Off-Season Meta- To "Ohio" or not t"Ohio"
It's the off-season - bear with me here (or ignore the thread).
Help me out: Am I the only one totally annoyed by people calling Ohio State "Ohio." Here's the reasons that make me feel queasy:
1. Obvs: Ohio University. It is confusing at times.
2. It's not clever. I'm all about clever, subtle jabs at other schools: such as "tOSU". Or the "We Own Penn State" chant sung to Zombie Nation at Crisler. That's clever trolling I can get behind. "Ohio" isn't really clever to me.
3. It's a schticky main-stream media non-story created at the start of Hoke's career.
4. Hoke. I can appreciate he is sincere in his Bo/Woody-isms. I hate that it's another way for people to assert an anti-intellectual label to him. Like the saying goes, if we were winning, then it would probably be ignored.
5. It's kinda disrespectful to OU. There is a school that's named Ohio in Ohio. I like them much more than OSU and therefore side with them in their spat over the use of the word.
Just had to throw that one out there. Anyone in my boat. Or am I Francis and totally need to lighten up?
UPDATE: I've appreciated the views of everyone. This is turning into an interesting topic that's more nuanced that it may initially appear. Everyone Murders (an appropriate handle for the subject) put more eloquently than I:
I've got no problem when Hoke describes OSU as "Ohio". I think it's a habit that he has, and a bit endearing because it seems like he sincerely has to choke out that word - as though choking out the whole name of "Ohio State University" (or even "Ohio State") is too hard for him to stomach. So Hoke referring to Ohio State as "Ohio" is OK by me.
When everyone else uses it, I find it confusing and a bit forced. There is a legitimate Div. I university called Ohio University, they knocked us out of the NCAA tournament one year, and their mascot famously punched and horse-collar tackled Brutus. Ohio University was founded over 60 years before OSU. Importantly, most people I've met from Ohio University dislike OSU, and look at the OSU fanbase as a bunch of meatheads. I've got some respect for Ohio University.
Consequently, for people not named Brady Hoke I'm in the call Ohio State University either "Ohio State" or "OSU" camp. (Or call them Buckeyes or "cooler poopers". Or call them "library onanists" or "patio furniture fornicators".)
I would add truck-drivers to that list as well
What about "cooler-pooping pigfuckers"?
Where do I sign up to get my newsletter?
Huh, lets see, first of all, you fuck pigs
......oh yeah...
like that? they didn't do anything to you, did they? pigs have standards too, you know.
farming tip: never let a live pig in your barn. ever.
Fuck Ohio
I Remember GHW Bush calling Sadam Sad-um just because he could...i like Hoke sending a message to his home-state University in a straightfaced manner. You must look the tiger in the eye before you tame it
Oh, and almost forgot, fuck ohio, again
So maybe Hoke was appeasing them. I live here and when someone directs that chant at me due to my Michigan garb I say, you like the bobcats? Or, aren't they in Athens? I will call them Tosu when I type since they say thee Ohio State University. Both are digs at their own stupidity. Childish maybe but who cares fuck them.
the addition of "The" at the front of their name did not start out as a demonstration of superiority or necessarily stupid. Legally, that's the name of the school. My brother in law, a Moritz Law School graduate (osu) informed me that when the school petitioned the state to become an institution of higher learning, the person who filled out the paperwork wrote "The Ohio State University" in a manner that was not intended to turn into what its now become. It was just the way it happened. Nowadays, however...yes, they do it in a way that annoys most of us not associated with the school. And now you know.
I have lived in central Ohio my entire life and do not recall OSU using "THE" until their copywright dispute with Ohio University. OU "won" (OSU agreed to drop their challenge) the use of "OHIO" on their athletic gear, etc and I believe OSU started using "THE" as a dig at OU. (I was going to link an article about the dispute, but I can't link anything lately. Anyone else having this problem?)
Edit: when I say using "THE", I mean in the media, MNF intros, etc. I'm sure they use it on official school letterhead and whatnot.
"The" was always part of the name, but they didn't start emphasizing it until recently.
Well, not always. Originally it was Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College, and they passed a state law to change the name.
http://library.osu.edu/find/collections/the-ohio-state-university-archi…
We're both right!!!! Woo hooooo! Errr, I mean.....cool.
OH-IO is a stupid chant. Any Ohio University grad knows it's supposed to be O-H-I-O, repeated with increasing speed and ending with an OOOOOOOOH!!
1. I've never really been confused by it because how often do people really talk about Ohio University?
2. I never really viewed it primarily as a trolling attempt but more as a unifying "Fuck those assholes who make such a big deal out of THE Ohio State University." Hoke never claimed it was clever. THAT'S JUST WHAT HE CALLS THEM. Also, I'm pretty sure Ohio fans say tOSU on the interwebz as well.
3. You're totally right on this one, which is why I don't understand people getting so upset about it. The media made a big deal about it. No one saying it made a big deal out of it. They just started saying it without any great fanfare.
4. A. Why is it so hard to believe that Hoke just IS THAT WAY? He learned to coach from Bo. He grew up hating Ohio. He is all about doing things the right way and having standards. He's a middle aged man who doesn't pretend to be something he's not, unlike a certain coach who calls us TSUN despite saying before getting the job that he would only get back into coaching for one of three jobs: Ohio, ND, or... you guessed it, TSUN. B. What the hell does anti-intellectual mean?
5. A. Fuck Ohio B. I don't think I've seen anyone actually get annoyed by them saying TSUN. C. Fuck Ohio.
I believe you forgot to mention...
D. Fuck Ohio.
Your welcome.
Didn't Hoke start saying Ohio when he was a kid to annoy his friends?
and when we were kids nobody would have been annoyed. It was common usage.
And I think that's the point. Somehow the name of the state is so offensive it became insulting instead of descriptive. If you've been around for the whole process, how can you resist?
I didn't really care at all one way or another when it started but Buckeye fans seem to really hate it for some reason so I now go out of my way to say it.
It takes zero effort to say on our part, doesn't involve anything profane or deragotory, yet it irritates the piss out of them. Although I am still laughing at "pigfuckers"!
Unfortunately, for more than a decade, what they have been regularly fucking is our so-called football team.
Is the record 2-11 since 2001?
So I wouldn't call them pigfuckers. Unless we're the pigs.
They also have script Ohio and Ohio Stadium.
Their stadium is named "Ohio Stadium".
Their is no mention of their school's official name in their fight song. It's just "Ohio".
Their idiot fans drunkenly scream the letters spelling out "Ohio". (This is a miracle in it and of itself that they can spell a four letter word other than their other favorite four letter word that's usually directed at opposing fans)
Their band has followed the MMB's lead from way back of spelling out "Ohio" on the field.
It amuses me that it bothers them so much despite everything listed above being 100% true.
School in Athens= Ohio University
School in Columbus= ohio
You're right on all accounts and that's fine. It's the last that bothers me the most and why it was first in my list: Not everyone takes special care to not capitalize "ohio" for OSU. Also, according to MGoBlog bylaw 12.5.8.a, when Ohio University is being referenced in shorthand, all caps should be used: OHIO, so that the word jumps of the page much like their logo and their mascot attacking a buckeye.
This pic is hillarious. Gotta admit that the Ohio mascot kid had balls.
But I have to throw in, this was his second attempt. On the first attempt, this happened:
Poop?
Considering how much news has been made over it, I wouldn't call it an inside joke.
TTUN, but I'm not sure too many Buckeyes are offended. Ohio U is an afterthought down here as well.
Why should I stop now?
The odd thing (and I was out of state when it happened so I'm not sure when or how or why it did) is that "Ohio" went from the state's usual name for the school (see the fight song, or the name of the stadium, or listen to an old radio broadcast) to something that could be perceived as an insult.
It's tempting to speculate; I won't. But I can tell you that when I was a kid if somebody said "he's going to start school up at Ohio next year" everybody knew what it meant and it wasn't Ohio U.
Well, others have pointed out that calling them "Ohio" isn't just something Hoke made up to poke fun, it's well-established. But even if it wasn't, I like it. It just adds a bit to the rivalry, I don't see how it's that disrespectful. It's not like calling them "little brother". Also, not only am I not annoyed by TSUN, but I LIKE that they say it, for the very same reason, it just adds a little bit of spice to the rivalry.
Just as soon as they start calling themselves that--like they used to--instead of THE Ohio State University. Till then, I'll just go with Ohio.
Calling them "Ohio" is great not because I take such joy in the disrespect of it all, but because I take such joy in the Bucknuts who whine about it being disrespectful and totally miss the irony.
Besides, calling them "tOSU" and thinking it's a clever, subtle jab is like them calling us "U-M" and thinking it's a clever, subtle jab.
Nice pull.
I live in Ohio. My wife went to Ohio University in Athens. I still call Ohio State "Ohio".
Why? It pisses them off to no end. Every time a Ohio fan tries to correct me I reply. What is the name of your football stadium? What does the band spell out before the game? You don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan your from...? What do fans yell out at any given time? (o-h-i-o). So tell me again how I am wrong?
Its the same disregard that they show me when they say TSUN.