Whom Have You Converted to the Wolverines?
I only became a Michigan fan in 2011 when I was accepted into graduate school there. I have no prior connections whatsoever to the school or even the state. Since that time, though, I have converted my entire family -- including my sister's family that lives in SEC Country -- and my best friend.
I've been plying my niece and nephews with Michigan-themed gifts and I took my best friend to a football game and a basketball game. We now have a yearly tradition of going to either the @Maryland game or the @Rutgers game and we recently attended the Big Ten Tournament.
Whom have you converted? And how did you convert them? Any good stories?
EDIT: Thank you to MGoViso for the typo catch. I've always had difficulties with "who" vs. "whom."
When we started dating, we were looking for things we had in common. She liked basketball (having played in high school), I liked Michigan (but was mostly a football guy who followed the basketball team off and on), so we started watching Michigan bastketball. She was a nominal Ohio State fan (being from Ohio, except actually Toledo, which is basically Michigan), and her whole family is Ohio State fans. She wasn't really into football though, so she didn't inherit the deepest roots of the rivalry.
Anyway, we started watching Michigan basketball during the wonderful run of the 2010-2011 Morris/Novak/Douglas/Hardaway/Smotrycz/Morgan team. Initially, she tried to watch team without becoming a fan, but she developed a mad crush on both John Beilein and Jordan Morgan. Eventually, she had to admit that she was a Michigan basketball fan; the team was just too likable and easy to root for. We missed watching a couple of minor non-conference games the next year. But since B1G conference play started Trey Burke's freshman year, we've watched every single Michigan basketball game: exhibition, non-conference, B1G: all of them. It's our thing.
Well, the kids are fully indoctrinated, and my wife - who grew up in Chicago and followed Northwestern athletics - now cheers for Michigan at games, even when we're playing Northwestern. Outside of that, I've not had a lot of opportunities, quite honestly - perhaps I am not trying nearly as hard as I should on this front though.
3 new fans to our base in the past 5 years 1 son and 2 daughters plus My wife is a Mercyhurst Grad so unless we play in Hockey she is all Maize and Blue. My mom used to like Penn State because my dad went there but that changed.
This reminds me. My best friend and I met in college at a school known for lacrosse. Michigan's ascendance in lacrosse has caused some tension-lol
I converted when I enrolled, and subsequently infected my dad, 3 kids, and sort of converted 2 wives. First wife denounced M post-divorce, so she can't really be considered a true convert. Second wife was already somewhat of an M bball fan courtesy of the Fab 5 (part of how I knew she was a keeper), but I converted her to a full fledged M fan. I don't think she really became a true fan, though, until the end of The Game this year, when for the first time she felt in her heart the pain of losing.
Ive been unsuccessfully working my dad for 30 some years. Somehow he manages to be a fan of Michigan, Michigan State, & Notre Dame. I don't understand it. I've had no luck in changing it.
First, it wouldn't be a real MGoThread if no one pointed out that the OP title should be "whom have you converted"...
I guess you could say I converted my wife. More of a revival, to borrow more of the religious terminology. She grew up in a M-crazy household but didn't really have it as part of her core (i.e. didn't have a debilitating emotional dependency on football wins). Back before we were engaged, I sent her a link to Bo's "the team" speech the day before an OSU game, and she said listening to Bo finally helped her connect the depth of meaning that we crazies tend to find in this program.
Beyond that, I have taken some friends from cold or neutral towards U-M to considering the Wolverines a 2nd/3rd/4th team to root for and enjoy. No out-and-out converts to my name though - guess I better spread the Gospel according to Jim.
My fiance was a Spartan fan, but she enjoyed watching sports with me and hated watching MSU play this season, so she crossed over. It might be related to some sort of Pavolovian response, too, since I'm definitely more DTF when UM wins.
In chronological order....
1) My cousin Kirt. I was about 9 years old, he was 8. His dad was a Sparty. Took me about a month .
2) My childhood neighbor Chuck. Same age for me (9). He was 10. His dad was also a Sparty. Took a few years.
3) My buddy Mike. We were about 12-ish. Again, his dad was a Sparty. Took about a year. He converted back to Sparty in his Junior year at MSU. Not sure if he counts ?
4) Looong dry spell
5) My wife. She was raised among Sparties. I loved her, so I didn't care what her affiliation was. We attended an M-vs-MSU hockey game during our courtship, she witnessed as a rabid Sparty & his wife(!) tried to pick-a-fight with me. This did not go over well with her(my wife). The following Fall we attended an M-vs-MSU football game at the dumpster, she witnessed as many, many, many Sparties launched verbal assaults upon me for about 3 straight hours. This did not go over well with her either. As we exited that game she said "MSU is dead to me" :)
6) My 3 sons. I did not set out to brain-wash them. I simply continued to be a Michigan fan. This involved attending various Michigan football, basketball, hockey, & baseball games with them in tow. (also wrestling meets). All 3 are Blue for life. My oldest is speading the gospel among his co-workers in Nashville TN.
7) All of my future Grandchildren , which will be the most fun of all :)
My wife has no connection to Michigan besides my love of the state and university. She grew up watching gymnastics as her favorite sport. The guys in her family are hardcore Kansas fans (dad is an alum), but she is Michigan now. I usually make her some flash cards before the season so she can learn names of new players.
My next friend in middle school. He married a Sparty and now has a divided house and one senior headed to the good guys next year. I'll count him too!
I started watching football with my friend during the Denard days, so she got somewhat interested because of him, but it wasn't until Harbaugh that she became a true convert. She was a 49er fan, so it was easy to convince her to transfer her affections to Michigan.
My sister is 8 years younger than me, so by the time she started watching sports around 8 or 9 years old, I was already in high school and an avid Wolverine fan. She never stood a shot.
Then my best friend (he's gonna be my best man in my wedding next year), he didn't really care either way, but over the last five years he's become a die hard Michigan fan just because that's whats on when he comes over on Saturdays.
When I lived in Detroit I was always gifting and passing Michigan gear down to my youngest brother. Now it makes gamedays fun with all of us going back and forth on Facebook and Twitter. Also, shopping for gifts a lot more fun, though I do need to find the goods online. Here in St. Louis, the stores are full of stuff for Mizzou and Illinois while they live in southern Indiana where IU and ND are the big schools.
Converted me ma! (in Brad Pitt voice from Snatch...nevermind) She graduated from the nursing program at Michigan State. Now when Michigan games get stressful she can barely watch, Dad says she goes out of the room.
Oh yeah, and me pa too! He graduated from West Texas State University. All Michigan now. Downside though, he raised me a Dallas Cowboys fan. Yeah, that gets me a lot of shit from everywhere.
Also..my brother and both of my sisters....all 100% blue.
I met the MGoWife while we were both students at Michigan, so all our kids are completely brainwashed. Whoever gets the green cup at dinner time gets all kinds of hell for it, and "Buckeye" is a word not spoken.
for the school of engineering the last 2 years. I've convinced at least 4 of those kids that Michigan is the right school for them. One young man interviewed with me and then talked to my wife at a local college recruiting event a few weeks later. He has gushed to both of us about how great Michigan is and how happy he is that he got accepted. He's loving his freshman year.
Wife isn't much of a sports fan, but she's always on my side. The only team she followed as a kid was the Geelong Cats. She'll almost never watch football unless she thinks it will be a close game.
My buddy Dan is married to a Badger and loves going to Wisconsin games, but we went to a game in A2 and he loved it. (jump around looks pretty fun, and there aren't marshmallow fights, or Bullwinkle goofyness anymore at the stadium.) M is clearly his second favorite team.
My friend Mark visited UM with me in high school and we ran onto the field when Mike Gillette kicked a last second FG to beat Iowa in a revenge game. He went to a different school out east, but stayed true to blue. (True story bro) No need to convert.
He now roots for Michigan in all games when they do not play ND.
N.B. this still doesn't actually make sense to me.
My mom was never a sports fan to begin with but she changed because she felt sorry for me. I am the only fan in the whole family, including extended family (all OSU fans). She doesn't know the players but she will watch and wear the gear.
of 30 years now (knock on wood) and his Canadian wife. He converted during one of his many trips up to see me during college. He's not as big a sport fan as she is. It's so funny, because it's her that gets invited to the games and we drop him off at the bar. I've gotten them to a Men's Lacrosse game and Softball games. Shes' a big fan of the Softball team. My ex- boyfriend, who now lives in Bradenton, FL.... down the street from IMG so he is always getting M gear in the mail and texts reminding him to wear his gear during recruiting season. And lastly my current FB+. He's my usual companion to the the home games and has went with me to the Maryland away game, the Iowa away game and most recently the Orange Bowl.
I'm coming at this from the other side of the equation. I grew up in Oregon and went to college (in the early 1980s) near Chicago. My only real connection to M was that my high school fight song was Hail to The Victors (with lyrics slightly adjusted to fit the school). Throughout my adulthood, though, I kept meeting Michigan fans who were intelligent, eloquent, funny, and engaging. I kind of liked the school on their behalf.
Then I met KansasBlue, who is one of my closest friends to this day. He sent me a few links to mgoblog articles, and I was completely hooked. Oh, and how can I not love Jim Harbaugh? After all, he's the most interesting man in the universe. :-)
Thanks, mgoblog, for taking me in. Go blue!
March 31st, 2017 at 11:47 PM ^
March 31st, 2017 at 10:05 PM ^
My son was too easy. Ex went to msu but I took him to one game (stupid Akron game no less) and it was all over after that even if he thinks UM creamed them.
Best of all - my old neighbor who happened to have graduated from Seton Hall. We've been to 3 football games and he sings the fight song now too. Very proud of that one.
March 31st, 2017 at 11:43 PM ^
My wife went to LSU. Her family is all die hard LSU fans. They are all Michigan fans now as well.
You're welcome.
March 31st, 2017 at 11:45 PM ^