OSU Fan Behavior
There were a ton of UoOSU fans at the game today, anyone have any stories to share about them being classy or classless?
I was surrounded by them, two to my left, four to my wife's right, and two in front of us.
Characters:
For the most part, the two in front of us were hilarious because it seemed to be their first game. They wanted to high five anyone in sight constantly. They would jump up and down when we had an incomplete pass or loss on a play and basically acted like little kids.
The two guys to my left were actually very nice and kept talking about "tressle ball" and how it was killing them on the inside. We talked about tressle ball vs lloyd ball.
The four guys on my wife's right were true assholes. They were in their 40's or 50's and apparently own the season tickets but only come to the OSU game (every other year obviously) and sell the rest. The entire game the closest one made stupid comments like "i can't believe anyone would be a michigan fan", "it would be so painful to cheer on this team" and stupid things like that.
Story:
At halftime the OSU band came out and one of the kids in front of me turned around and said "Our band is the largest brass band in the country". I said wow or something like that. I listed for a bit and leaned over the the guys to my left and said "I really like DSU's band because they were loud and danced around", they agreed that would be cool to see. The guy to my wife's right goes "pfff OSU has the best band anywhere, which is why everyone calls them 'the best damn band in all the land', no other band could do what they do". I said "you mean OSU and their fans call them 'the best damn band in all the land'" and he goes "no, everyone". I laughed a little bit and watched the band. One of the guys to my left asked about the band and i said pretty loud "I hear they are the largest brass band in the country and that they're the 'best damn band in all the land'", to which the guy to my wife's right got upset and muttered about how terrible Michigan's band is.
The game started back up and the guys who sit behind me came back and asked what they missed and i said "only the best damn band in all the land" which made the guy to my wife's right stare at me until the kick, which i promptly called the "best damn kickoff in all the land" just to get my point across.
Conclusion:
Other they the d-bags to my wife's right, I didn't have any problems with the OSU fans. They got loud, had a good time, but I didn't see anyone really act in a way that made me mad.
November 21st, 2009 at 9:50 PM ^
is my left someone else's right...?
November 21st, 2009 at 9:54 PM ^
Best damn post in all of the land.
November 21st, 2009 at 9:56 PM ^
I had two different experiences. The first one involved me walking out of my dorm and running into an OSU fan looking for a certain location. I pointed him toward where I believed it was and since I was heading in that direction, we talked for a bit and had a good time. He seemed to like the campus and said it was nice.
The second experience was in the student section. Two OSU fans came in about half an hour before kickoff and were a complete nuisance. They wouldn't shut up about OSU until a few other students showed up and just got them to shut up. Best part was, they complained that we were picking on them too much. Oh, and for the record, the guy had teeth like a Deliverance character.
Everyone else I ran into seemed to be rather nice. Overall, a good experience.
November 21st, 2009 at 10:02 PM ^
Most of the OSU fans I talked to were pretty cool. However, the most annoying fan that I have ever been near was an OSU female fan behind me. She wouldn't shut up and kept saying the most ignorant things including:
-Going off on a long tirade that UofM has no class, because the crowd booed the OSU team when they came out and OSU would never do that (I wonder if she has ever been to a game at Ohio Stadium).
-Then laughing when the OSU punter deliberately punted the ball a few times into UofM players during pregame warm ups and saying how hilarious of a prank it was (yes after chastising UofM fans for having no class).
-Going off that UofM was arrogant to have fake newspapers in the pregame video predicting a win -- I told her that the newspapers were real and from 1969.
-Screaming that she wants to hug Tressel.
-Forgetting what number Pryor was, but screaming that she was the world's biggest Buckeye fan.
-Sitting in the wrong seats and thankfully getting removed 2 rows back so I couldn't hear her as much.
-Saying the game was a blow out throughout the entire game.
-Saying that OSU always wears RED on the road and couldn't understand why they were wearing white even if it was a throwback.
And just on and on every second of the game.....
November 21st, 2009 at 10:13 PM ^
It's TRUE! I knew it. The majority of them ARE illiterate, with the inability to muster an intelligible syllable or two beyond "Fuck Michigan!"
Funny stuff.
November 21st, 2009 at 10:15 PM ^
My daughter was in the Michigan Band in the late '80s. She said that every time the UM band took the field at OSU, the fans would boo so loudly, it was virtually impossible for the band to be heard. Do they have a music appreciation course at that institution?
November 21st, 2009 at 10:18 PM ^
If only she'd had a dong you could punch.
November 21st, 2009 at 10:00 PM ^
In 2007, I was at the game with my then 7 year old son. We got tickets in the student section, so everyone stood for the entire game. It was cold and raining, and my son had to sit down - he couldn't stand for that long, but when he sat down, he couldn't see the game. There was an OSU fan next to us, on the aisle, who traded seats with my son so he could both sit down and see the game. He had spent like $600 on his ticket, but he gave the seat to my kid so he could see. That guy was ok in my book.
November 21st, 2009 at 10:07 PM ^
I had 2 Michigan fans getting into a fight in front of me towards the end of the game - worst behavior I saw all day from either side...
November 22nd, 2009 at 10:44 AM ^
...section 44.
Brian?
November 21st, 2009 at 10:09 PM ^
FWIW, I heard more OSU complaints about Tressel than UofM fans complaints about Rod.
Overall, this was my best experience with OSU fans at a game ever - just 1 annoying one that I described above.
November 21st, 2009 at 10:12 PM ^
Best damn kickoff. Well played, sir.
November 21st, 2009 at 10:12 PM ^
There were two guys that looked like they were students in the student section right near me. They were really respectful, and actually pretty nice. My friends actually talked to them for a while. They took some verbal abuse (as expected) pretty well. I've found, in my two OSU-UM games, OSU fans that I've dealt with to be pretty good on the whole, surprisingly (granted, I've never been to Columbus...). The worst fan experience though for me was last year in the student section during the Wisconsin game. That was horrible, although, the end result wasn't.
November 21st, 2009 at 10:26 PM ^
The fact that there are nice ones is actually a surprise to me. For the most part, they come to Ann Arbor and they are treated (for the most part) with some class.
I have heard nothing but nightmare stories of M fans going to the 'Shoe' for a game. People getting their cars vandalized, etc. Lets just say that the local law enforcement believes that an OSU fan can do no wrong.
November 21st, 2009 at 10:29 PM ^
all teams have their deuche fans and all teams have their good fans. Michigan has some dumbass fans, like any team. But OSU just has more
November 21st, 2009 at 10:30 PM ^
In section 25 we were standing on the benches for a while and the osu fan in front of me slipped and fell into a blue haired. Who promptly acted like a douche saying how if he gets pushed again he would get the aisle guy. The Osu fan told him he had slipped the blue haired continued to get elevated saying how hes never been treated this bad for 40 years and bitching at the guy for pushing him. Which the osu guy sarcastically said sorry asshole because the blue hair was. He then leaves to get the aisle guy and tries to get the osu fans all 4 of them kicked out. Thankfully it didnt happen but man what a asshole the guy apologized and said he fell and the blue haired was to stuck up to listen. I guess it also didnt help it happened when tate fumbled...
November 23rd, 2009 at 7:24 AM ^
The OSU fan you're speaking about (not a graduate, by the way) did slip and fall into me, pushing me into the people in front of me. It wasn't a casual bump, and it wasn't Stevie Brown laying out a tight end, but was enough to push a 230lb guy into the row in front of him.
There is no doubt in my mind it was an accident. However, it was also clear that his guy had been drinking - and it should have been clear to you, too. Any chance drinking had anything to do with this accident? His "apology" was something less than complete and left room for an unlimited number of "accidents".
My response was, as you said, to tell him not let let it happen again. My issue wasn't the first accident, it was the second, third and fourth accidents to come. I don't know about your world, cargo, but in my world "OK, don't let it happen again" is an appropriate response to an accident.
You apparently missed his response - where he asked me "whatcha gonna do fuckin' asshole". Maybe you couldn't see it because his back was to you. It was a good question. What was I going to do? After quickly considering the possibilities, I responded that I'd get the usher - which is something I've never done in 40 years.
His response was "do whatcha ya gotta do, asshole", several times. Which I did. The guy challenged me, I gave him at least two opportunities to back down and apologize, he didn't, and I responded in a non-violent way. Remember, the guy fell into me - not the other way around - then challenged me. This strikes me as something less than the minimum level of remorse necessary for such an accident.
So, here's the point. In my opinion, the guy didn't apologize. I listened, I heard him, and I didn't hear an apology. A friendly, polite "I'm sorry. I'll do my best to not let it happen again" would have ended it it. I didn't hear anything approaching that. I heard a defiant "it was an accident" - like that somehow makes a difference - as I was staring straight into the maize and blue "screw michigan" sticker he was wearing.
Accidents happen and are quickly and easily excused - as long as there's some kind of commitment to not let it happen again. That's the part that was missing here. According to this OSU fan and his family, and unlimited number of accidents are excused as long as it's an accident. I don't buy that in real life, cargo, do you?
If your recommendation, cargo, is to forget about it, fine - but where do YOU draw the line? The second time? The third time? I understand others may have a different point of view, but I draw the line at the challenge - not at the accidental push.
I've been to Columbus for this game several times and the experience was always fine - win or lose - until this decade. This decade I've had OSU fans get in the faces of my wife and 14yr old daughter screaming "your mother's a fuckin' whore!" because she was wearing maize and blue clothing and I've had another OSU fan apologize to my family in the stands for the obnoxious behavior of his friend (who just happened to be a DOCTOR from Cleveland). I've come to expect this sort of behavior in Columbus, but I'm not prepared to cut much slack for this type of behavior from an OSU fan in MICHIGAN Stadium - especially one wearing a "screw michigan" sticker.
The usher did come and he checked their ticket stubs because he misunderstood his instructions from the section chief, as I learned when the section chief spoke to me after the game. The section chief came down and got everyone off the bleachers (not my complaint and not my issue) after the usher didn't return with the OSU fan.
Just to be clear here - as I tried to be clear in the stands - the issue for me wasn't the first accidental push, it was the challenge. If you're prepared to accept an unlimited number of "accidents" from an OSU fan in Michigan Stadium, more power to you. I'm not. And if that makes me an asshole, I'll proudly wear that label.
On the other hand, cargo, if "I'm sorry, asshole" counts as an apology in your world, and you think I owe someone an apology, I'll happily offer it to you.....
I'm sorry, asshole. (turn on your sarcasm meter).
November 21st, 2009 at 10:33 PM ^
the U of M golf course heard the D-Bag Buckeye with the microphone.
November 21st, 2009 at 10:52 PM ^
If we weren't 1-7 in the Big Ten, this would be a bit more heated. Everything is well and good when you're the best team in the Big Ten playing the worst team in the Big Ten.
Who did SI rank the rudest fans in the Big Ten? Ohio State at 34.9%. The second worst? Michigan at 23.3%.
November 21st, 2009 at 11:07 PM ^
I think we all looked so pathetically defeated that it wasn't much fun for the OSU faithful to pile on, at least in my section.
November 21st, 2009 at 10:53 PM ^
I was surprised, the ones around me weren't the douche kind. They just cheered when they scored and for good plays. But it was still awful to have so many around me.
November 21st, 2009 at 10:58 PM ^
There is bad on both sides.
November 21st, 2009 at 11:05 PM ^
I've encountered some awful OSU fans in past games, but the ones near me today were okay. They grumbled about Tressel's playcalling and kept calling their own players names ("Tackle him, you dumbass!"), but didn't really say too many anti-UM things.
The negative "Michigan fans" who sit behind me, who made sarcastic comments all game and criticized RR for every playcall that didn't gain a first down, were honestly much more obnoxious. And they've been doing this all year. I really hope they follow through on the threat they make every week: "I'm done. I'm not buying tickets again." Good riddance.
November 21st, 2009 at 11:03 PM ^
The fans around me were just fine and even had feelings I could genuinely relate to (for example, "CATCH THE DAMN BALL RAY SMALL!!!"), howeva, my friend was sitting a few rows behind the wheelchair accessible area. There was a tOSU in the row in front the wheelchair accessible row standing on top of the bench blocking the view of a Michigan fan in a wheelchair. The M fan tapped on the shoulder and asked the tOSU fan to please stand on the concrete like everyone else. The fan stepped down, turned to his friend and said something, stood back up on the bench, turned around, leaned over the railing into the face of the M fan, and screamed, "O-H." He stood on the bench for the remainder of the game.
November 21st, 2009 at 11:07 PM ^
that seems like an appropriate time to get an usher.
November 21st, 2009 at 11:35 PM ^
Yeah I thought so too. Not sure what happened that that couldn't get sorted out.
November 23rd, 2009 at 1:32 AM ^
a set of brass knuckles and a tire iron. Nothing makes me happier in life than watching a guy in a wheelchair have his way with a douchenozzle.
November 21st, 2009 at 11:11 PM ^
Had too many by me. I couldn't believe how much red was in the stadium. Talk about UM fans giving up an selling their tickets. I was just annoyed when the whole stadium started doing O-H-I-O. That really torked me. But everyone around just cheered normally, which was nice for a change.
November 22nd, 2009 at 12:30 AM ^
I was really surprised and disappointed seeing how much red there was when the TV cameras cut to the aerial view.
C'mon, people, it's The Game. I don't care how bad our season has been, you don't sell your ticket.
November 22nd, 2009 at 1:03 AM ^
both the team and their fans have a swagger that is not going to go away until they lose a game or two or three.
a small part of me is jealous of that.
November 22nd, 2009 at 1:46 AM ^
But Friday night was pretty fun. We had two encounters.
One was a group of guys in their mid-20s walking around with OSU jerseys. No one was heckling them and I heard one of them say, "Don't any of you people have any balls?!"
Next time was a guy who looked about 30-ish, with his parents who were in their 60's or so. He looked us up and down as we walked by and sarcastically said, "Uh, you guys look pretty tough."
I lol'd.
It's funny. It's like they think the treatment they give opposing fans in their city is normal or even socially acceptable in the rest of the country. Sorry, guys, that shit doesn't fly except in Sao Paolo or Mogadishu, two cities about on par with Columbus in terms of quality of life and citizenry.
November 23rd, 2009 at 1:02 AM ^
Wasn't at the game Saturday but we went to dinner at Bagger Dave's Friday night and sat near a table of six Buckeyes. Several of them were in full OSU gear--the hats, the jerseys, the whole bit. They were pretty geared up and having a good time--the loudest table in the room but not obnoxiously so. Mostly people ignored them. They did get really loud at one point, so much so that conversations stopped at most other tables for a second. The manager waited a little bit and then sauntered over and said something chummy and non-confrontational and I think they chilled out a bit. I wondered if U-M fans would get the same treatment in Columbus. I doubt it.
November 22nd, 2009 at 2:05 AM ^
I would have asked them what it was like to cheer for OSU when they had their little 2-10-1 streak against Michigan.
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:56 AM ^
at the two Michigan fans behind me criticizing ever play. Say stupid stuff like RR "does not know how to run a spread" and how they should throw the ball deep more to "open the offense".
November 22nd, 2009 at 11:07 AM ^
The Michigan fans behind me were far worse than the Buckeyes behind me. One guy repeatedly yelling "break his leg" everytime we tackled Saine or Herron, and bemoaning every damn failed play as stupid, yet when the same play call worked later it was a good call.
You can't fix stupid, but on the whole I saw worse out of our fanbase than what I saw from Buckeyes. It was a sad day.
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:47 PM ^
I was walking through the parking lot and some OSU girl came running up and jumped at me from behind. She basically bounced off of me and when I turned around she apologized and said she just wanted to show me how OSU tackles. I took it in stride because 1. it was a 20 something girl, and 2. she was wearing spandex tights with short shorts and wasn't the ugliest girl I have seen. Otherwise my experience with OSU fans wasn't too bad, I was expecting a lot of annoying fans after the game, but to my surprise I didn't hear anything on my way back to my car.
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:08 AM ^
were way worse in the 90's when we owned them. you still have your idiots that have to run their mouths the entire game. but since they own us right now there is no need for them to go over board since a win is expected by them.