Can we please stop calling them little brother?

Submitted by bouje13 on
Seriously while we own the long term rivalry they've kicked our ass for four years.

We need to act like we've been there before and stop with this whole little brother bs.

griesecheeks

October 16th, 2011 at 3:56 AM ^

I hate everything involving any mention of MSU right now... the Little Bro meme, the discussion of the meme, the way they play football, Mark D'Antonio, Mark D'Antonio's wry smile, etc, etc, etc... Yes, Michigan needed to play harder and be stronger, but the penalty count and variety demonstrates that the Spartan team is 

Fuck them all, and may Russell Wilson, Montee Ball and James White piss on their ashes. 

 

 

 

ps... I have really conflicting feelings about Devin Gardner. When he finally gets a chance to take over the reigns, his physical abilities will be a breath of fresh air. Still has a ways to go mentally, but that size will be an enormous benefit down the road. I love Denard, and I will not clamor for him  to get benched, but he is all over the place, and I'm pretty sure msu blue-printed how to stop our offense. Urban hit the nail on the head, amidst the bewilderment of putting Devin Gardner on the field: the coaches consider him to be one of their potential playmakers, and I'm pretty happy that he's getting a chance to play more and more.

LSAClassOf2000

October 16th, 2011 at 6:32 AM ^

WIth time and therapy, they may get over the inferiority complex. It isn't so much the football program per se, although the fact that theirs is statistically and historically inferior is part of it, but the mindset of the MSU fanbase. "Little brother" describes it very well in a way.

 

 

Top dog 4578

October 16th, 2011 at 7:32 AM ^

be little brother ....Most schools are little brother to us..We have been around a lot longer ...And besides,most msu fans are ass holes and hate being called little brother so obviously Im always calling them that,among other things...

allintime23

October 16th, 2011 at 7:52 AM ^

Until they win six in a row or eight out of ten they haven't done anything. In the last ten games they still sit at 40%. Yes, they have my attention but it's not for the play on the field as much as it's for the disgusting behavior they display and seem to glorify. Women and children from their fan base even act like hillbilly pigs. Obsessed and possessed with trashy actions and morals.

nes5775

October 16th, 2011 at 8:01 AM ^

Little thug brother. That's what they played like. Never seen so many cheap shots..specially from gholston . MSU little thug brother..
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UMgradMSUdad

October 16th, 2011 at 8:52 AM ^

Like any analogy, it can only be pushed so far. If someone thinks it no longer applies, that's fine with me. I'll continue to use it though.  When Hart used it, it certainly explained Michigan's complete dominance on the football field. Now, though, it has take on a life of its own.  As another poster pointed out, if the MSU coach hadn't made such a big deal of it, it would have faded away by now.  It still applies, just in a slightly different form.  Here is the text of mine from a different thread:

It's kind of sad in a way. To them, the game with us seems to be the one and only regular season game they point to all year. It really seems like a spoiled little brother throwing a tantrum because he's jealous of his big brother's successes. A tip for MSU, though, raging against Michigan won't make your inferiority complex go away 

Tater

October 16th, 2011 at 9:01 AM ^

Sparty will never be an equal.  If they win the next 33 in a row and even up the series, then I will consider it.  Of course, that will make me over 90 years old, so my parameters may have changed a bit.

claire

October 16th, 2011 at 9:29 AM ^

The concept of 'little brother' is somewhat akin to the shit stain on your underwear. You will never be able to get rid of either. No matter what you do, that stain will always be there. And for the majority of the time, it's inconsequential. No one can see it or smell it but you know it will be there. Sometimes it can be the source of embarrassment but usually it's a non-issue. Therefore, I'm not sure how you can suggest that we drop the concept of little brother. MSU, the shit stain on your underwear, will always be little brother

AMazinBlue

October 16th, 2011 at 9:35 AM ^

I made this comment in an earlier thread.  We look stupid calling them little brother.  They have the upper hand in the rivalry right now and they have the better team.  Calling them little brother at this point is juvenille gamesmanship.  It's even more juvenille considering they are the better team, talentwise.

I know they are cheap shot artists, dirty and thugs, I get all that, but it's like you getting beat 100 times in a row and then you win once and you act like you superior.  If we stop with the lillte brother crap and just let them enjoy their win and next year we come out and kick their asses, it will be so much better.

Little brother is something they would do.  LET IT DIE!

OMG Shirtless

October 16th, 2011 at 9:49 AM ^

 

You always seem to have a good point, but you express it in the absolutely worst way possible.  If this topic came from nearly anyone else on the board there'd be a more positive response.  Maybe you should have been more creative when you made your newest username.

MGoPietrowski

October 16th, 2011 at 9:51 AM ^

It blows my mind how many people on here are still shit talking after we got our asses handed to us yesterday. I love Michigan, but honesty, some of you are acting ridiculous. When we finally womp Ohio after thanksgiving and their fans continue to talk shit, and you guys are all like "how can they run their mouths? We just beat them!" it will also be important to have chosen whether your prefer to be the pot or the kettle....

UMgradMSUdad

October 16th, 2011 at 10:11 AM ^

Yes, Hart was talking solely about the football game itself when he made that comment.  But it has taken on a life of its own, in no small part to Dantonio and fans harping on it.  As others have pointed out, though "little brother" is a damn fine analogy.  It explains quite a lot. M is older, has better facilities, better academic reputation, more money in grants and donations. 

Look at some of the MSU fan sites (granted, there aren't that many) and what the fans are claiming.  Only a  small percentage of their fans even grudingly acknowledge that the late face mask twist on Robinson is a problem.  Most of the fans are happy trying to prove their superiority by attacking the straw man that Michigan fans are blaming the loss on Spartan dirty play.  Really?  What kind of mindset comes up with that fiction?  An insecure little brother who can't stand up to the reality that the University of Michigan is the top university in the state... always has been, always will be.

LSAClassOf2000

October 16th, 2011 at 11:08 AM ^

"What kind of mindset comes up with that fiction? "

Once again, we're all they really have, or rather, they choose - for various historical reasons on and off the football field - to put all  their eggs in this particular basket. Single-minded obsession tends to warp your notion of what is right and wrong, particularly in sports apparently. Of course, if you were instilled with no such scruples, then that is truly sad (I fear many Spartan fans probably do not actually know the rules of the game). The mindset that obsession creates is core to the "little brother" moniker, and it is fairly  descriptive.

I am glad we don't share this obsession with this game.  Indeed, if we were in  different conferences and rarely played each other, would we even REALLY know who they were other than some other school in Michigan?

ramverine79

October 16th, 2011 at 10:04 AM ^

As much as it pains me to say it, right NOW they are not little brother. They are bigger, stronger, and faster than us at nearly every position. The fact that we hung in there and had a chance to win speaks to the heart and character of this team. We lost to a better team - I think the best team we will play this season.

Frankly, minus the complete thuggery they show and an asshat coach, it's the kind of team I look forward to watching in the Big House very soon.

I also think their game versus Wisky has a chance to be very interesting. I think MSU will have a chance to win it.

bronxblue

October 16th, 2011 at 10:22 AM ^

I never cared for the little brother moniker, but it's not like the school isn't still preoccupied with UM and being "better" than them.  The little brother thing isn't just about football; it is about the entire mindset of the two fanbases.  For UM, winning or losing to MSU in sports isn't a huge deal - it happens and people move on.  But this is based on experience (and I attended the two for 3 years - I saw it), they derive a level of pleasure from beating UM that is hard to understand.  So yeah, maybe calling them little brother is dumb, but they still act like a self-conscious little brother who always wants to hang out with the cooler older brother.  That isn't going to change with a couple of wins.

AMazinBlue

October 16th, 2011 at 10:35 AM ^

getting beaten soundly yesterday?   The false bravado going on is so high school.  We got beat by the better team yesterday.  I agree, they are bigger, stronger and faster and almost every position on the field.  Everyone here wants MSU to shut up and go away...well...then we need to get better and beat them on the field. 

Trash talking when you lose is for losers!

AMazinBlue

October 16th, 2011 at 10:38 AM ^

and calls us stupid little names, do we have to follow suit?  Isn't that coming down to their level.  If we are so superior, then why are we playing their game?  We should act like the Leaders and Best and not be so juvenille when they are clearly better on the field.  When we start beating them consistenly again, then we can talk trash.

M-Dog

October 16th, 2011 at 12:29 PM ^

"Little Brother" is like a fly-swatter.  We only use it when they start buzzing around our heads trying to annoy us.  The rest of the time we just . . . well, actually the rest of the time we just don't think about them at all.

Seriously, how much do you think about MSU during Ohio State week, New Year's Day Bowl Games, the Notre Dame game, the season opener, even the Little Brown Jug game?  Yeah, I thought so.

 

ForeverVoyaging

October 16th, 2011 at 11:31 AM ^

Even if State beats us in every NCAA sport for the next 1000 years they will still be inferior. Actually, even if we didn't compete in sports at all, MSU would still be the lesser institution. That will never change.

Bobby Boucher

October 16th, 2011 at 11:59 AM ^

In fact, let's come up with an even more belittling name.  Like "little step-brother", "little brother on death row", or even "I'm really aggressive because I'm secretly gay and having a hard time excepting that little brother".

M-Dog

October 16th, 2011 at 12:50 PM ^

I'll tell you what . . . when they win some big games that have nothing to do with us, or we lose some big games that have nothing to do with them, and there are not a thousand Sparty trolls that want to tell us all about it, then I'll think about not calling them Little Brother.

They want attention from us too much as their Big Brother to abandon them now in their time of need.   It's the sacrifice we must make.

 

madtadder

October 16th, 2011 at 12:35 PM ^

Who here thinks little brother is a disrespectful term? Because I am a little brother and don't see it as disrespectful, it's just who they are. They are the inferior team that is always trying to impress and equal their big brothers. And as a little brother, I had times where I had streaks of success against my big brother in sports. It didn't change our standing.

moffle

October 16th, 2011 at 1:00 PM ^

It's not because of the game yesterday or recent history or football in general. It's because it's stupid. The "little brother" thing was funny for maybe the first week, but it has gone on way too long and has been embarrassingly stupid for years now. It's no more clever than O$U or scUM.

Also, for the people arguing that it's totally apropos, do you have a real little brother? Do you feel the same about him as you do about MSU? If so, you're either a terrible brother, or MSU is your second favorite team.

Wendyk5

October 16th, 2011 at 1:19 PM ^

Can't argue with your second point, but...

 

The term "little brother" is actually pretty apt. I didn't think much about it until this thread, but now that I think about it, it's right. Little brother doesn't mean the one who loses all the time (just ask my husband, who is a little brother, and his brother). Little brother is the one who came second, who has to live up the big brother's accomplishments, or surpasses him if he's capable. The big brother usually sets the standards that the little brother lives up to, and sometimes the little brother does and sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes the little brother beats the crap out of the big brother. Sometimes they get along and sometimes they don't. Sometimes they resent each other's accomplishments. Sometimes they just think the other one is stupid. 

 

In our case, we will likely never get along, although I do remember the "Dantonio had a heart attack" thread, and as I recall, we acted like a pretty good big brother that day. 

 

 

Foote Fetish

October 16th, 2011 at 2:54 PM ^

I don't think 'Little Brother' really fits anymore.  I have no feelings of brotherhood for that group of punch throwing, late hitting, facemask pulling, marching band taunting, garbage throwing, "butthurt" using bunch of jagoffs.

To me, they're just a gang of classless thugs, and I want nothing to do with them.

I used to root for them when they were playing anyone else.  Now I hope that Wisconsin pounds them into a fine powder, and that the Badger O-Line completely embarrasses Gholston.  And then, I hope the Huskers dismantle them the week after.

MGoUberBlue

October 16th, 2011 at 2:59 PM ^

Because it pisses off anyone and everyone associated with MSU.  While I really did not care for the comment when Mike Hart made it, it has grown with each year that Sparty beats us.

I respect those who say that we should act like we've been there before.  Well we have, and we learned to both with and lose with a certain amount of dignity.  MSU, on the other hand, looks like shit even when they win a big game, which yesterday's game was.  The thuggish behavior during the game is just symptomatic of the entire program and coaching staff.

MSU players' taunting and reaction to the victory was clear evidence that they have not been there before and may never get there anyway.