OT: In need of an explanation of Spartan fans
I consider myself well versed in the ways of college football fans. I spend far more time than I should looking at fan boards and blogs, reading about recruiting. I have never, in my life, come acrosss more interesting fans than Spartan fans. This is quite a statement, because Auburn fans have more disillusioned ideas than the movie Inception. That being said, I wandered on over to the MSU Red Cedar Message Board, to see how they were reacting to Michigan's recruiting success today. (I also did the same thing with Bucknuts, but listing Buckeye failures is just stating the obvious.)
While there, I got the usual disgruntled fan statements of "We didn't really want any of them", "We'll still kick their ass" and my long favored "Those kids couldn't play here anyway". As I understand it, they own 4 straight victories over your boys. But lets be honest, no one really gives a damn nationally. After googling the overall series record between the schools, I got the sort of slanted results I was looking for. You would think the realization of how poor their overall record is against Michigan would temper their enthusiasm, but no, those guys are shit house rat crazy. I've never seen anything like it. They might not have the irrational behavior of the more annoying SEC fans, but dear God it's like the last 100 years of college football never happened to them. What the fuck is this, "Our Town"?
Honestly, I can't even explain the "ok, what now?" expression most Alabama fans had for our bowl game matchup with MSU last year. So someone, I don't care who, please explain the Spartan mindset to me. I'm dead serious, I can't wrap my head around it.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:04 PM ^
Exactly
February 18th, 2012 at 7:04 PM ^
Massive and pervasive inferiority complex
February 18th, 2012 at 7:07 PM ^
I mean...I think you described them pretty well. There is no understanding, we just try to tolerate them. It comical with John L and Bobby Smith. Dantonio is irritating.
It's been easier living in DC, but living in Michigan can be irritating like I'm sure it is with your rivals in Alabama. People in Toledo and NW Ohio get a lot more of the M-OSU than M-MSU daily interaction, though.
February 18th, 2012 at 8:18 PM ^
I moved to DC post-graduation, and it's almost comical how minor the M-MSU rivalry becomes. Aside from Facebook statuses, I found the ND game meant much more. Case in point: Went for a run after the ND game wearing a Mich shirt, got numerous comments about the game. Went for a run after the MSU loss, all I heard were "Go Blue!"s.
Sparty is a very "family-esque" rivalry, where outside of Michigan, you don't really care. Social media is the only reason it has escalated (and the whole Dantonio being a piece of shit issue).
But hey, little brother's complaints are always enjoyable (Kirk Cousins, numerous commenters on here, etc).
February 18th, 2012 at 11:19 PM ^
about the status updates. Sparty flocks to facebook after every minor accomplishment
February 18th, 2012 at 7:05 PM ^
Inferiority complex.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:07 PM ^
^ Pretty much what he said...
February 18th, 2012 at 7:34 PM ^
"This is what happens when you drop your vandalism major."
February 19th, 2012 at 12:39 AM ^
Of course, since they don't have fans who aren't also alums, we know what that means.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:06 PM ^
nailed the spartan faithful right on the head. In their eyes I am Walmart Wolverine thats just how they roll.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:06 PM ^
I don't think you want to try to understand the mind of Sparty. It's clouded with resentment and insecurity. Everything they do is in relation to their sense of how it looks against michigan.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:14 PM ^
RCMB is as representative of MSU as M-live is representative of M (IMHE).
For a better sample, visit The Only Colors (the MGoBlog of MSU).
EDIT: some guy there once wrote a fairly honest treatment touching on this issue. A respected senior member here contributed to the discussion.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:06 PM ^
I love you
February 18th, 2012 at 7:08 PM ^
February 18th, 2012 at 7:18 PM ^
Ohio State is our real rival, so it's not like we're just saying that to make them mad.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:51 PM ^
michigan doesn't offer animal husbandry, so i went to state...
February 19th, 2012 at 2:48 AM ^
Do you really mean to say 49% of the MSU undergrad population knew they wouldn't get into Michigan and didn't bother applying?
90% is a more realistic number.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:09 PM ^
Anyone who claims that they can explain it is lying. Bat shit crazy prety much sums it up. And you figured that out on your first trip, which is nice because now you never have to go back. ANd oddly you will never ever miss anything that has any relevance to college football because of it.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:11 PM ^
1) They weren't admitted to Michigan
2) See #1
3) The University of Michigan has a larger state and national footprint than Michigan State University. This really bothers them. So much that anyone who supports Michigan who didn't attend the university gets called a "Walmart Wolerine."
It really is that simple.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:19 PM ^
"Walmart Wolverine" is alliteration that Spartan fans use as a derogatory term. You could be the most knowledgeable and passionate M fan that they know, but if you didn't attend the University of Michigan, you are a Walmart Wolverine. It really is a terrible attempt to demean those who didn't go to M. I went to the MSU-ND game two years ago, and I got a "Walmart" chant rather than an "Ass hole" chant for wearing my student t-shirt. I even had some people come up to me and asked if I even went to UM. What a dumb fucking question. I went to UM, but is it the deciding factor whether one is declared a fan or not? Simply put, no.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:55 PM ^
My standard response to the "Did you even go to Michigan?" question has always been "No, and I've never lived in Detroit either, yet I'm still a huge Wings fan."
February 18th, 2012 at 8:02 PM ^
There are some serious holes in this response.
A better one is "I don't give a shit what you think, I am free to root for whomever I please - what business is it of yours?." I'd have your back if you said this after one of my more assholish MSU comrades said something to you.
I'd have your back regardless, but the suggestion above would be easier to support.
February 18th, 2012 at 8:46 PM ^
I know it's a flawed analogy. Hundreds of thousands of people strive to attend either school, whereas no one willingly lives in Detroit.
However, I say it making the broader point that people are fans of sports teams for regional or geographic reasons. They don't need some sort of separate association to justify their fandom past that.
February 18th, 2012 at 8:44 PM ^
Better response is "Did you?"
February 18th, 2012 at 8:17 PM ^
was a phrase Michigan grads invented. A couple of Michigan alum I went to law school used the term to describe an EMU grad who rooted for Michigan and was a complete asshole about the whole rivalry.
February 18th, 2012 at 8:38 PM ^
This is an authentic post.
February 24th, 2012 at 1:31 AM ^
So what do they consider Spartan fans that didn't go to State? I'm sure there are quite a few of those.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:14 PM ^
I'm starting to like you...
February 18th, 2012 at 7:18 PM ^
February 18th, 2012 at 7:19 PM ^
blogs. Problem is we aren't going away and are just getting better in every sport. Sorry sparties.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:23 PM ^
Let me try.
First off, the RCMB is a shithole, populated with some of the biggest assholes on the planet. Examples abound over the years, particularly after Bo Schembechler died. Ohio State fans generally "get it" when it comes to Bo. MSU fans only see him as their tormenter and the guy who fired Ernie Harwell, which he did not.
Second, "inferiority complex" sums it up nicely. It's pervasive throughout their history. There is an obsession with Michigan that is deep-seated in the fabric of the school. It's in their fight song. Why, you might ask, are they named the Spartans? Because in the 1800s, Ann Arbor was nicknamed "the Athens of the West." And who beat the Athenians in the wars? Yeah.
To be a Sparty is to be OK with losing as long as Michigan does too. The saddest thing is fans who would rather their rival lose than their own team win. Literally, if a situation arose where MSU would go to the Rose Bowl if, say, Michigan beat Ohio, you could not get half their fans to say they were rooting for Michigan. They'd still root for us to lose. It's rooted in years of losing while Michigan dominated. Decades' worth. I know of only one other fanbase in the country like that, and it's not a college football one.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:27 PM ^
I think I'm starting to get it.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:47 PM ^
Take a look at this diary:
http://mgoblog.com/diaries/nebraska-fans-who-youll-hate-big-10-and-why-0
Amusing, and actually pretty accurate, even about Michigan. Dead on about MSU
February 18th, 2012 at 7:53 PM ^
Literally, if a situation arose where MSU would go to the Rose Bowl if, say, Michigan beat Ohio, you could not get half their fans to say they were rooting for Michigan. They'd still root for us to lose.
If? This has happened (Scroll down to the very bottom of that post)
February 18th, 2012 at 8:50 PM ^
Well, there we are then. And from no less a source than their very god himself.
February 18th, 2012 at 8:51 PM ^
"I know of only one other fanbase in the country like that, and it's not a college football one."
Which fanbase do you think is comparable? Living in Raleigh, I can promise you that NC State is similar. UNC plays the role of Michigan. Duke plays the role of Ohio State. NC State plays the role of outcast. Basketball is substituted for football.
The biggest difference between NCSU and MSU is that Sparty is actually GOOD at something. I'm not sure why they're so angry all of the time when they've had the better basketball program over the past 15+ years. The complex is so deep rooted that it won't go away.
I can't wait until Michigan gets the upper hand in football again.......and it's coming like a train down the tracks.
February 18th, 2012 at 11:28 PM ^
I meant that in the context of the idea of rooting for another team to lose harder than for their own team to win, and so the "winner" is: Red Sox fans.
February 18th, 2012 at 11:30 PM ^
I meant that in the context of the idea of rooting for another team to lose harder than for their own team to win, and so the "winner" is: Red Sox fans.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:25 PM ^
I just looked it up, Dantonio is from the Tressel tree! It all makes sense now! Hahaha. Why did no one tell me this??
February 18th, 2012 at 7:34 PM ^
Yep, also why he is pissed at urban meyer for taking his recruit. Dantonio and Tressel has a respect thing for one another. All of that was gone when tressel was outtie.
February 18th, 2012 at 8:20 PM ^
about PIttman is that it seems doubtful he would have given a verbal to MSU if Tressel hadn't screwed the pooch in the first place.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:45 PM ^
when you figured it out.
February 19th, 2012 at 11:10 AM ^
You will soon learn to hate Dantonio with a passion. He is one of the worst type of people out there, i truly mean that.
Izzo, is the complete opposite. He gets pissed about calls here and there, but overall i think Izzo is a great person. I think he is a great coach and from what i have read about him he gets the rivalry, unlike fucking Dantonio. I hate that asshole.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:28 PM ^
I think a lot of them grew up in Michigan and chose their fanbase as kids. As they grew up, they realized that Michigan is superior in many ways. Being overlooked from an athletic and academic standpoint, they grow to hate us and develop one hell of an inferiority complex (complete with delusions of grandeur). Histoically, their number one goal has always been beating Michigan. The school's original fight song was centered not on winning, but beating Michigan. They also don't enjoy the fact that many Michigan fans consider MSU as their 3rd biggest rivalry behind OSU and ND, though they may be closer to 2nd now with the conference setup.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:44 PM ^
"They also don't enjoy the fact that many Michigan fans consider MSU as their 3rd biggest rivalry behind OSU and ND, though they may be closer to 2nd now with the conference setup."
I think that MSU is moving closer to our second biggest rivalry more because Notre Dame has been down recently and a win doesn't mean as much as it used to, more than the conference set up.
Let me put it to you this way: What would happen if three teams went undefeated. One from the SEC, one from the Big Ten (Let's say Michigan), and one from the Big 12 (Let's say Texas). The SEC team would be in the NC game because obviously.
When people debate about Michigan or Texas, no one would point to Michigan's victory over Notre Dame as a "big win." Beating Notre Dame is not the same as it was in the 90s when Notre Dame would later beat a good USC team, go to a decent bowl game, and turn out pros.
However, I still think MSU will move securely back to our third biggest rivarly once we get back to beating them regularly, and expecting to beat them regularly.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:27 PM ^
This guy is good.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:28 PM ^
You know what, RDT? I didn't really like you very much. Even with the rest of the MGo world fawning over every one of your posts and the thread you made a few days back introducing yourself. I appreciated you weren't trolling, but you were still nothing more than outsider from the next school my team was going to play.
However, after starting this thread, I like you. You're alright in my book.
That being said, I'm no psychatrist, but MSU fans suffer from a severe inferiority complex. It's one that we have helped turn into a monster by, as a whole fanbase, refusing to acknowledge little brother's accomplishments even when they're deserved. In their mind now, every positive thing they do is magnified ten fold, while the negatives don't register to them at all. While some of them are fine people outside of conversing about sports, I can confirm firsthand, they seem to have delusions of gradeur when speaking of their football program. It's our fault as Wolverines they are what they are, yet we refuse to yield because of the outrageous levels they've gone to get our attention. A vicious cycle that will never end.
February 18th, 2012 at 7:29 PM ^
February 18th, 2012 at 7:30 PM ^
if someone that is a fan of Michigan athletics (no you can't root for one college football team and then root for another college basketball team) that did not attend U of M but does work in some capacity at U of M or Motts Childrens Hospital, are they still considered a walmart wolverine?
if someone attended U of M Dearborn or U of M Flint but NOT U of M Ann Arbor, does that mean that person is a walmart wolverine?
as far as sparty fans go, well let's just say that most of them have a really fucked up view of athletics in general. this is proven when an MSUCKS fan(s) is happier to see a Michigan loss versus a Sparty win. Now that sentiment is not as strong as it used to be, when it comes to football, cause they are actually putting a good team on the field. when a program that has been beaten like a red-headed-step-child for decades, the fans of such a program will repress the history of failure and concentrate on the recent success. same goes for tree nut fans. there are only a handfull of college football teams that have a winning percentage againt the Maize and Blue. those fans should really be focusing on their teams that do well. you can see how they lash out when Sparty fans use the term "M go Blow," or when tree nuts use scUM. it is comical. the newest way to lash out is to classify a group of Michigan fans that did not attend school there, as walmart wolverines. these fans of our rivals are just lashing out because success is what brings in fans that have never attended a class on campus. techincally i am considered a walmart wolverine, but who gives a shit whether you actually attended classes at a college or university who you root for in athletics. not sure if any of this makes sense, cause you cannot prove a negative.