JHendo

June 1st, 2012 at 9:23 AM ^

Fair enough to be able to comment on this side of the story.  However,  I assumed there was a very good reason BiSB locked the previous thread after everyone was made aware of the man's admission of the mistake and subsequent donation.  The guy messed up and realized it, and now he's generously trying to right his wrong.  Nothing more to discuss.  This thread can really only go downhill from here.

jmdblue

June 1st, 2012 at 8:37 AM ^

made a good decision in trying to put an end to it.  That said, I don't suppose it matters so much why he did the right thing.  It's more important that he did it.  Moving along.

Tater

June 1st, 2012 at 9:37 AM ^

I think $2,000 is cheap compared to the lawsuit that would have happened if someone "took him out for good."  Also, there was at least a misdemeanor there, and possibly a felony or civil rights violations.

This was a great move all the way around.  Congrats to the bounty guy for not being as stupid as he originally appeared.

Mr. Yost

June 1st, 2012 at 8:41 AM ^

He went to my high school...he's actually a good guy, just trying to be funny. Typical Buckeye over the line type stuff. Pretty standard if you lived in Columbus. Maybe this will make ESPN too and the stupid backlash of LTT's letter burning will be matched by this silly summer remark.

 

Oh and of course I had to link the first MGoBlog thread and tag him to it on Facebook so everyone could see. As a Michigan fan, I love bringing light to how over the top the fans at Ohio can be.

mgowill

June 1st, 2012 at 8:55 AM ^

Yeah...I'm so thankful that Michigan has never had anyone embarrass themselves on a national stage -

 

There are face palm fans in every fan base. It gets old sometimes seeing the repeated "this is typical of ________ fans." No it isn't. When these moments of face palm happen, it does not automatically tie every single fan to that one idiot. I certainly don't want to be associated with the double bird guy above, and I don't think most that read this blog would either.

Mr. Yost

June 1st, 2012 at 9:11 AM ^

The point is that some fanbases DO follow their stereotypes and you're much more likely to get "facepalm fans." That's how you GET the stereotype...it's a generalization. Michigan for the longest had the perception of being a quiet, wine and cheese, no noise, get off my lawn type of crowd. That doesn't mean there wasn't some guy going nuts at every game even before we had the stadium rennovations (which help keep noise in) and started blasting White Stripes and rocking out with highlighter pom-poms.

I NEVER said that every Ohio fan was one way...just like every Michigan fan isn't one way.

But there is a reason people talk about the behavior of fans in the SEC. Or the fans of Ohio, Penn St. and Wisconsin.

It's because these "facepalm fans" and moments are much more prevalent.

There is nothing wrong with that...it's like me saying you're more likely to hear loud music in a rough neighborhood. Does every neighborhood have loud music? No. Do nice, rich, well-off off neighborhoods have loud music? Certainly. But the point is that there is a reason for the assumption or stereotype.

People generalize all the time..."Arizona St. and Florida St. are full of hot girls." Just because Michigan has some BEAUTIFUL ladies, doesn't make that first statement wrong.

MANY Ohio fans will tell you that their fanbase is "worse" or "rougher" or "more facepalmy" than Michigan. Hell, the local COLUMBUS news even did a 2-year report where they dressed up as a Michigan fan to The Game in Ohio and dressed up as Ohio fans to The Game in Ann Arbor and concluded that it was way worse in Columbus when there were dressed in maize and blue.

No one, especially me was saying anything other than...this type of comment does not surprise me given the fanbase it comes from. If it was a Northwestern fan, it would surprise me...speaking generally, this isn't typical of a Northwestern fan.

MGoRyan

June 1st, 2012 at 9:45 AM ^

Do you have a link or an idea where to find that news story out of Columbus? I'd love to see it. 

I went to college at a school in ohio, not named Ohio.  Most of my buddies are Ohio fans, while my family and I are all UM fans (we are not from ohio).  I've been to both stadiums for The Game on multiple occasions.  I've had full beer bottles thrown at my head, and been pushed and spit on while in Columbus.  They, however, received a few snarky comments and boos.  You do the math.

It was so much more unsettling for me in Michigan apparel in Columbus then it was when they wore their matching Ohio jerseys in Ann Arbor. 

Ohio fans will totally disagree with this, but that's how they go about their loyalty, with permanently afixed blinders on.

Mr. Yost

June 1st, 2012 at 9:51 AM ^

Many Ohio fans WON'T disagree. They know and some even like that their behavior is the way it is (as a whole).

Full beer bottles is messed up on SO many levels. I had frozen batteries thrown at me...but you can't enjoy a nice cold battery on a cloudy November afternoon.

RationalBuckeye

June 1st, 2012 at 11:17 AM ^

I had a man in his 80s try to spit on me when OSU scored at the Big House 3 years ago, and other such disgusting acts of fanbase passion. The deviation stadium to stadium is small for the most part, and though some Ohio State fans are certainly blatant and disrespectful, I can guarantee you that if you wore a UM shirt through some tailgating areas on campus, they would invite you to their grill, and treat you with a brotherhood and hospitality over simply the strength of the rivalry. 

One stadium you should check out: Camp Randall. Wisky fans are the WORST. It's not individual acts of classless fan disrespect like it is at PSU, OSU, UM, etc. It's organized hate. They chant racial and gay slurs, throw things at the opposing bench & fans, and fight in the stairwells if the game doesn't end in their favor.

WindyCityBlue

June 1st, 2012 at 12:00 PM ^

....OSU fans are the worst.  And that is about as rational as you can get. 

And if you read Yost's post, its not about the pockets of class you can find in Columbus, but the general perception, and perception becomes reality.  Sure, I can find a nice suburb of Bahgdad, but you know the rest.

Everytime I go to Columbus, I feel like Luke Skywalker walking into Mos Eisley - a wretched hive of scum and villainy.

M-Wolverine

June 1st, 2012 at 12:15 PM ^

I've been to over half the Big Ten Stadiums, ND, and at locales with various bowl opponents.  It's not even close. There are jerk fans in every fanbase. There are some where there's even more than a few. Nothing is as bad as Columbus. It's physically hostile there.  Now OSU fans that come up here are probably a little different, because fans that travel with the team are either closer to the team, or more die hard and respectful. But down in the Columbus it's the majority that makes it look bad for the minority. And it's not just rivals. Texas fans still talk about how awful the trip up there was.

You'd be better off working to get people to change how they act, rather than pointing at Badger fans. Because the Cornhuskers are coming to town this year, and there's another fanbase that'll leave digusted by Buckeye fans if things don't change quick.

M-jed

June 1st, 2012 at 1:18 PM ^

We all have our stories, but I'd describe Camp Randall as pretty bad. I live in Madison now and go to many different UM - UW games but have only been to Columbus once. I would describe the difference as the undergrad students in Madison are awful and where the worst behavior comes from while the fans in Columbus are crap. My time in Columbus was pretty fun actually and we were on campus pre-game. I was worried off campus, though.  In Madison I get students in my face looking to fight and stuff thrown at me. I also go to big UW - other team games and have seen OSU fans get treated like crap.

I do agree that OSU fans that come to Ann Arbor dont have to deal with as much, which makes it easier for them to come up in numbers, which frustrates me but I refuse to stoop.

 

RationalBuckeye

June 1st, 2012 at 1:42 PM ^

RE: Wisconsin- You know you're school has a serious problem with fans, namely students, when the administration has to send multiple emails to the student body saying that if they don't settle down, their tickets will be revoked. 

In that regard, there's a difference between UW and OSU. Our student sections are fairly mellow, and aren't none to be aggresive and classless. I don't have much experience outside in the General Seating areas, but I can say that the student body at football games is nothing like that at Camp Randall.

M-Wolverine

June 1st, 2012 at 2:18 PM ^

But it's not true. OSU's student section has pushed down women I've been with, throw things, and are pretty much the opposite of mellow. They are known to be aggressive and classless.

You must not have been around for when OSU President Karen Holbrook had to send out letters of apology to opposing fans after riots that nearly burned down a bridge in Columbus, and Michigan fans were assaulted.  She still thought so after she left-

 

"When you win a game, you riot. When you lose a game, you riot. When spring comes, you riot. African-American Heritage Festival weekend, you riot."

"They think it's fun to flip cars, to really have absolute drunken orgies. ... I don't want to be at a place that has this kind of culture as a norm,"

http://www.thelantern.com/2.1346/ex-president-expelled-1.77602

M-Wolverine

June 1st, 2012 at 2:03 PM ^

Just that Ohio fans pointing fingers at ANY other fanbase is laughable. I could list stories I've experienced. But since people don't come here to read my repeated stories, here's Brian's:

http://mgoblog.com/content/pride-buckeyes

As for OSU fans not having to deal with Michigan, I agree, it's not even close, but what I was saying was the fans from Ohio that travel to Michigan, or Michigan to Illinois, or Nebraska to MSU, or whatever, are, in general, a better class of fans than the ones that are at home and just there to party and see the game. It's often family members of the team, who have players, so they're not treating others like their kids are treated; or die hard fans who know their football, are coming for the football, and have some respect for the opponent and the game.  Now, there are students and hangers on who travel from each team too, but their percentages are smaller than in a home game crowd. Even after a loss, I can't say I've had much problem with Ohio State fans in Ann Arbor (maybe it's because they're outnumbered).  You can't swing a dead cat without hitting an asshole in Columbus.

 

RationalBuckeye

June 1st, 2012 at 3:24 PM ^

I don't know what else to tell you. Yes, our fans get out of control more frequently than other fanbases, but it does happen everywhere. That being said, discussing our out-of-line behavior at football games won't change anything, sadly. Personally, I've never done anything aggressive or inflammatory at an OSU football game, I just like to watch the sport. Telling me how horrible our cheering section is changing nothing, I'm not one of the ones who needs it driven in, and I can't do anything about it. 

I have no pride in the classless actions of any fanbases, but endlessly talking about it online is about as productive as total denial.

TheLastHarbaugh

June 1st, 2012 at 8:04 PM ^

The thing is, I'm a Michigan alum, and I have friends who are OSU alums, MSU alums, Ohio alums, Wisconsin alums, etc...

Every single one of them that has gone to an OSU game as a visiting opponent, has a story about something awful happening to them. In the case of my OSU friends, they have seen more fellow OSU fans do fucked up things to opposing fans than the rest of us combined, and have the stories to back it up.

This is not true of other places. Ann Arbor is just a fairly mellow place.

I've been in the student section for basketball games where a State fan would be standing right smack dab in the middle of the Maize Rage, in full on State garb for the MSU game, and guess what happened to him? Nothing.

Maybe I'm just naive, but in my time as a student at Michigan, living for a couple years right on the main pathway students/people take to the game, I've experienced more fucked in shit from MSU and OSU fans combined, than Michigan fans. That's in Ann Arbor. 

I saw the gaggle of State fans blocking traffic on S.Division who spray painted shit on cars and vandalized houses.

I've seen OSU fans act in a similar manner after each loss in Ann Arbor. Seen them actively trying to start fights, throw things, and antagonize people who just want to get the hell away from them.

The worst thing I heard about while I was a student was a group of Michigan fans beating up a couple of State fans after the game. Now, that's pretty bad, but in 4+ years of living in Ann Arbor, the worst things I've ever personally seen were people shouting an occasional  "Fuck you! You suck!" at opposing fans.

That, and this long haired hippie looking fellow hit an old man with a water bottle.

EDIT: Also, as an OSU alum, I don't know if you receive one of these from your administration, but every year the UM-OSU game is in Columbus we get sent out a warning letter. It basically tells us to travel in groups, take a bus, and not wander off in Columbus, as if we're heading into the slums of a city under siege, and our very lives are in danger. We don't get one of those letters for any other game.

An OSU fan stating that, "Every fan base has assholes in it," is correct, but it's also a bit like a  Boston sports fan telling a Cleveland sports fan that, "Every fan base suffers."

RationalBuckeye

June 2nd, 2012 at 2:51 AM ^

Actually, I'm a current student, not an alumnus. But we get letters on home game years against UM warning us against out behavior. You'll notice I did admit that our fans are traditionally more unnacceptable in many scenarios than other fanbases, expecially Michigan, based greatly on the type of student that is drawn to the school. My point wasn't to rationalize OSU student/fan behavior, but to say that for now, there's nothing that can be done about it singularly. All of us discussing it isn't fixing it, and telling me that it's a problem isn't gonna fix it. 

Again, I'm one of the most passionate OSU fans you'll ever come into contact with, and I always have been. But I was raised to be respectful, and the most I can do at this point is to apologize for my peers. However, I can be confident of one thing: This is a social landscape that will be changing for the better. As another poster mentioned, the administration is making greater efforts to reverse this trend, and it's making strides, albeit small ones, in the right direction. You'll see OSU academics continue to improve as they have over the past years, and the quality of the fanbase in attendance will show a similar improvement. Who knows, maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised. 

That's an offer to all of you that post here: Notify me if you plan on coming to the Shoe for this year's game. I'll personally meet with every one of you, escort you around the area if you so prefer, and do my best to show you the best that we have to offer here, and perhaps I can improve your experience, if only a little.

WindyCityBlue

June 1st, 2012 at 1:26 PM ^

I think the general gestalt of the OSU fanbase is not necessarily driven by the assclown portion, but rather the blind-eye, "nothing to see here" attitude worn by the saner more respectful fans and OSU administration.  Its up to these fans (and administration) to corral and influence the assclown fans to knock it off.   I know that's easier said than done, but there seems to very little acceptance by OSU faithful that they have a wretched fanbase. 

Nebraska is gonna hate it so much.

Urban Warfare

June 1st, 2012 at 4:28 PM ^

OSU has been making a concerted effort to eliminate that sort of behavior for several years.  Things have improved significantly, but they've still got a ways to go.  Among other things, they've started policing open container laws and public intoxication much more aggressively, and i think we'll see things continue to improve over the next few years.  

The biggest problem at OSU is with idiots who have only a tangential connection to the school, if that.  A lot of the real assholes don't care about football at all and view gamedays as an excuse to show up on campus, get drunk, and do stupid shit.

BeatOSU52

June 1st, 2012 at 11:44 AM ^

I agree with you about how many Ohio fans won't disagree about being known as the biggest (insert swear word to describe a mean fanbase) in the nation.  I've seen them many times brag about how proud they are of having a reputation of treating opposing fanbases with disrespect.  Just ask Texas fans about their experience to their trip up to the Horse Shoe in 2005.  Many Ohio fans seem to proud of it.  Quite sad.

Owl

June 1st, 2012 at 9:49 AM ^

I am an out of state student. When I first came to Michigan, I had very little knowledge of fan interactions between our rivals. I knew a lot about the programs themselves, but I had obviously never interacted with Michigan State fans before, for instance. To compensate for this, I spent a lot of time reading OSU, ND, and MSU blogs. Not to troll (I never commented on any of them), but to educate myself. The current stereotype for Michigan fans is dumb, uneducated, missing a bunch of teeth, probably beats his wife and children, lives Downriver, fat, ugly, never went to college/went to crappy school while at the same time criticizing MSU academics, may have a mullet and/or jean shorts. I would say that that is a very poor representation of the Michigan fan base. Your argument is that it’s a stereotype because that type of person is more prevalent in one fan base relative to others. And yet, I feel as if our own negative stereotype demonstrates very clearly that stereotypes can actually be fairly divorced from reality.

Mr. Yost

June 1st, 2012 at 9:55 AM ^

I spent the first half of my life growing up in Ann Arbor, Michigan and the second half in Columbus, Ohio.

That isn't a Michigan stereotype by anyone who isn't just being silly and trying to be over the top.

Just like you'll hear Michigan fans talk about Ohio fans being dumb, country, and having sex with their sisters...

That's not true and we all know it's not true. It's just rivalry ribbing.

There is a difference between that and truthful things that form the opinions of many.

Owl

June 1st, 2012 at 9:59 AM ^

So the stereotypes that you agree with are “truthful things” and the ones you don’t agree with are “not true?”

 

"Just like you'll hear Michigan fans talk about Ohio fans being dumb, country, and having sex with their sisters..." How is this much different from what you’re saying?

Mr. Yost

June 1st, 2012 at 10:08 AM ^

I'm saying, that no one in their right mind takes those comments seriously.

Do you really think Ohio fans come to Ann Arbor expecting to see a bunch of toothless people kissing their cousins and growing corn?

Come on. No. That's just fans being fans. No one actually believes that.

But do you think Ohio fans (generally speaking) think Michigan fans are a bunch of arrogant, pompous, assholes who think they're better than everyone? I think that is MUCH more likely.

Mr. Yost

June 1st, 2012 at 10:10 AM ^

And if you want my opinion on what Michigan's stereotype is...

  • Arrogant
  • Ugly girls
  • A bunch of fans who never went to the school at Michigan (yet act like they did)
  • A bunch of fans who only like the school because of the colors or helmets
  • A bunch of wannabe Ivy League or Stanford folks
  • Cry-babies
  • Quiet, not "true" fans, people who always think they’re too good to get down with the dirty stuff like "true fanbases"
  • Elitists who not only think they're better than everyone else, but BELIEVE they're better too
  • Historians who hold on to the past
  • Media darlings who always get the "good"...whether it be publicity or calls on the field

 

...and after living in Ann Arbor, I can tell you that it's not true...but I can see where those thoughts/comments/beliefs came from. Especially pre-App St. & Rich Rod. Naturally with the losing streak to Ohio and MSU, some of those arrogant/elitist traits had to simmer down. Also the frustration built and you started to get more knuckleheads that resembled SEC/Ohio Fans. When you're dominating like Michigan did in the Cooper Era, it was easy to hold your nose up and look down on the peons...when they started winning, things changed a bit...but overall, that's your stereotype of Michigan. Not a bunch of toothless people, lol, that's just Ohio fans having fun.

Lastly, I'm not sure blogs are the best place to learn about anything...especially stereotypes and social differences.

 

TheLastHarbaugh

June 1st, 2012 at 10:40 AM ^

We as a fan base have two distinct stereotypes, the wine and cheese crowd alums, and the "Walmart Wolverines."

The stereotype you've mentioned isn't the one for ALL Michigan fans, just what our rivals like to call the "Walmart Wolverines."

Walmart Wolverines (according to the stereotype) have no affiliation with the University of Michigan what-so-ever, other than being fans of the athletic program.

 

BeatOSU52

June 1st, 2012 at 12:09 PM ^

I think on a more national scale, we are stereotyped as the arrogant wine and cheese crowd, but from fans around here, mainly MSU fans, we are often stereotyped as the "Walmart Wolverine" crowd.  I find the "Walmart Wolverine" stuff to be quite interesting.  While I agree it is just plain stupid to critisize MSU's academics as MSU is a good school, I often find it hyprocritical and ignorant for MSU fans to automatically assume that a UM fan that didn't go to UM means he/she didn't go to college or went to a "not good" (if there is such thing) college.  There are many good colleges in the state of Michigan besides UM and MSU (just look at the MIAA D3 schools if you want to see examples), which these "Walmart Wolverine bashers" often seem to not comprehend or believe.

yzerman19

June 1st, 2012 at 10:24 AM ^

I live in SEC country and the fans here are gracious and polite everywhere, except Gainesville, which I consider the ohio of the SEC with angry unemployed baseball cap wearing knuckleheads as fans.  Tuscaloosa, Auburn, Athens, Columbia, even Knoxville, you name the SEC town not named Gainesville and it is an awesome place to go experience college football.

UMGooch

June 1st, 2012 at 11:29 AM ^

Lol, every person has their own opinion, perception, and experiences, so I cannot speak for yours.

However, I attend UF and live in Gainesville. Maybe its because the Gators have been down the last couple years, but I haven't noticed Gainesville being harsh to anyone but FSU (and Tennessee). Alabama came into town last year, and their fans were very classy, and I think we were cordial to them. Despite the beatdown, I couldn't get upset with them (that was also the day of UTL, so my priorities were elsewhere).

IMHO, I see UF as the "Michigan of the SEC". Academically, it's the second-strongest school in the SEC (debatable with Texas A&M, but they're a bunch of cultists and haven't taken their place in the SEC yet). Vanderbilt is like the Northwestern, small and private. Alabama is like the Ohio State, really good athletics but academics, while still respectable, lagging behind. Continue to compare ad nauseum.

Georgia fans are the worst. Fuck Georgia.

Blue In NC

June 1st, 2012 at 10:49 AM ^

+1.  I agree that every fan base have some crazies but that doesn't mean that all fan bases are the same as you rightfully point out.    Fortunately, in this instance the fan realized the error of his ways and made good.  His wallet may tempter his tweets in the future.

ND Sux

June 1st, 2012 at 10:20 AM ^

Dude was only pointing out that all schools have fans who behave inappropriately at times, which I'm sure we all agree on.  He wasn't comparing double bird man with the OSU bounty guy, just throwing out an example that idiots attend games everywhere.   

Blazefire

June 1st, 2012 at 8:42 AM ^

I'm glad he has appologized and tried to write his wrong. But it's not up to you or I to forgive. He didn't wrong us. It's up to LTT.

Baldbill

June 1st, 2012 at 8:48 AM ^

Glad to see that he could take a step (or two) back and see that what he had done was completely wrong. Nice to see an apology and a few greenbacks to show some sincerity.