesting that UM and OSU are similar with regard to academic institutions is...stretching it. OSU is fine. UM is much, much better than fine.
November 27th, 2013 at 1:24 PM ^
He could have just stopped at "all of their players come from Ohio."
Oh wait, he didn't even get that one.
November 27th, 2013 at 1:32 PM ^
Interesting read. Thanks for sharing it.
I will say this, however - that burger from the Thurman Cafe looks outright fatal, but I know that Blimpy will end up being essential in shaving years off of my life, so there is indeed a similarity in good (and fatal) food, it would seem.
I definitely agree with the conclusion, of course.
November 27th, 2013 at 1:35 PM ^
Thurman Burger. Had one. It was A-MA-ZING. And I did us proud, I went in wearing my favorite Michigan t-shirt. I sucessfully was served a burger that had no apparent additions of any bodily fluids. It helped that the girl serving me at the bar was a Michigan fan. Thurman's is worth the trip.
November 27th, 2013 at 1:35 PM ^
I personally live in Columbus, but am a Michigan fan and I don't think the campuses are close. OSU is crowded, huge, noisy, constant construction, almost overspaced. The few great times i've been able to come up to AA i get a completly different vibe. More of a small town with a tremendous passion for their team. Oh and academically they aren't close.
November 27th, 2013 at 1:53 PM ^
, you say. Sounds familiar...
November 27th, 2013 at 2:34 PM ^
November 27th, 2013 at 4:15 PM ^
November 27th, 2013 at 1:58 PM ^
I know the author is a semi-frequent poster in these parts, so I'm not trying to hate. That said, it was a pretty meh article that follows the Buzzfeed style of lots of pictures with little in the way of actual discussion. UM and OSU are similar in that they are football factories with large fanbases and colorful histories. OSU, though, has been consistently better the past dozen or so years though with the stigma of "SEC-North". UM has been largely scuffling, trying to maintain a connection to an unsustainable model that peaked in the 1980's and seems incredibly outdated now.
And as others have noted, OSU is a good state school with strong research avenues; UM is a near-elite academic institution.
November 27th, 2013 at 2:03 PM ^
With pictures of burgers and roller coasters, how much discussion would you expect from such an article? I thought its intent was pretty much for entertainment as opposed to some ground breaking piece of literature.
Everything else you said I completely agree with.
November 27th, 2013 at 8:00 PM ^
November 27th, 2013 at 2:04 PM ^
Michigan was the same as Ohio State, I would have gone to my state school (UConn) instead of traveling across the country. Kind of insulting to compare a world-class school with POSU
November 27th, 2013 at 2:09 PM ^
As someone who didn't attend either school, this type of attitude is the only thing that sours Michigan's reputation in my mind. I'm a huge fan, always have been, always will be, but to say its insulting to be compared to osu is a bit of a stretch. Better, yes. Should you be insulted? No.
November 27th, 2013 at 4:01 PM ^
As someone who graduated from Michigan, I will say: it is insulting.
Here's to embracing the Michigan arrogance reputation. It's truly one of the only fun parts of being a Michigan fan these days.
November 27th, 2013 at 2:14 PM ^
Michigan and Ohio are demonstrably not the same. Why? Our state has more teeth.
November 27th, 2013 at 2:49 PM ^
And far fewer people in Michigan breathe through their mouths.
November 27th, 2013 at 3:05 PM ^
To be fair to Ohio, it's a lot easier to spot missing teeth when someone's mouth is open.
Besides, its hard to accurately count the mouth breathers in Michigan when a substantial amount of the population is on their couch looking for a job on their Compaq.
November 27th, 2013 at 3:15 PM ^
You try and live life with chronic allergies!!!
November 27th, 2013 at 2:45 PM ^
The fact that the article suggests "we all get over it" is idiotic. It's a rivalry. We don't like each other, and that's completely ok. Also, after driving through much of Michigan and Ohio, Michigan's scenery is significantly easier on the eyes.
I don't think I have very much in common with cooler-pooping, sweater vest-wearing OSU fans. I think MSU would be a better comparison for the narcissim of minor differences, even if OSU is a slighty better school.
November 27th, 2013 at 3:14 PM ^
November 27th, 2013 at 3:19 PM ^
Ugh my girlfriend sent me this. I've never been more disgusted with her in my life. This writer has no clue what he is talking about.
November 27th, 2013 at 3:32 PM ^
As somebody who had no affinity to either state or school growing up, here are my 2 cents...
First, Ohio IS NOT the same as Michigan. I took a roadtrip to Ohio for community service reasons in high school. Went in with no preconceptions about the state because, frankly, nobody on the East Coast gives a damn about the Midwest. My only knowledge of the two schools was a video that they played endlessly at my job (Best Buy) of the App. St. upset. I did not care at all and thought it was funny.
Travelling throughout the state of Ohio, I can safely say that I HATED it. It was all flat, the people there were OK, but bleh, and Cleveland was empty. I was completely underwhelmed by everything I encountered. The only redeeming feature I found was the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Even Cedar Point (which the article takes time to focus on) was kinda shitty. There are a lot of roller coasters, but nothing else. The roller coasters were OK, but I'll take Dorney Park or Six Flags over Cedar Point any day. Cedar Point is iconic, but not that great of a park.
Michigan, on the other hand, has blown me away. I had no desire to go to the Midwest for law school and had decided on Early Decision to George Washington (I got in regular) or Georgetown. Those were my two schools and I visited other schools just because they paid for my trips (UCLA, Boston U, Alabama, etc.). Michigan didn't pay for my trip, but because they were the highest ranked school to accept me, I decided to check it out....knowing that I had already told Georgetown that I would attend if admitted.
Needless to say, Michigan DID blow me away. We talk about how we have a chance with football recruits if we get them on campus....I say that confidently because that is EXACTLY what happened with me. Michigan is an elite institution that is confident about what it brings to the table, but isn't filled with snobs (at least by East Coast standards). We are populated by people who are incredibly intelligent, know that they are intelligent, and still act like (relatively) normal humans.
Ann Arbor, meanwhile, has seduced every member of my family who has visited. When I moved in, my Mom flew in ahead of my Father and I (we were responsible for bringing my "stuff"). My Dad and I got stuck in traffic and called my Mom to let her know. Her reaction was, "don't worry about it. I'm fine here. In fact, you two stay in Pennsylvania, I'll just live here." Same reaction from all of my friends (including my best friend from NYC, who is the ULTIMATE New York snob, but yet still was OK with Ann Arbor....possibly the biggest compliment of all).
Then you have the fact that Michigan is competitive in a multitude of sports (nearly challenging Stanford for the Director's Cup), has elite graduate institutions in nearly every area of study, and continuously graduates leaders who go on to kick ass in all parts of the country, and to compare the two is just....silly.
November 27th, 2013 at 4:18 PM ^
November 27th, 2013 at 6:02 PM ^
November 28th, 2013 at 12:37 AM ^
November 27th, 2013 at 3:34 PM ^
I think we need to add "Buzzfeed articles" to the verboten topic list.
November 27th, 2013 at 3:53 PM ^
in Section 11 Row 17 on Saturday, when he tries to explain this "bullshit" to the ohio fans surrounding him!
Go Blue!
November 27th, 2013 at 3:56 PM ^
November 27th, 2013 at 4:20 PM ^
Having spent a lot of time in various different parts of the US, yeah, Michigan and Ohio both have a lot of shared "Midwestern" cultural aspects. But Ohio also has a...shall we say, "Appalachian" tinge for which Michigan simply does not have an analog.
November 27th, 2013 at 4:40 PM ^
The UP?
November 27th, 2013 at 5:59 PM ^
November 27th, 2013 at 8:33 PM ^
...is 100% correct about the "tinge" in Ohio.
In the excellent "Michigan: A History of the Wolverine State" written by Bruce Catton the settlement patterns of Michigan and Ohio are discussed.
The bulk of settlers in Michigan came from western NY and New England with a sprinkling of folks from the southern states. In Ohio a far higher proportion of folks came from areas that correspond to the rural parts of the Carolinas and Virginias. I'd say that this is what accounts for the "tinge" that we see here in 2013.
November 28th, 2013 at 2:00 PM ^
That is an excellent read. If you enjoyed it that much, you would probably also like "American Nations: A History Of The Eleven Rival Regional Cultures Of North America" by Colin Woodard.
November 27th, 2013 at 5:52 PM ^
Lost me at "buzzfeed." Was Bleacher Report not doing a piece on The Game? Chatsports didn't have a take?
November 27th, 2013 at 6:06 PM ^
Absolutely ridiculous. I live in a popular snow bird destination (and relocation destination) for people from both states and I can assure everyone, particularly this author, that you can tell the difference immediately.
The geography comparison is just as bad. The only way someone could possibly believe that is they are from the Detroit area, have been no where else in Michigan, and the only thing they've ever done in Ohio is drove straight down 75 to Cincinnati. Which I will bet a large sum of money is precisely this case with the author of this article.
November 27th, 2013 at 6:18 PM ^
He compared a forest to a corn field and said they were the same thing, I think this might be a cry for help.
November 27th, 2013 at 8:05 PM ^
November 27th, 2013 at 10:50 PM ^
kind of like cheesecake isn't the same as, say, manure? did smile at the comment about bo and woody both being age 61 at birth, and that he said michigan is better.
but seriously michigan, and particularly northern michigan, is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. full of clear streams, trout, salmon, moose, mountain lions, grouse and home to the great lakes. not the same. win or lose, they still live in a flat mud pile.