Welcoming Nebraska to the Big House
To all that have the privledge of attending this weekends game vs Nebraska I would like to pass along one man's simple advice.
In multiple places across the web you can see stories about: how great and accomodating the Nebraska fan base is when you visit Memorial Stadium. Personally I have never been, but hopefully in 2012 or 2014 I will get the chance. With that said I hope the fan base I proudly list myself in is as accomodating and welcoming to Nebraska in their first trip to Ann Arbor.
If you see someone in Nebraska gear around town this week show them why Ann Arbor is such a great place, a simple "welcome to Ann Arbor" or "welcome to Michigan" goes a long way when visiting a campus (something that is very hard to find in Ohio or at MSU). Nebraska has already been to Wisconsin, one of the nicest places in the B1G outside Ann Arbor, but as stated earlier, let's show them what makes Ann Arbor special.
Go Blue!
November 14th, 2011 at 3:22 PM ^
So screaming "Remember the Alamo!" to everyone I see wearing red is not appropriate?
/confused
November 14th, 2011 at 3:25 PM ^
My experience in Lincoln was second to none in regards to the kindness and generosity that their fans demonstrated. I went to the USC-Nebraska game a few years ago with my brother and as we walked through the throngs of red, almost every tailgater stopped us, welcomed us and offered us beers and brats. They even wished USC good luck on the field. Never have I experienced anything like that as a visiting fan. This includes multiple trips to South Bend, which is a distant 2nd compared to Lincoln, and a complete polar opposite to Columbus which is the antithesis to Lincoln. I echo the sediments of the previous posters that we treat our visitors to a great time while they are here in AA.
November 14th, 2011 at 3:48 PM ^
a-hole fans, and obviously Michigan is no exception. I always say "Welcome to Ann Arbor" very sincerely and usually get a positive response. They know they're in enemy territory and expecations start pretty low, so welcoming them like that comes across classy.
I'd wager that simple acts of civility, a "welcome", and maybe a beer or two generate most of the 'positive fanbase' comments across the nation. It doesn't take much.
November 14th, 2011 at 3:49 PM ^
The Utes fans raved about how well they were treated in AA back in '08. They went out of their way to say what a great welcoming game atmopshere we have and posted it all over the 'net and to any MM types that interviewed them. Keep it classy again for more first-time visitors this weekend and GO BLUE!
November 14th, 2011 at 4:50 PM ^
We even gave them the ball on numerous occasions.
November 14th, 2011 at 7:17 PM ^
Hahah well said
November 14th, 2011 at 3:50 PM ^
I agree with your sentiment, but (1) it's spelled "privilege" and (2) Wisconsin is not one of the nicer places to visit for a road game in the B1G. In order of hostility, I'd rank them:
1. OSU
2. MSU (for Michigan fans, at least)
3. Wisconsin
4. Penn State
5. Illinois
6. Iowa
7. Minnesota
8. Purdue
9. Nebraska
10. Indiana
11. Northwestern
November 14th, 2011 at 4:01 PM ^
So we should leave our "Nuck Febraska" t-shirts at home?
/s
Welcome Husker fans. Enjoy your time in our beloved town.
November 14th, 2011 at 4:04 PM ^
to offer to park their tractor for them. They may not be used to parking them in parking garages.
November 14th, 2011 at 4:08 PM ^
Every time my sister calls with a pre-trip update, it seems she's adding one more person to their van (which heads east from Cornhusker state on Thursday night). Thanks all for helping to make sure they have an awesome visit.
November 14th, 2011 at 4:09 PM ^
Why don't we all just sit around the stadium and sing koom by fucking ya. This is football forgodsakes! Throw yer beer on em and then kick em in the balls when they cleaning off the beer!!!! That'll learn em.
j/k
November 14th, 2011 at 7:15 PM ^
Hell yea!!
November 14th, 2011 at 4:39 PM ^
My uncle and I go walking around the golf course to find the opposing fans and then direct them to come do Jager shots with us at our tailgate. The Wisky fans last year were quite rowdy and good fun. The 2009 Purdue tailgate was great, as we met a big group of girls from Purdue and all had a bunch of Jager and also some hot apple pie. Point is, setting football aside, we are all people there who are just looking to have fun. Thats why we make it happen. I'm hoping to have massive amounts of Cornhusker fans join us this week, since my Grandma is a Nebraska native.
November 14th, 2011 at 4:47 PM ^
Then when the game is over and when M is done trouncing on them tell The N fans, "Hey, sorry about that but we're just warming up to Ohio."
November 14th, 2011 at 5:26 PM ^
This kind of a post is like a time capsule - a snapshot in time from before Michigan and Nebraska started playing each other annually.
A decade from now, a large portion of fans here will probably hate Nebraska's guts (and their fans), for the simple fact that they'll have become a competitor. You'll never see a post like this then. It'd be as unthinkable as someone saying, "Let's make sure we welcome MSU fans to the Big House."
November 14th, 2011 at 5:31 PM ^
Try to keep it classier than the "take Nebraska to the showers" sign I saw at Penn Sate last saturday
November 14th, 2011 at 7:15 PM ^
Ewwwwww
November 14th, 2011 at 5:33 PM ^
Just beat em on the battlefield!
November 14th, 2011 at 5:45 PM ^
Next week we'll all have plenty of opportunity to yell the worst things we can think of towards our opponents and their visiting "fans."
November 14th, 2011 at 6:14 PM ^
I like your post and your points - but you said Wisconsin is nice? Have you been there for a Michigan / Wiscy game? OSU is the worst, MSU 2nd but Wiscy isn't that far behind with their hatred and terrible feelings toward Michigan.
I've seen Michigan win at every Big Ten Stadium (except Lincoln and Minny's new one), ND and the Rose Bowl. Wiscy is not nice to UM fans.
This being said, I actually think PSU has the best fans from a welcoming standpoint - or maybe they just like young boys / men too much (too soon?).
Overall, I agree. Show Nebrasks respect. I just hope they don't bring an Army to A2 as I am fearing they will.
Go Blue!
November 14th, 2011 at 6:29 PM ^
I just hope Michigan student section arrives before the second quarter.
November 14th, 2011 at 7:42 PM ^
I like this thread. Let the team do the talking by their performance on the field. We're seeking revenge from that Alamo Bowl loss from a few years back, but this could grow into a nice rivalry in the years to come. I agree with a previous poster about the Michigan-Penn St. rivalry. Nebraska will more than likely replace them. Ann Arbor is a wonderful place, I wish I could be there to show them just how great it is. Look at it this way, if anything we should feel sorry for them, they have to go back to Nebraska for God's sake. Treat them with respect and class, and it will probably be reciprocated next year in Lincoln.
November 14th, 2011 at 7:56 PM ^
I actually try to do this every game. Especially because I am from SE Michigan and grew up near Ann Arbor (Northville and later Saline), I like to welcome people to the area and make recommendations on places to go. I do it while proudly wearing my Michigan gear too.
Then again, there was one OSU fan, years ago, who promptly told me that "Ann Arbor could go fuck itself", to which I could only reply, "May I suggest the Brightmoor neighborhood of Detroit then, if Ann Arbor is too classy for you....there you may find desolation appropriate to your soul"
November 14th, 2011 at 8:42 PM ^
I suck. Nevermind.
November 14th, 2011 at 11:58 PM ^
everyone attending the game is looking forward to visiting AA, mingling with UM fans, experiencing gameday at Michigan Stadium, and watching a hard fought competitive game this weekend and for many Saturdays to come.
As for rivalries, we're new to that B1G tradition. The only rival we had was whoever was the biggest obstacle to winning the conference championship. Usually that was Oklahoma. We expect to compete every year for the Legends and that Michigan will also. Its up to Michigan fans if that adds to or replaces your current rivals. MSU and OSU of course will always be what they are, though personally I wonder if the new divisional B1G will change things for you a bit, especially with the Domers. But that's your business.
One thing we've noticed is that B1G rivalries seem to be edgier than the old Big 8 or Big XII style, with more hate and less mutual respect. We never cared for that, Colorado was the closest to behaving that way, but to us it always seems out of place in amateur college sports.
November 15th, 2011 at 10:40 AM ^
After watching that Bama-Auburn special on tv, I'm pretty sure they make Big Ten rivalries look like pillow fights when it comes to fan sanity. (OSU excluded, because they're basically an SEC team anyway).
I'm curious what your experiences are, how they feel different than the Big 12, and how different venues compare. If it's not something you want to get into here, might make an interesting end of the season diary. Big Ten trips from a newcomers perspective: Pt.1 and Pt. 2 over two years (with Addendums as you get to play the last of the Leaders division).
November 16th, 2011 at 3:53 PM ^
I thought this was pretty cool and worth adding to the thread. Numerous letters sent to the Nebraska paper, thanking the fans.
http://www.dailynebraskan.com/mobile/opinion/letters-from-penn-state-1…