Trip to the shoe

Submitted by the man in blue on

So I took my eight year old son to the game today and I wanted to give an update. First of I live in Columbus so he already is used to the 5-10% loud and obnoxious buckeye fans to a certain degree.

Parking was horrible...we walked a half hour to get to the stadium. It was only $15 but compared to the golf course, I like the option of spending more for something close by.

Our seats were in B deck. If u are probably row 8 or lower, b deck would fine but we were row 17 so we had the overhang to deal with...felt like we were in old tiger stadium and we couldn't see the fly ball pop out. Also there are obstructed views in b deck...we were fine but still didn't enjoy the seat location...it would have been great if it were raining, but it wasn't!

Atmosphere was great...they do get involved, but my son and I and a couple other buckeye fans were the only ones standing and clapping when their qb got up and left, out of respect of of course.

We had the usual people saying stuff like how could u raise ur kids a Michigan fan, or I was setting him up for failure all of his life or that's child abuse but nothing major. I did respond to one and said my son would prob ending up being his boss some day. We ran into a couple drunk college girls after the game that were rubbing it in and taunting my son...that irritated even the osu fans nearby. There were a couple of people that welcomed me there and even one said that they hope I don't run into any A-holes...lol.

I think they even know the reputation that they have. One guy stopped me and said get ready to go into the greatest stadium in college football....WRONG! Not even close since the renovations at the big house. All in all I would take him again and go again but just be ready to hear from some of the jerks.

SalvatoreQuattro

November 29th, 2014 at 10:04 PM ^

It was difficult to read  as it was originally written and I was not the only one to notice. Yeah, my initial post was snarky,  but my follow up was well meant.

I did notice that you did not respond similiarly to the other people who gave snark responses. Interesting.

 

And being a "dick lately" very much depends on the perspective. I could say the same for a lot of people.

yzerman19

November 29th, 2014 at 10:06 PM ^

i've had nothing but great experiences there ... from their fans.  SEC-like in their politeness to me every time.  But their team, not so much.  I haveheard that fight song so many times I am going to have PTSD I swear.

Maizenblueball

November 29th, 2014 at 10:43 PM ^

This is them on their best behavior, since they've been kicking our asses for the last decade or so.  I would hate to see how bad they get once we have a good team again.

Also, thanks to the OP for sharing.  I'm glad you and your son had a mostly good time, aside from the outcome of the game and a few cooler-pooper fans.

the man in blue

November 29th, 2014 at 10:42 PM ^

I have no problem with anyone complaining about the way I structured the original post...Heck this post had been great to me...35 mgopoints from this thread alone and counting.....

Two Hearted Ale

November 29th, 2014 at 11:10 PM ^

For a school that claims to have the best band they sure pipe in a lot of music. Every Michigan second or third down was music until the center's hand touched the ball. The announcer directed traditions too; "and now it's time for Hang on Sloppy...when the ball is kicked say 'O-H-I-O'...". There must be an AD convention each year that concentrates on sterilizing the college football fan experience.

Squad To Stock…

November 29th, 2014 at 11:20 PM ^

I've been reading this blog for a while, but this is my first post (wooo!!!!)

Today was my first experience at Ohio State and although the game was a heartbreaker I'm very glad that we went. 

A little background to precede some observations of mine:

We left Ann Arbor at 6:30AM and were parked at 9:40. There was no traffic, even the inside Columbus city limits, and the drive really didn't seem too long to me. We parked about a mile west of the stadium for $15 in their public parking. There were shuttles available, but the weather was pretty mild so I enjoyed the walk. My friend and I (both current Michigan students; I'm a junior, she's a senior) were 100% decked out in maize, and I even had a pom-pom. We didn't tailgate beforehand, but ate at a very nice, modern Panera Bread before the game and walked around a little bit, including the oval. We got in the stadium at 11:10 (at which point their student section was 5% full at best and most of the stadium empty) and sat in the middle of the C deck in the Northeast Corner that is typically designated for away fans (Section 8C). For comparision's sake, I have also attended Michigan games in South Bend and East Lansing. 

Observations:

Ohio Stadium: It is pretty impressive. Feels a little bigger than The Big House initially, but I hate how there are so many stairs and it feels very enclosed and claustrophobic in the concourses. I still think our band's Pregame is far better than theirs(so slow paced, most OSU fans stop clapping by the time script ohio is almost finished because it takes so long), although they kill us at half time stuff. Plus, if you think we play too much "rawk music", OSU played WAYYYY more. (PS-stop complaining about it; it's great for the atmosphere in moderation and we students love it. As people who actually do all the band cheers, unlike 95% of alumni/general fans, Let's Go Blue and The Victors get old after the 4,000th time and occassionally kill the vibe) 

Although we technically had "bad" seats, I could see very well no matter where the ball was. The one thing I will say about OSU's stadium that was awful (besides the incessant advertising) was its scoreboard. Small, not high quality resolution, oddly shaped, and confusing format for the Down, Yards to Go, etc. Obviously ND has no video boards, but both Spartan Stadium and the Big House have wayyyy better video setups. Also, their boxes don't look nearly as nice as ours, but I only saw from the outside. Finally, idk how on earth today was their attendance record because the top 15 rows of the C deck in the Northwest Corner never filled at any point during the game. Did notice a lot more police activity than in the Big House. Actually saw two Buckeye fans being kicked out of the stadium for harassing a group of 4 Michigan fans. 

Ohio State Fans: I had heard horrible things, about how awful it was for Michigan fans in Columbus. Yes, on the aggregate, they were definitely meaner to us than ND and MSU fans. HOWEVER, at least between MSU and OSU fans, this increase in hostility was only marginal. It really wasn't that bad and Michigan fans have nothing to be scared of unless you are out of control or looking for trouble. We were pretty frequently heckled when we were in the Oval (center of campus), but nothing too bad (mostly, you look so ugly, what are you wearing, O-H, etc.). One guy did throw crumpled up paper garbage at me in the concourse during halftime, but he did it as we were walking by each other (he didn't say anything and kept moving) and it barely grazed my shoulder. Otherwise, during the entire walk from the parking lot to campus only a handful of mostly good humored "comments" were said to us. During the game, nobody said anything to us negatively even though we cheered VERY loudly whenever Michigan scored (sang the lyrics to The Victors and everything; there were probably 20 Michigan fans within 15 rows of me though). On the flip side, we had several very nice people. One walked over half a mile with us and we had a very pleasant conversation the whole time. We also talked to a nice couple during breakfast and the guy next to me at the game, although in Buckeye attire, told me he was rooting for Michigan/was a WVU fan and drunkenly sang what he knew of The Victors a few times. However, none of the nice people to us actually went to OSU; all were wearing scarlet and grey but had relatives who were "real" buckeyes. 

Michigan Fans: I know that we came into this game expecting to get crushed, so I understand the low turnout, but I hope to see that increase significantly in the future. It really was an overall pleasant experience and there is nothing to "be scared of". I don't understand why our fans travel pretty much every where else in the Big Ten very well except for OSU. There were more Michigan fans there than it appeared on TV, and those present cheered avidly, but the vast majority did not wear maize and either wore blue/grey or a non Michigan jacket with a discreet hat/scarf. This always bugs me (at home or away); if you go to a game to cheer for Michigan, dress so that you're visible; BE PROUD, THIS IS MICHIGAN FERGODSAKES AND WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE PLAYING IN THE GREATEST RIVALRY IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL (even though we are absolutely deplorable currently). 

 

Team 101

November 29th, 2014 at 11:39 PM ^

Interesting post from Squad to Stockw ..  Good first time post - look forward to reading more.  I know a lot of Ohio people so I know that most of them aren't the stereotype but enough are that take a pass on the trip to Columbus.  I think the abuse (almost all of it verbal) is worse when the game is more competitive.  Right now I think they feel sorry for us.  Also we kept the game close for a while so that also seemed to quiet things down.

snarling wolverine

November 30th, 2014 at 12:23 AM ^

I don't understand why our fans travel pretty much every where else in the Big Ten very well except for OSU.

Because under normal circumstances (i.e., when Michigan is a threat to possibly win the game), it is considerably more hazardous for you - and your vehicle - to travel to Columbus. I have a friend who went to the 2010 game and had to dodge full cans of beer thrown at his head. When he returned to his car, it had been keyed in two places. That kind of "fun" gets old fast.

Squad To Stock…

November 30th, 2014 at 1:05 AM ^

They were huge favorites in 2010 (10-1 vs 7-4, hadn't lost to us in 7 years and the last Columbus game was a slaughter) as well, not to mention both 2010 and 2014 everyone expected the Michigan coach to likely be fired at the end of the season, so I really don't see your point there. Either your friend had worse than average luck, or was overdramatic, or I had really good luck; I don't think the setup of The Game would cause a significant difference between those two years. Also, I'm assuming that happened to him at a tailgate; like I said, I didn't actually tailgate so I can't comment on that and maybe they are really bad.

 

As for the car, I backed mine in and it was fine. 

snarling wolverine

November 30th, 2014 at 1:27 AM ^

In 2010 we were 7-4 going in and had a high-powered offense.  (Prior to that game, RichRod was not a dead man walking like Hoke.)  OSU fans feared that team a lot more than they did this year's 5-6 squad with a popgun offense.  

I've known several people who have had bad experiences in Columbus.  Brian once wrote about what happened when he went .  Believe me when I tell you that if OSU fans have any uncertainty about the game's outcome, it's a very different atmosphere.  

 

Two Hearted Ale

November 30th, 2014 at 7:19 AM ^

Ohio State fans are gracious winners but are pretty poor losers. I've seen both sides. They think about Michigan way more than Michigan fans think about Ohio State so when the game is in Columbus and it is meaningful they have a year's worth of angst built up ready to let loose on unsuspecting Michigan supporters. Only a small minority of them would ever do something truly stupid but it definitely happens. The OSU culture is to denigrate Michigan at every possibility. As a result some of the knuckle draggers think its okay to take it a step further. Alcohol accelerates the bad behavior.