Roll Call: Extreme Fandom Stories For The Game

I spent almost an entire mediation session arguing over (and eventually winning) our season tickets. The cost of that session ended up being greater than the cost of the tickets.

My t-shirt with Go Blue in Hindi, purchased on a sale from the MDen (I guess because no one wanted it?) is working well with both the ladies and the team. Plus it confirmed for my mother-in-law that I am probably a commie. Will keep wearing.

Cold symptoms came on on Monday likely from being around 100+ people at the epic tailgate we attended.  Totally worth it.

I wouldn’t call this extreme, since it’s what “we do” for every game we attend.  Nevertheless, drove from Chicago on Friday.  Woke up at 4:45 am on Saturday - was at the lot to set up the tailgate at 6:00 am.  And, spent the next 12 hours enjoying the festivities and game.

The post game celebration is even more fun than the pre-game.

Go Blue!

Surprising.. I was in Korea visiting family for the past 3 weeks (and just got back to the states just now).. I was streaming through a site while it would buffer here and there... Like her, I did the same in Korea... 2am to 5am KST looking at Mgoblog thread, CBS sports, that streaming site while the rest of the family is asleep.... So watching Penn State to Ohio State at 2am each week on Sunday (KST time) was not easy... 

So I guess I fall into the extreme fandom as well.. Cheers and hope your daughter had a great time in Korea.. 

Mine is a forlorn tale of tragedy. It was the 2005 version of the Game, a horrifying chapter in the rivalry of which Sherrone's recent 4th and 4 FG decision sent cascading waves of nightmare fuel memories crashing against my consciousness like a breakwall being swamped in a storm. If you don't remember, it was the classic Jim Hermann/Lloydball "play to not lose, end up not winning" scenario. Thank you, Rod Moore; you're my hero.

Anyway, during the final drive, as Troy Smith, for the second drive in a row, seemingly effortlessly gashed our turtling defense, we in the student section were going bonkers. Jumping up and down. Screaming our brains out. Suddenly, I felt the bleachers give way beneath my feet and we all fell forward. Sure enough, our verified voracity was so vehement that we broke the stands (this was, to my knowledge, the last year they had wood posts holding the bleachers up). All for naught. Words cannot express my disappointment and rage.

1990 deployed to Saudi Arabia.... listening to the game thru Armed Forces Radio.... like listening to something on AM.... static, signal coming and going....  Tie game late in the 4th.  With the ball on their own 30, they go for it on 4th &1.  Michigan gets the stop and three plays later kicks the game winning FG.   I served with two ohio state fans who were there listening with me.... it was glorious!!!     That was early in the cooper years, good times.

2012, I sat in the OSU team family section in the shoe, it was low 30s freezing rain, with a long sleeve t-shirt and a bright yellow HAIL shirt on. Security came up to me when the game was nearly over and escorted me out under the stadium, as a precaution. 

More "weird" than "extreme" but we added this fine shirtless picture of Coach Harry Kipke onto our shrine wall at the house before the game. Seemed to help bring additional superstitious powers since we now have a picture of every Michigan football coach going back to Yost.

Apologies for the bad quality reflections off the glass...

this isn't for The Game but i wore an MGo Worst State Ever shirt to Cedar Point one year and we took bets on over/under how many negative reactions i would get. Easily hit our over and I actually had a park attendant not serve me because of my shirt.

A The Game story, my freshman year I went to Columbus as part of the MMB and if you needed to go to the bathroom, you had to go in groups (different than at other stadiums where the staff was not as worried about our safety). It being late November, the MMB provided us with large 90s style puffy Maize and Blue jackets with a MASSIVE split Block M on the back. A small group of us go to the bathroom and get constantly shoved and "accidentally" bumped into hard, nothing crazy. I do my business and had to go into the stall because that's all that was free but my group left me. This particular bathroom is one way in/out - bathrooms are first then at the back are the sinks. So i had to shove through to wash my hands and shove to get out a bathroom full of Buckeyes and and i'm the only one in head to toe M gear. Got some threats and got called f****t (gay slur) a lot and some guy kept blocking my way out. Kinda scary but i just took a breath and plowed through him.

I went back two years later and that was more tame but i've had my fill of ever wanting to go back to a game in Columbus.

I don't want to start my own post, but I think adding this pic to an "extreme fandom" thread is appropriate. Saw this semi this morning at about 9:30 AM on the west side of Ann Arbor in the Meijer parking lot. It left Meijer and headed west on I-94. I have no idea where it was going (nope, not a clue), but I am going to give two guesses: 1. Heading to Chicago to return all trophies and awards received by UM over the last 110 years (for ALL sports) to the B1G. To express our deep shame and regret for the Greatest Scandal in Sports History. 2. The truck contains all of the TECHINT needed by Connor Stalions to steal Iowa's signs. ("No, seriously coach, they are running it AGAIN. I don't know what to tell you?!") 

my senior year, 1983, i sat on the bench for the game.  enjoyed it. knew even then what a special and fleeting time it was, lo those 40 yrs ago.  walked off with the team, shook some ohio players' hands, walked up the tunnel taking it all in. 

My son's birthday was last week.  We decided over the summer to surprise him with a trip to the Game - the only gifts we had wrapped for him were a pair of Michigan socks and a beat Ohio State pin.  We arrived on Friday night.  We got up early on Saturday, and he was so pumped that we were in the stadium 2 hours before kickoff. That kid didn't move from his seat for nearly 7 hours.  On the way in it dawned on him that this would be the last great regular season CFB game and we just soaked it all in - the pregame warmups, the pageantry of the bands, touching the banner.  When he woke up on Sunday, his first words were "that was amazing".  When we got home that night we immediately watched the replay.

We also met up with a friend of mine who is a tOSU fan - he drove up from another city and happened to buy tix in the same section.  We had gone to the 2013 game together and sat in similar seats - obviously a much better outcome this time around.

Extreme fandom you say?

Not my story, but one I heard about:

This guy was so into Michigan football that he traveled to every game for nearly a decade. Then he wrote a 600 page manifesto on how the Michigan program should be run. Finally, he routinely bought tickets for others so that they too could enjoy football with the only expectation that they send videos back to him of the game so that he too could see their in-person joyful experience. That’s fandom. 
 

Too soon?

I don't think anyone can top your story. That is pretty cool. I happen to be in Michigan during Thanksgiving but was stuck in a hotel watching the game. It worked out pretty well because no one is around to watch me go through my ups and downs. I swear I thought I was going to have a heart attack in the 4th quarter.

No cool story like you but I happen to be away from home the last 3 years and Michigan won. I guess I have to continue to be away for the rest of my life that last Saturday in November.

Not extreme but Thursday night I had a dream the UM won 27-24 with a game ending pick. Told my wife about it on Friday. Didn't see who got the INT. When it was 27-24 my wife looked over at me and said I think you may have seen this. Glad they hit the FG to add a bit of cushion 

1997, deployed to Bosnia with an Infantry unit, and my squad leader let me listen to the game on AFN, which was one of the greatest sports moments in my life. I remember screaming when Woodson returned the punt, and the folks around me thought I was a bit off. One of my many great memories of the game. 

This year we took our two boys to their first version of the game, and it did not disappoint. We experienced every emotion, and stayed long after the final whistle to soak it all in . Go Blue! 

I attended a lot of games as a student, but never THE GAME because I was a student of the university down the road that starts with an E, and could never afford the after market price.  My husband was a student here for both undergrad and grad school.  We moved away and didn't attend very many games until 2012 when we had moved within striking distance AND our kids were grown...so we got season tickets and have been enjoying them for 11 seasons-- but obviously have seen a lot of losses to OSU-- in 2021 I was recovering from surgery so my husband took a friend.  I had a lot of nerves around this year's edition-- wondering if my attendance was going to be the curse-- but when the clock hit 0:00 I almost cried!  It was my first time seeing a Michigan v Ohio victory in person!

1969 I watched The Game in my bedroom on a 14" B&W tv.  I was 15 and a sophomore in high school.  Family was downstairs watching something on our one color tv.  I was going crazy with excitement.  That game made the decision for me to apply to and attend U of M when my senior year came around.  Graduated in Class of 1975.  No idea how many games I have attended in person, but it has been a lot.

Never could get any of my children to attend M for undergrad but I did have one attend med school.