Michigan Daily - State News Dueling Columns

Submitted by MGoShoe on

The annual exchange of insulting columns between TMD and Staee News is available. In the Go Blue corner, TMD sports editor Everett Cook. In the Go Green corner, Stephen Brooks, Staee News football reporter.

The inferiority complex meme continues to be reinforced. They just can't help themselves.

allintime23

November 1st, 2013 at 6:00 AM ^

Heads will explode. Couches will burn. Saturday night when the clock hits zero my week long smile will begin. The best part will be when they turn on themselves.

LSAClassOf2000

November 1st, 2013 at 9:24 AM ^

Was it just me or did the manufactured indignation and anger in the MSU piece make that one almost unreadable? Not that there was anything that had not been discussed before in either column, of course, but Brooks laid it on really thick in that column and then got lost in the faux emotions. If there was a tone that could be called "Spartan", that would be an example of it. 

MattisonMan

November 1st, 2013 at 9:43 AM ^

The thing I don't get is this attitude of percieved invincibility that MSU fans project on us. I feel like we're a pretty pessimistic fan base on the whole. I can't rememeber the last time I saw a thread or felt myself that any Michigan team was underrated in the polls - quite the opposite.

Also, did he really bring up "where's the threat?" and "Staee"?

MGoManBall

November 1st, 2013 at 9:30 AM ^

I didn't know that Michigan has been "pummeled" by Ohio since Hoke arrived. The series is tied 1-1 with an overall score of 61-60 favoring the good team.

Perkis-Size Me

November 1st, 2013 at 9:47 AM ^

This could not be an MSU article without mentioning the concept of a Walmart Wolverine.



He does realize that the majority, if not everyone who is reading his article actually attends the University of Michigan, right?

MGlobules

November 1st, 2013 at 11:40 AM ^

well-played and well-mannered, anecdotal. The one from the MSU editor just recycled all the cliches. 

Win or lose, we're not going to tell you to suck our d*cks. If that's arrogant, so be it. 

buddha

November 1st, 2013 at 11:49 AM ^

I really liked the Daily article. As an out-of-state student, who knew nothing about MSU prior to landing in A2, I thought his ideas and points summarized my experience pretty well. Since I didn’t grow up in Michigan, I was not inundated with Spartan bru-ha at an early age. I always knew the UM – OSU rivalry was epic, but MSU never made my radar.

Maybe it is common knowledge, but I never realized just how unconfident the majority of Spartans I have met are with their school. I always thought it was really funny to meet one and – one of the first things they told you – “I got into UM but chose MSU because they have a better program.” It was a strange inferiority complex and remains odd to me to this day.

Feat of Clay

November 1st, 2013 at 4:36 PM ^

I wasn't that impressed by the Daily writer's column (i'm sorry to say) but I just flat out stopped reading the Staee News column when he rolled out the old "UM girls are unattractive" trope.  

I mean, that's hilarious when you and your high school friends want to guffaw amongst yourselves over titties and butterfaces and who's got the hottest women, hurr hurr.  I get that.  I don't have a problem with those kinds of snarky insults within the rivalry, when you've got some control over who hears you say that stuff.

But to roll that out in a college newspaper, to a readership that is likely to include thousands of women?  Get your head on straight.  

mgowake

November 1st, 2013 at 5:59 PM ^

The Michigan column is better, a little more backhanded and creative in its insults. The state one is just standard boilerplate with the inability to use the proper form of the word alumnus. Lol @ non journalism jab though.

WolvinLA2

November 1st, 2013 at 6:13 PM ^

Certainly neither is groundbreaking, but at least the M one was relatively original.  All the MSU guy did was use all of the same clichés that are always use.  Ugly girls, Walmart Wolverines, living in the past, arrogance, etc.  

The things I found actually funny about his column was saying that a Michigan fan being an alumnus (even though he said "an alumni") is a rare feat, even though we have the largest alumni base in the nation, or referring to RichRod as a top-notch coach.  Or knocking our academics because our coach refers to OSU the same way their fans do (not sure why that has anything to do with academics in the first place).  

This was my favorite line: "For out-of-state students that don’t have family members or anyone from the bottom half of their high school head to East Lansing, this intra-state tension feels a lot different."

And he's right - people in California (and I would assume much of the country) who don't closely follow sports don't know who Michigan State is.  

gwkrlghl

November 2nd, 2013 at 12:06 PM ^

and the Daily one seemed fine but the State News one was rough. A bunch of recycled jokes and then the misplaced idea that MSU is still on the rise or that Michigan is particularly threatened by MSU. This is a partcularly amusing quote from the State News guy:

 

I can see how it's so easy to cling to the past when the present offers such little hope.

Amsuing that MSU will forever cling to those precious Richrod years as their program reached their peak at an almost-B1G title and their in-state rival is getting better and beter