OT: To Sum up my Weekend: When a Wolverine Converts to the Dark Side.
I've personally never encountered a friend or family member who switched from Michigan to tOSU as a fan so I had no idea what the feeling would be like should it happen. This weekend I sadly experienced it. My friend Patrick has been a close buddy through high school and I've know him for 6 years now. He's been a die hard Wolverine since I first met him with a block M on his hockey helmet and a Michigan jersey during game day on Saturdays when we would watch the game. He's been away in USAF basic training and just returned not too long ago.He's leaving to base soon. It was great to finally talk to him again and hang out like we use to. I called him this weekend and since he has Verizon he's got a ringback tone but this one was different and what I heard through my speakers made me drop my phone and not pick it up for a good 5 minutes I was so shocked.
A song came over the speakers that I never would expect him to have or listen to. Some hip hop song with the words "buckeye nation" "ohio state buckeyes" and "oh-io" escaped into my ears. I couldnt call him back because I was so stunned and pissed off at once. The only words that left my mouth was WHAT THE FUCK?. I sent him a text saying "what the fuck is with that ringback?" he like always was cool and texted back "I'm no longer in Ohio bro I gotta represent." Represent? Represent a hated rival as YOUR college when it never was? I was in shock and I'm still in shock. What would make a person do this? I know it seems silly that this is an issue but when you know a person for 6 years and cheer GO BLUE with them then they decide to be scarlet and grey the next day?
I felt betrayed. Seriously I gave him one of my old Michigan jerseys. Should I ask for it back because I'm seriously considering it. I can understand wanting to represent Ohio but representing your once hated rival as Ohio?! He couldn't of picked the Browns, Bengals or hell even Bobcats for God sake. I'm pissed. I'm sorry but I'm really pissed. Has this ever happened to anyone else?
I live in TN and have pretty much my whole life but when I was 5 I got my first Michigan jersey from my cousins who live in Columbus and WERE Michigan fans for years. So 6 of my cousins were Michigan fans and the rest of my HUGE family that reside is sculombus are Suckeyes. So many years pass and ironically once my cousin who went to the army came back he was an ohio fan, the same one that gave me the jersey. Then about a year later I talk to another one of my cousins whom I try to talk Michigan with and he informs me he is now a suckeye since they had been beating us year after year. So good riddance with them and the hell with the whole state. 2 of my cousins remain loyal. BTW the jersey was Amani Toomer #18. Go Blue!! Buck the Fuckeyes.
There are two plans of attack:
#1: the Legend
Step #1: organize a friendly game of pick-up football.
2: Arrange it so that you are on opposite sides.
3: wait untill he is with the ball on offense-- preferably when he takes Q.
4: As he is exposed on the open field, sprint towards him fill bore.
5: Make a clean tackle without unnessecary aggression.
6: As you help him off the ground, inform him that not only have you made sweet love in Michigan sheets to every important woman in his life, but that the gatorade that he was drinking was poisioned. As his mortality becomes apparent, whisper "Go Blue Mother Fu@ker" into his ear.
7: STREET CRED 4EVER EVEN IN THE STATE PEN WHILE YOU DO 30 TO LIFE.
Plan #2: make a yearly bet with him: if Michigan wins the game, he has to watch the following year with his family wearing the jersey. Offer to let him buy one for you.
In other words, your choice is this: "Do I want to be a legend or another lame-ass jerkoff fan in this rivalry?" All I have to say is this: the Boren sons have all failed this test. Be sure you are not counted among their ilk.
but when I was eighteen, within six months I dated a girl who went to Ohio and made a best friend/fraternity brother who is an unrepentant Ohio slappy.
Guess I associate with the wrong crowd or something.
but there are time when running into a State fan or an OSU fan in the middle of Knoxville is a great relief, if for no other reason than, well, "I hat SEC fans." I will say that there are way more Michigan fans than I thought there would be-- I think its a relic from a time when people would go work in Detroit when they couldn't find work here. What a different time that was.
At least we understand Ohio and MSU fans. My roommate is a Tennessee alum and I still haven't heard a quality explanation of the "SEC, SEC, SEC" chant that they love so much.
Explanation? One word: coattails.
I hate SEC fans so much is that they only hate each other one day a year (except Auburn- Bama). It is probably the very worst in Nashville, where all 17 Vandy fans HAVE to root for the SEC because, well, they are Vandy. But its true of all of them. The logic is something like, " Our confence is so tough, that we can only expect to be good every once in a while... so that means we have a great excuse to be average half the time. Also, even when we loose head to head games with Big Ten teams-- or even have wins that are way closer than they should be, we will claim that 6 wins for an SEC team is equal to a CHAMPIONSHIP IN EVERY OTHER CONFERENCE." It is so frustrating. I wll say that this is generational: My father in law is a Tennessee fan, and he really does hate LSU, Florida, and Alabama with a white hot passion (in that order). In fact, if UT only had three wins and those were the wins, it would be almost as good as a national championship to him.
You shouldve gone with jerk store.
It called, and they're all out of the OP's former friend.
PGB? Or is this just your new sleep cycle with the mini-PGB?
I'm going to Notre Dame next year but I'll try to be a Michigan fan as long as I can and I'll always respect the intelligence of the fanbase. During the Bama game I'll proudly wear my Michigan gear and not care about what anybody thinks.
Whatever gets said about ND, their undergrad admissions process is a big deal to get through, congrats on it.
Either way, not caring what anybody thinks is important.
Without knowing the guy at all I ould guess that he is a trashy poiece of shit.
Being from Ohio, my entire family are Buckeye fans. My sister was a Michigan fan back in high school but has since swapped to the buckeye fandom.
Is he dating some super hot Ohio fan? Or does he have a man crush on Urban Meyer? I don't know but, get the jersey back and send it me. I'll take good care it
...which was just outside of Ann Arbor anyway, school loyalties ran through families, and it always seemed like the students with Michigan ties went to Michigan and the students with MSU ties went there. However, I did have a few friends who were suddenly Spartan fans when they were accepted at State after having been, at least ostensibly, Michigan fans. Once the acceptance letters came, the Michigan gear disappeared quickly, but in all honesty, such people were in the minority - going to a school and being a fan of the teams of that school don't necessarily correlate.
Of course, Washtenaw County - being the "home county" - is obviously a huge blue lean, so you never know sometimes if someone is just conforming or if they are, in fact, true Blue. Others that I know simply find it appropriate to cheer for the school that you attended (or as well, in many cases - I know plenty of people who went elsewhere but are die-hard Wolverine fans too), which is how I found out years ago that Oberlin actually had a football team and that they were called "the Yeomen".
Anyway, being that the person the OP references is a longtime friend, I guess I would find it very strange that, once out of Ohio, they would choose that moment to "switch", if you will. I suppose you could take the high road, shake their hand with a smile that barely conceals historic contempt for Columbus, and wish them luck in their season except for a certain game in November. As for the jersey, unless it is an item of some value, I don't know if I would want it back - it's been touched by Ohio hands apparently, and I am unsure what the proper laundering / exorcism instructions are in this case.
At the end of the day, I would hope that they were still a friend, just a "misguided" one where you simply "agree to disagree" on the matter of Michigan and Ohio. In the grand scheme, I wouldn't spend too much time stirring about this - the tide is changing and jersey sales in Ohio are expected to be 2012-Q2 estimates by miles.
I feel disgusted that I share the same name as him.
First, I'd get him Denarded, line him up against a wall, and let Hoke double-point him into submission. If this won't work, nothing will. Sorry, no other hope is available for your once-trusted buddy; and I do not recommend a second opinion. Best wishes to you sir.
My little brother did his graduate work at OSU. Turned into a buckeye. It sucks, but what are you going to do? Michigan treated him poorly in the interviews (his words) and OSU gave him a lot more money to attend. Easy decision for him. Disappointing one for me but its his life.
Lemme channel Bucknuts.com for a minute to say that OSU's grad programs would be nothing without Michigan kids hur hur hur.
Seriously, though - that is too bad Michigan dropped the ball on this one. Hope your brother was able to look past the neanderthals in Columbus to enjoy its enjoyable parts.
little more than just some bromance goin on here... all i know is that im creeped out. thanks
Let it go, one day he will need to atone for his discretion. And your family will need to take care of some old family business.
Don Vito
I'd say you're overreacting. No matter how much we all love Michigan sports, we have to realize it's just sports. He switched from Michigan to OSU, big deal? I could never fathom doing that, same with most here. But then again not all fans are as die hard as the people on this blog.
Basically, in the grand scheme of things, it means nothing. Are you really going get this pissy and end a friendship over who likes what sport team?
A Columbus native who LOVED Jerry Rice, Charles Woodson, and Anthony Thomas (to name a few), but HATED John Cooper, Stanley Jackson, and the Buckeyes in general?
One of my grandfathers wrestled for OSU and claims to bleed Scarlet and Gray. My other graduated from Notre Dame, turning my Mom into an Irish fan.
I loved the winged helmet, I loved the players and tradition, and I kinda liked being the underdog. I always was very serious about my academics as well and I knew UM's rep was outstanding.
I catch so much heat for this constantly man, believe it. I haven't straight up LOST friendships under these circumstances, but people are just like "why do you like Michigan?". Funny thing is, I can list off more reasons why I support the university as a whole more often than they can support their reasons for whipping a "Bucknuts" towel at me.
Get the jersey back. If he's steadfast with his departure, I think he will dissapointed in the upcoming years.