The New Yorker on Harbaugh and the Mania of Michigan Football (Also, swap your own stories)

I’ve mentioned this before but, when he’s home for the summer I work out at the same gym as Stauskas. About a month ago he was coming out as I was going in and I had to give him a go blue and tell him how he almost got me killed by Sparty fans when he blew them that kiss at the end of the game. He gave me a go blue in return and a thanks and I then proceeded to have the best workout I’ve had in years

With my wife for a month, visiting 7 countries, and I saw UM gear in every country I stayed in. I didn't pack any myself, so a hearty "Go Blue!" was warranted whenever I saw maize and blue.

It was an American made Corvette. . .just sayin'

My Mom was an elementary school teacher in Ann Arbor for many years.  During that time, many of the football players would visit her class not necessarily for student teaching but community outreach type stuff.

So one day, Mr. Tom Brady and a couple of other players come into her class and introduce themselves and they had a Q&A session.  One kid says to Tom, "My Dad says you're really slow".  The other players burst out laughing and a few months later the same group of guys came back and told my Mom it was a big joke in the locker room that year.

I ran into an Okinawan national when I was stationed there.  She was running the food service area in the e-club and turned on the Michigan game without prompting.

Turns out her son went to UM for Engineering and he'd converted his entire family into Michigan football fans.  Listening to them sing The Victors in broken English was strangely satisfying.

I was wearing a U of M hat while boarding a ferry in Athens.  The woman in front of me turned around and was wearing a Michigan shirt.  We chatted for a while.  She was born and raised in Jackson, attended UM, and now works in Atlanta.

 

Cool story bro... 

to Machu Picchu before I even broke out my Michigan hat my guide had told me that he is a Michigan fan because he had met so many Michigan fans and decided he liked the school (this was even before HARBAUGH / Peruball) 

you live, where you work or where you play, you will find Michigan fans, whether they grew up in Ann Arbor, went to school at Michigan or just found Michigan Football to be their religion of choice,"Go Blue, and Hail to the Victors is your password to the world. And you can always find a friend.

I met madonna in a dream once when I was little, I dreamt i was the kid in the video from open your heart. I had a crush on her in elementary school and she was still hot. No ragrets.

I had an anthropology class with Prof. Kottak in the 70's.  He used to go off on this long screed about the cultural significance of football.  He used to talk about it being sort of religious in the rituals involving attending the game.the rewards given the virtuous, the war-like armor worn by the contestants, especially to the extent that they emphasize sexually desirable traits, the ritual repeated nature of the pre- and post-game rituals.  I have a link below to some more sedate stuff.

As an undergrad, my first reaction was that the guy was crazy or high.  As time goes on and I see how much stays the same, I start to to wonder.

https://books.google.com/books?id=Q4eNQ7qrXxIC&pg=PA100&lpg=PA100&dq=co…

My most prized possession is a blue shirt with a yellow state of Texas that says "MICHIGAN" across the state. Have been stopped in Aruba, Germany, England, etc etc for an explanation and a "Go Blue".

A few weeks ago we were doing a bottle drive to help pay for my daughter's choir trip to Italy.  We put fliers on about 800 houses (which is way more than you think it is before you start walking).  We got a great response and the kids collected about 4k bottles.

At one of the houses an old man and his daughter (granddaughter maybe?) were outside so I handed them a flyer directly instead of putting it on the door.

As he was wearing a Michigan hat we naturally exchanged Go Blue's.  In addition to the bottles he left, that guy wrote a $50 check to my daughter and a $100 check to the school.

She casually says, "more than a hundred and seven thousand people"...

She forgets to add the 1... 107,001

More recently 109,901

Always add the one!

back to california, walking with my kids in Michigan random guy in Santa Cruz stops us and starts singing hail to victors opera style loudly on the boardwalk. Ran into another guy an hour later. Did run into an Iowa fan though, said he trusts a UM fan enough to take a pic of him and his family with his camera, nice to see I wasn't the only one with Midwestern tan.

and ran into Minnesota, Iowa, and MSU fans on the trail, but no Michigan fans. I guess Michigan fans were all climbing Kiliminjaro or Annapurna or Ayer's Rock or something similarly exotic and expensive.

The best part about putting a Michigan football article in the New Yorker is that we don't have to worry about MSU or OSU fans reading it as well and chiming in with their 1/2 cents.

But yeah, when I went to London, the day I arrived I got three 'Go Blues' because of the M shirt I was wearing.  Didn't see a single Ohio State shirt probably because of no-fly list restrictions or somesuch.

but My husband was dumped for Desmond Howard in 1990.  Then we started dating.  So I tell my children they literally owe their lives to Desmond Howard.

Was a tax professor at UM Law School and a good guy.

She has an incredible knowledge of the problems in the Middle East countries and is frequently on major news analysis televsion shows.

I have been in a lot of airports and frequently see folks wearing our classic cap.  So then I usually yell "Go Blue" loudly.  My voice volumn depends on the amount of grog consumed  on the last flight.

I get less than a 50% response, which tells me that they love the cap as a sartorial addition but they have no idea what is behind it.

Go figure.

It is really great to have that Friday feeling with a game the next day.  The weather shoud be great.

I ran the Chicago Marathon wearing a Block M singlet from the UM Running Club and probably heard "Go Blue!" a thousand times.  Lots of people wear their names on the jersey so people can cheer for them, but the block M is way better -- I knew they were talking to me, people yell it enthusiastically, and its great to hear the support. It is simply fantastic.

Plus, I ended up running next to a guy wearing an ND singlet and got to talk lots of smack to him (this was right when we had beaten them a few years in a row, including that year). 

I have met Michigan fans all over the Caribbean, including an MGoBlogger that was staying at the same little hotel that we were staying (one room over, NDSux)at one island. It's pretty cool.

I was driving from Cleveland to the 'natti and stopped at a Cracker Barrel in C-bus.  It was mid Oct ('02 or '03), and a gameday in Columbus.  Of course I had on some Michigan gear.  A couple older fellas at the table behind were talking junk about UM loud enough so I could hear it. The meal was good and nothing exciting happened.  When I got the check the waitress wrote, "Go Blue" on it.  We got to talking and it turns out her dad was an alum (like mine).  She was excited to see someone wearing Michigan gear in enemy territory.  She got a nice tip, care of my employer of course.

I once got half a dozen lap dances while wearing this t-shirt.  Did I do that right?

Talin, Estonia ran into a fellow alumnus, both wearing our block M hats.

is a mermaid and while helping her during a kids birthday party I see one of the parents is decked out in a Michigan shirt and hat.  so I say "go blue".  he just looks at me and walks away.  I was flummoxed. 

Was hiking in the Tetons a couple years ago with my Michigan hat on and got several "Go Blue"s along the way.

Hey @Othernel,  

 

Where in Costa Rica did you watch the game? I'm there now and looking for a place for the weekend. Thanks!