Why do we care so much?
As the year comes to a close and many of us begin (or finalize) thoughts about how 2018 went, I found myself thinking a good bit during yesterday’s game about why I (and, by extension, we) invest so much time, money, energy, and caring into the outcome of a game played by 18-23 year olds.
It was a pretty metaphysical question for me, and one that has been there for me all fall in a year with a lot of life changes. What I realized is that despite all that has changed, my love of Michigan football remains and only seems to get stronger, no matter how the team actually does. Yet I am honestly not 100% sure I can put my finger on “why” beyond that it’s a connection that spans the seasons of life, and one that I hope to pass on and enjoy with my children, which really isn’t impacted that much by whether we win or lose.
With so much negativity on the board, I thought it would be a good opportunity to hear why the members of our community here all pour so much time, caring, effort, and money into the game and team we love. In part to answer my own “why”, but also to hear the inspiration of others’.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:26 PM ^
I don't care
I'll rip your eyes out and piss on your brain
December 30th, 2018 at 9:31 PM ^
It’s posts like this and posters like you that made me include the word “community”. I miss so many from our original days who don’t post anymore. Thanks for the chuckle!
December 31st, 2018 at 10:45 AM ^
Comrade Clarence, I've been wondering the same thing. I moved to Austin a few years ago, and the negativity combined with the offensive mediocrity has led me to wonder whether or not I should, at the very least, raise my children to be Texas fans rather than Michigan fans. At least Texas has beaten Oklahoma on a reasonably frequent basis, and has played in the national championship game more than once in my lifetime. Since 1994, Texas has even won two Rose Bowls, while we've only won one.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:32 PM ^
.
yes
.
December 31st, 2018 at 2:15 AM ^
Well done Bando. Well done.
.
yes
.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:34 PM ^
December 30th, 2018 at 9:29 PM ^
I wish I didn't care So much.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:29 PM ^
For me it's precisely the opposite. The older I get, the less I find myself investing my energy into the outcome of a game played by college students.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:35 PM ^
Same. Back in the 70's i was like a mini WD in terms of my emotions when M lost to OSU or especially in the Rose Bowl (we never lost to MSU). I was a mess for days.
Nowdays it's just "oh well that sucked..what do you want to do for dinner" and that's about it.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:53 PM ^
My sentiments exactly.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:32 PM ^
Says the guy that felt the need to tell the board that he gave up his season tickets because of the teams performance no less than a thousand times a few yrs ago.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:48 PM ^
You do realize, even in your very angry state, that the act of giving up season tickets supports, not diminishes, the point i was making about caring less right?
December 30th, 2018 at 11:18 PM ^
Angry? Not so much. And keep telling me how much you care less over and over and over again on a Michigan sports blog at 11:00pm on a Sunday night. You do realize how ridiculous that is, right?
December 31st, 2018 at 1:41 AM ^
What is your point? He clearly stated that he cares LESS. Not that he doesn't care at all.
December 31st, 2018 at 8:21 AM ^
The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:36 PM ^
Teach me the way. I can’t go to games anymore. I yell things I’d never yell. Think things I’d never think. I need to disassociate myself and move the fuck on.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:35 PM ^
It’s the opposite for me. I remember watching Bo in the Rose Bowl at 9 years old, I remember the national title as a teenager. I cared when I was younger, but not like now.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:51 PM ^
Same, Bando.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:01 PM ^
Yep, I used to throw shit and let a loss ruin my day. Hit my 30’s and realized it just isn’t worth it. I still watch and root for my teams, but def on a more relaxed basis. It is more frustrating that anything for me. UM has the resources and JH has the pedigree. Things should be better. We shouldn’t still be making excuses. UM will never be like Alabama or most SEC schools, but the team should be able to beat OSU on occasion and play in the conference championship game on a consistent basis.
December 31st, 2018 at 2:07 PM ^
It helps a little when you look at Bama and Clemson over the weekend and realize Michigan will probably never reach that level because A) it is not in the south and B) it has standards for admissions and places relatively rigid expectations on the players to attend classes and pass them.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:11 PM ^
My first real memory of Michigan football was the OSU game in '73 (yeah, that one). I wore a Michigan football shirt to school pretty much every fall Friday for the rest of elementary and middle school. I had pictures of Butch Woolfolk taped to my science folder in high school (along with some Bob Ufer quotes). I've been in this for the long run.
I turned 54 a couple of days ago and I FINALLY find myself caring less than I did when I was 10. Michigan NEVER got beat down during my first 35 years of fandom. Now it happens in back-to-back games. I don't really count RichRod losing his final three games by 20, 30 and 38 (I was there for that Gator Bowl debacle).
The bottom line is, at least for me, it's getting harder and harder to care. $7M coaches can't win a division title. Players choose not to participate in bowl games (I don't necessarily blame them). It's just not the same as it used to be. Now......GET OF MY LAWN!
December 30th, 2018 at 10:35 PM ^
Same Bando.
It's actually sort of odd. I consume the same amount of Michigan football information/recruiting/analysis as always. But I've been able to let the losses slide off my back much much more easily than I did up until about the age of 30. I think moving to California had something to do with it. But also having to find a way to cope with RR/Hoke from a survial standpoint was also a factor.
I also have found enjoyment in attending several non-Michigan games over the years, usually big/important games. I think this is evidence that I just enjoy the event in general just as much as the actual games. It's also nice to go to a big/important game without any nerves, LSU/UGA and LSU/Bama this year for example.
Another thing that I have begun doing is just turning off games when I get too nervous/mad to watch them. I record them, then just track on gamecast. If thing turn around I will tune back in. If not then I feel like I am the smartest person in the world for having avoided the bullshit. For example I only really watched about the first quarter and a half of the Florida game and am happy about that. Worst example was not watching one second of the MSU game during Hoke's last season. I would have never dreamed I'd do that when I was younger.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:32 PM ^
The existential Michigan fandom bullshit needs to stop. Jesus Christ, grow up, root for your team and know that if you focus on negative shit your team will never, ever make you happy. Can the team get better? Sure, obviously, but fuck off with this nonsense. Start a garden if this struggle and fun isn’t worth it.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:34 PM ^
To be abundantly clear, I meant this post in the opposite of questioning fandom. I thought that was pretty clear, but alas... I’m sorry that, despite my best efforts, I wasn’t articulate enough. I’ll try better next time.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:19 PM ^
What does it all mean, Basil?
December 30th, 2018 at 10:02 PM ^
I do have a garden but everything dies off in late fall, much like the hopes of the football program.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:33 PM ^
The helmets.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:36 PM ^
Finally an honest answer to a simple question.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:35 PM ^
Because we'll all be dead soon and this is one of our favorite distractions?
December 31st, 2018 at 11:49 AM ^
Enjoy Arby’s
December 30th, 2018 at 9:35 PM ^
It's a tribe.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:39 PM ^
Some people on here have said it will change as I get older but as I've gotten older and basically grown up on this site (I joined when I was 13), the stakes have just gotten higher and the level of focus has gotten so much higher for me personally.
As I've said, I think the people having meltdowns and wanting a new head coach are clueless but they have a right to feel that way because we all expected to have more than just a Citrus Bowl trophy and half of a division trophy by now.
My advice to you guys: go out there and experience other Michigan Athletics.
There's so many other great teams here that win championships on a yearly basis. You will find happiness and a new hobby if you extend your fandom to other sports beyond Football.
December 31st, 2018 at 2:12 AM ^
The women’s sports are meaningless.
December 31st, 2018 at 3:21 PM ^
Maybe to you they are.
December 31st, 2018 at 10:34 AM ^
So can we at least acknowledge that you did/do at one time have a bulldog?
Also, you're very much the exception around here when it comes to lots of stuff. I don't think most people are going to find happiness by watching womens field hockey. I'm glad some are able to do that, but you're wired a bit differently than most.
December 31st, 2018 at 3:19 PM ^
I've never had a dog. Where I lived when I was a kid we could not have dogs. Now when I come back to visit my parents people across the road have a dog for emotional reasons i.e depression. Could've used that. Would've been a lot easier growing up.
The board crashed multiple times in 2015 during Michigan Softball's run in the World Series and they provided happiness in a season where each of the Big 3 failed to make the postseason.
To each their own. I'm just saying to give it a try. You might like it and learn things.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:41 PM ^
Because my heart is too full of love and I share my gift with the world.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:45 PM ^
I find myself being upset by the outcome less and less. But, I still get excited for college football Saturdays. For me, it is a nostalgia, getting the same feeling I got when I was on campus getting ready to go tailgate. Something that keeps me connected to those years in college that I would live over in a second. There is nothing like college and nothing like a college football Saturday.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:47 PM ^
It's the internet, stupid.
People come on blogs and message boards because they are the MOST avid fans. They need an outlet. They are not normal people who go about their lives in rational ways. If they do, they come here to read, discuss--but are soon chased away because boards like this are for ONLY the most apologetic or the most negative. To love unconditionally and to vent endlessly.
It's also because the internet message board is for those who need an identity. Most pose as a graduate (also posing as one who has more than an undergraduate degree) for credibility and for a place to find friends.
Again, you're dealing with abnormal people for the most part. That's why they're here, and that's why they defend Michigan to the death (it's a large part of their made up self), and that's why they vent endlessly (same reason--and the usual disappointments).
And what places like this do is also to create a reality check. Alot of the people here are all over the internets searching for articles about Michigan and they post them here. Again, either vindication of the made up self, or more refutation of it--the articles that are critical create a mob mentality of "That guy's a dick anyway" in threads where the avid fans can unite in their hatred of those who dare attack old state U.
It's quite simple: "We" care so much because we are here, trying to find our sense of self on a message board because these are the only people who understand and tolerate us.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:48 PM ^
I grew up on Michigan football — Rick Leach attended my high school and we all watched him lead UM. Blue collar parents who never attended college and who never went to a game until I attended but rooted for Michigan football while I was growing up - Ufer on the radio with my dad was the best. I graduated form UM and made several lifelong friends as well as my wife, a fellow Michigan grad while an undergrad. Attended every home game for 4 years (football) as well as several road trips to MSU and OSU. My oldest did her undergrad and grad school there. My other two took other roads for college — yet bleed blue for football. Took all of my kids to multiple games, including a bowl game. Still attend a couple of games a year, as well as block time to watch on tv. As silly as it may sound, it is in my blood. All of my kids have inherited the passion for Michigan football. My two best friends from undergrad continue to bond over over UM when we attend games together and through texting in games. Many of us I believe bleed blue and want to see our school beat our rivals and not be embarrassed. I care because of the part that Michigan has played in my life. It is a part of who many of us are. Go Blue.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:49 PM ^
I love Michigan and chocolate and Mackinac Island.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:49 PM ^
Cause and stuff
December 30th, 2018 at 9:51 PM ^
I’ve become much less intense as a fan over the past couple of years and also questioned why I bother at all. But the answer is simple: Michigan is my tribe. I’ve been rooting for the Wolverines with my mom (a U of M grad) for most of my life. And now I’ve been posting with you guys and gals for more than a decade. I would feel like I was abandoning my tribe if I left it behind all together. And I don’t want to be an abandoner!
Also, the Michigan Athletic Department sends me $100 for every “fuck” I say during a game.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:57 PM ^
You win.
December 31st, 2018 at 4:26 AM ^
Also, the Michigan Athletic Department sends me $100 for every “fuck” I say during a game.
I wish they really did this. By the end of the season, I could pay Harbaugh's salary all by myself.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:52 PM ^
It's easier to get invested now that when we were younger. When I was a kid, you could see most of the games on TV if you were home in time watch them or tape it on the VCR. If you missed it, you'd see the snippet on sportscenter or read about it in the paper on Sunday.
Now there's a constant stream of deep dive analysis in places like this very blog, podcasts galore, the B1G network, the crystal balls of the whims of 16, 17, and 18 year olds. There's the insiders to follow, spring game and practice hype, and the Space Coyotes breaking down the game theory and play structures. There's redshirt trackers and million other ways to spend far too much of our free time studying exactly why it is we lost 2-3 games the year before and theorize the ways we need to change to lose 0-1 games next year.
Even if the wins and losses excite and bother you more/less than they used to, the casual fandom investment level is much higher. I think we feel like we can all see if we just ran tempo, beefed up the 0-Line and ran more zone on D we'd be undefeated next year!!!!!! Until we lose a couple games and have to go back to drawing board to come up with the surefire fixes for 2020.
December 30th, 2018 at 11:52 PM ^
Good point. I think it starts as a kid just watching games for fun. Then when you start to read articles about players you watch more intently then you read more articles and go into deeper analysis, then you watch with more focus and tape the game so you can rewatch until you get to the point where you watch every single play one by one while reading UFR. It's just the snowball effect.
December 30th, 2018 at 9:52 PM ^
It's all about perspective, I love Michigan football and I always will, but there are things in my life more important.
We root for a team that has more history and prestige than most teams in college football.
Trust me there is a lot of fan bases that would kill to win 10 games a year and go to a major bowl every season.
December 30th, 2018 at 10:06 PM ^
Because sports have been my entire life. I was a successful player, a successful coach and an educated fan. When I was a young child, I guess that’s what I chose subconsciously to have my niche be. And all I’ve known is Michigan athletics, every single one of my loved ones was a big Michigan fan, and so I followed suit. It’s the feelings and the anticipation of everything Michigan football. I probably care too much, but its just how I am wired. I have other hobbies I enjoy, but Michigan football, literally every aspect of it, is my “thing”. And I think a lot people care so much (myself included) because it was their dream to play for the Maize and Blue. And when players and coaches seem to take it for granted or don’t seem to care, we get jealous and lash out, because we think if we were in that position, we would never fail. Fan is short for fanatic, but I wouldn’t trade the big family U of M fans (crazy or not) for anything!
December 31st, 2018 at 2:35 AM ^
Well said.