Columbus Trip Report (spoiler: it's not as bad as people who have never been there but tell you not to go say it is)
I made my first football trip (been twice for basketball) to Columbus yesterday evening. I made the trip alone. I wasn't going to let internet horror stories prevent me from supporting the team in Columbus, especially because I've complained my entire fandom about them filling our stadium but us not doing the same.
I grabbed dinner downtown last night, there weren't any issues. It felt like everyone at dinner was both wearing Ohio State gear and staring at me (in my Michigan shirt) as if they had never seen a Michigan fan in their life. Regardless, no one actually said anything.
I got no sleep last night because I was so excited for today. I decided to Uber to the game to be safe, given my Michigan plate. My driver was a buckeye but was very friendly. He dropped me off about 3/4 mile away from the stadium right in the middle of all of the student houses. I thought "uh oh, this is not gonna be good, especially because there are zero Michigan fans in site." And then something funny happened - nothing. I walked by house after house of tailgating Ohio State students and no one even acknowledged me.
As I got closer to the stadium one guy told me it's gonna be a tough ride home as him and his friends made puke sounds and one guy mumbled "fuck Michigan." That was it pre game. And if that's enough to keep you from going to a game - yikes!
Tension was very high when I got in the stadium and I kept waiting for something to pop off but nothing did. Several Ohio State fans came up to me and introduced themselves and said they hope I have a great time. In the halftime bathroom line a drunk guy called me a loser and I ignored him and he said it a few more times before giving up after I didn't acknowledge him. When the writing was on the wall the Ohio State fans around me either just left or shook my hand and said good luck.
I stayed in the stands as long as possible until an emotionally distraught usher angrily told me to go home. I walked around the stadium to catch the team at they left their locker room. I walked by the Ohio State bus because it was on the way and there was an Ohio State player who stared me down as I walked by (everyone else around was in Scarlet and Grey), it seemed like he wanted me to say something, but I would never do anything like that to someone who just played their heart out and lost a game they had waited a year for.
I got to the Michigan bus and celebrated with some Michigan fans and got a picture with Harbaugh. The players were super jolly. It was a great site to see. One thing I found to be very bizarre was that there were several Ohio State fans around the Michigan bus, but they weren't there to cause problems, they were taking pictures of the team and seemed to be in good spirits. I have no idea what that was all about.
There was one issue as I walked back around the stadium to get an Uber...I saw the trashiest sign I've ever seen, that made me pause. It read "Michigan can't even win in the tunnel" and had a close up of Gemon Green getting hit in the head with a helmet. It made me pause and the guy that made the sign was apparently standing in the area because he walked up to me and told me he made he sign and asked what I was gonna do about it. I walked away and he followed after me and said let's settle this like men (assuming he wanted to fight me), I just kept walked faster and thankfully he was an obese drunk guy and I'm a sober in shape guy and could walk faster. That whole thing was very unfortunate because if it wasn't for that I would've made the whole trip with zero real incidents.
At the end of the day, it was a very positive trip with one quick hiccup. Trouble absolutely is there if you're looking for it, but it seems pretty easy to avoid. I've been to Michigan State four times (three for basketball and once for football) and Ohio State thrice (twice for basketball and once for football) and in my experience East Lansing is a significantly worse place to be as a Michigan fan than Columbus. Don't be afraid of Columbus. To be frank, Michigan's representation in the shoe today was pathetic. Let's change that in 2024.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:03 AM ^
Benvom - this is awesome. You are a Michigan fan phenomenon.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:04 AM ^
Haha thank you!
November 27th, 2022 at 12:06 AM ^
Love it, Benvom, but I needed to read the title 5 times and I still don't get it.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:12 AM ^
You could argue it’s the antithesis of the Justin Feagin headline.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:37 AM ^
I have a bad habit of not coherently writing my thoughts out. What I mean by the parenthetical in the title is: there are a ton of people here and on other platforms who have never actually been to Columbus but have heard from a friend of a friend of a friend's girlfriend's neighbor's cousin that it's not safe to go to Columbus wearing Michigan gear. I did not find that to be the case.
Does that make sense, or did it just make things more confusing?
November 27th, 2022 at 1:20 AM ^
That's perfect. Thank you. Makes perfect sense now. Now copy and paste that into your title and you will own the real estate on the Message Board pane. Others have done it with much disdain but I think you can pull it off because you are well liked.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:07 AM ^
The ending there was kind of like Mrs Lincoln talking about the play.
That horrible sign and the fat drunk dude wanting to fight you is exactly why Michigan fans don’t like Columbus.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:40 AM ^
I hoped it wouldn't come off like that. It felt like I had to put it in or I wouldn't be telling the whole story. There's ZERO excuse for that guy's behavior, but at the same time if I didn't examine the parking lot around the stadium after the game (which virtually no one does), it would've never happened. If I was a normal person I probably would've gotten through the day with zero actual issues 😉.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:57 AM ^
Yeah, I read this and had the same reaction: that sounds like you experienced multiple incidents of OSU fans trying to antagonize, harass, and/or fight you just for being there.
It was a great write up and I’m glad you still generally enjoyed the experience, but that’s pretty awful behavior and I don’t think this sounds nearly as positive as I expected based on your subject line.
November 27th, 2022 at 9:27 AM ^
Yeah it sounds like he got lucky that a couple of drunk cowards were too drunk to fight a guy who was walking by himself.
November 27th, 2022 at 10:59 AM ^
I think it's funny people in this thread think that is a "bad" experience... Have you never been to an away game at a... NFL, MLB, heck, even an away MLS game?
If you go to an away game and end up with 3-4 "hey, f you, guy"s, then that is a huge win/par for the course. People in this thread need to travel more I think
November 27th, 2022 at 12:40 PM ^
woah cool story about how worldly you are for going to MLB games bro, but that’s not actually what he described.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:10 AM ^
East Lansing, by far, is the worst experience for Michigan fans.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:19 AM ^
I've never had issues in East Lansing, but maybe it will be more hostile next year
November 27th, 2022 at 12:23 AM ^
Worst experience of my life. Shit being thrown at you, racism, 50 year old manchilds etc you name it. Didn’t help we also wore bumblebee uniforms during the game.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:17 AM ^
This is awesome and the difference between a rivalry with an equal (OSU) and a trash program (Sparty) that wants to be a rival.
My experiences in Columbus and East Lansing have been so different, and very much mirror both the generally healthy respect and disdain that exists between UM and OSU and the over the top bitter hatred that Sparty has for UM - really since the onset of the Dantonio era.
I despise OSU, but respect their program and fans. Fuck OSU always, but never in a dirty or violent way. Their fans can be drunk and disgusting like any fans I have encountered, but generally not worse. They are incredibly spoiled and entitled, however, due to decades of sustained success. My experiences in Columbus are similar to yours...the usual Fuck Michigan and haha - you suck.
Sparty on the other hand, and East Landfill is a cesspool. Fights on the field, angry violent fans in the stands. I was accosted a couple times and had drinks thrown on me. I was at the Devin Bush 2018 game in East Landfill...will never go there again. Trash program, trash fanbase.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:18 AM ^
I salute you for going solo Benvom and for the report. Agree that most is overblown after my own solo trip. I'd go every year to The Game if I lived within 1000 miles!
November 27th, 2022 at 12:18 AM ^
As far as representation, I don't *think* OSU sells that many tickets to opposing fans. It's just a guess. Two friends of mine drove down there. Their son is in the Michigan Marching Band and they were hoping to get tickets from scalpers but they had no luck. They had to drive back to their hotel to watch the game.
Even during the Cooper years when Michigan dominated this rivalry, it was hard to see THAT many Michigan fans in the crowd. And they've always been split up around the stadium.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:20 AM ^
Hail! Glad you went, and that you had a good experience.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:21 AM ^
God damn, now I want to know what happened to you in East Lansing, because this doesn't sound, like, great.
November 27th, 2022 at 1:11 AM ^
Same! Talking to my dad and brother (also Michigan fans) as well as others, we respect OSU way more than MSU. I disrespect MSU because of their program wide inferiority complex. They also play dirty and take things too far. I have many MSU friends and family; they're all delusional.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:37 AM ^
That is a great report. Thanks.
They lived down to my every expectation.
GO. BLUE.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:44 AM ^
I was alone in the student section and they were very cocky in the 1st half. Then started to turn on Day/Knowles in the second and had to get a video of them leaving the stadium early.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:58 AM ^
I also made the drive to Columbus and had a relatively positive experience. I live in California, but was in Michigan for Thanksgiving. My family is all diehard Michigan fans but they all told me it was a terrible idea to go there, but I went for it anyways.
To be safe I drove down late last night and got to my hotel relatively late and didn't really interact with anyone.
I drove to the stadium (and found free parking 20 minutes away by foot) but I was too nervous to display my Michigan gear so I had a Michigan t-shirt hidden under a plan sweatshirt. I wore an Erie Sea Wolves hat because I figured anyone clever enough to figure out I'm a Michigan fan based on wearing a Detroit Tigers' AA affiliate cap probably won't cause any problems.
I sat nowhere near any Michigan fans. With Ohio's great first drive and my lack of cheering, it was obvious to those around me that I was not cheering for Ohio. The people sitting next to me questioned what I was doing and I explained I'm from California and a UCLA alumnus (which is true). He pressed a bit harder to see if I was a Michigan fan (and told me it's "okay" if I am) and I finally admitted the truth. He was in his 50s or so and claims to have been on the Ohio swim team at one point. Him and his friend were relatively pleasant and encouraged me to support my team.
I stuck around long after the game was over, because there were only Michigan fans left. After the game I walked back to my car through mostly Ohio people and at this point I had my Michigan tshirt exposed. The only people that said anything to me were ushers who thanked me for coming and that was it.
November 27th, 2022 at 1:03 AM ^
Is it wrong that I wish you would have kicked the shit out of the fat red neck?
Let’s settle this like men? He will wake up tomorrow a dumbass.
But a grand story just the same that ends well.
November 27th, 2022 at 1:15 AM ^
Glad you had a good time
@ Illinois 2019 and @ Wisconsin is the only time I've really been talked to but it's always the same lines, nothing serious. I just ignore or agree with them.
Wisconsin fan after the game, "Jim Hairball still sucks and Ann Arbor is still a whore" Me (with my Mom btw) "Yeah, I know" His mind short circuited.
I wonder with all the bad OSU stories, how many are because Michigan fans can't just keep walking or have to defend?
November 27th, 2022 at 2:32 AM ^
To me, "Ann Arbor is a whore" always felt like a joke that has something there, but needs a lot of work in the writer's room. This is my first time seeing "Jim Hairball" and I can't stop laughing at it. It's so goddamn stupid and childish, but I think it's wrapped around the other side for me: it's like when a number gets too negative in a computer program and becomes the highest possible value.
November 27th, 2022 at 9:45 AM ^
Underflow _is_ a bitch.
November 27th, 2022 at 1:16 AM ^
I tried to say the same thing. I have lived within 30 minutes of osu except for college and a few years after. When I told people I have never had a bad experience (other than idiot drunks who you just ignore and avoid) and don’t let the people who act as if going to the game is like going to a literal war zone I was criticized.
November 27th, 2022 at 2:17 AM ^
Yeah. I am sure that some people have bad experiences down there and it may be different for others but nobody even said fuck you to me this afternoon and I was wearing head to toe maize and blue.
November 27th, 2022 at 2:24 AM ^
I think if a Buckeye yelled "fuck you" at me, I wouldn't care. Of course, there's a difference between a "sports rivalry" fuck you and a "I'm looking for an excuse to commit felonious assault" fuck you.
November 27th, 2022 at 2:21 AM ^
Let's settle this like men
It sounds like somebody needs to grow the fuck up.
That said, it seems like many of the Michigan fans who traveled today had similar experiences that you did: positive ones. Though I haven't been to Columbus, I have also had mostly positive experiences with their fans in and around our stadium.
November 27th, 2022 at 5:47 AM ^
Title is true. I used to live there, which is the origin of my user handle.
November 27th, 2022 at 6:53 AM ^
It makes me happy to hear that things have eased up a bit. After they won the title in 2002 going there for The Game was intolerable, and downright dangerous. The shit that I witnessed with the riot that year and the following games. 2008 is when I swore off ever going back there around those fans again. However your story gives me hope, maybe I'll reconsider.
November 27th, 2022 at 7:03 AM ^
“Jim Harbaugh claps when the plane lands” was my favorite game day sign. That’s clever.
and that dude with the tunnel sign? I feel almost sorry for a man that finds that a) funny and b) needs to get his aggression out like that. He doesn’t need an ass-kicking, he needs therapy.
November 27th, 2022 at 7:13 AM ^
My wife and I made our first trip to Columbus yesterday and our day went much like yours. One drunk college age guy dropped an F-bomb on us before the game but everyone around us were friendly and pleasant through out the game. There were many well wishes and several "Beat the SEC" but nothing remotely threatening. Surprisingly enjoyable trip mad more so by the final score!
November 27th, 2022 at 8:25 AM ^
I made my first trip to C'bus for the Game in 30 years. I went with my daughters - one a Michigan alum and the other an OSU student. I didn't experience any issues that are worth reporting about. We went to Buckeye Donuts on High Street in the morning. A half hour wait with mostly OSU fans but a few of us as well. The normal jostling but mostly mutual excitement for the game.
Then we went to the Skull session at St. John Arena. The OSU band performs and the football team makes a brief appearance. The old barn was quite full until the team left and then most of the fans left. Only a very few of us in blue but no one said or did anything to us.
We then walked across the street to the Horseshoe. Again no incidents. We sat in the Michigan section so it was the most festive part of the stands. There were Ohio people scattered around us. Everyone was well behaved.
On the way out all of the folks in red were shell shocked. They didn't know how to respond so they walked to the cars quietly and left. One man gave me his program because he said we earned it.
We stayed in the suburbs so we did not experience the evening activity on campus. I heard reports on Facebook that it was probably better not to be there.
I think the riff raff has been priced out of the market and for the most part the Ohio people aren't that much different from us as much as we hate to admit it. There is a lot of respect for the rivalry.
November 27th, 2022 at 8:35 AM ^
Funny you thought it was bad representation. There seemed to be more maize and blue there especially up front, then I've seen in years.
Thank you for going!!
November 27th, 2022 at 11:06 AM ^
I have heard that red really sticks out in crowds, so maybe it wasn't quite as bad as it looked, but the only actual clumps of maize and blue were in the Michigan section. When they come to town I swear every section besides the student section has large clumps of red.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:29 PM ^
I went to Columbus a few times in the early 2010's and never had any serious issues either. Most people either ignored me or were relatively welcoming. Might be because we were less threatening then, but it does seem like things have gotten more civil overall with some of the stories I've heard from people who went in the 90's, and I have also heard from OSU friends there was definitely an effort to tighten things down a bit after a few years of some MSU-level rioting.
Probably the worst people I've experience on the road are, big surprise, MSU. Nothing I couldn't handle, but they were definitely the worst when it came to being unnecessary levels of shithead. Number two might be Wisconsin fans in our own stadium; seems like every Badger that shows up to the Big House is a jackass, and yet going to Camp Randall was pretty innocuous.
Best experience was Notre Dame. Turns out the people who are actually affiliated and go to their games are nice people. They went do far out of their way to be welcoming and nice it felt awkward at times.
November 27th, 2022 at 3:32 PM ^
That's interesting, I've never had issues with Wisconsin fans at home or on the road; however, I have had that experience with Illinois fans. I swear every year they come here for basketball they're the worst.
November 27th, 2022 at 2:06 PM ^
Trouble absolutely is there if you're looking for it, but it seems pretty easy to avoid.
This has been my experience too in Columbus.
People who get in fights at an away football game tend to get in fights at other places too. People who don't have issues at an away football game tend to not have issues at other places too.
Your proclivity for fights follows you around.
If you want to know how it is going to go at an away football game look in the mirror. If you tend to get in a lot of fights and arguments in life in general, you're going to get in a fight at an away football game. If you tend NOT to get in a lot of fights and arguments in life in general, you're probably NOT going to get in a fight at an away football game.