I hate when people think they are cool for being anti- this or that. Obviously this guy is a douchebag looking for attention. Also mods if you think this belongs on the main board go ahead and move it.
Rivalry too overhyped
By: Tom Moosbrugger
Issue date: 11/18/05
Section: Opinion
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aragraph[0] = 'The official Beat Michigan Web site declares this "the greatest week of them all." For the same reason why it praises this week, I hate it. This week shows how we students have a ridiculous perspective on the entire game and the rivalry.
There are some positive aspects to Michigan week. Various philanthropic events try to balance out the prevalent misanthropic attitude towards Michigan. However, enthusiasm for victory often works against the few positives of the week. In the annual Ohio State-Michigan Blood Battle for the Red Cross, there is the superstition that the winner of the blood battle loses the game. For some winning the game trumps helping a good cause.
The shirts worn this week are tacky at best and reprehensible at worst. The staple, "Fuck Michigan" shirt is tactless, although better than the similar "Muck Fichigan" model. If you go out of your way to dress vulgarly and look like an ass, do not try feign being coy and polite about it. There is also the "Ann Arbor is a Whore" shirt. All our favorite shirts derogatory to Michigan have a strong misogynistic overtone, In the future, I imagine they will get even more outlandish. Someone should start a "Let\'s Anally Rape the Wolverines" line of shirts. Then at least he or she can profit from the insanity.
The entire rivalry with Michigan has become incredibly juvenile on our parts. Michigan has a hefty lead in the overall record, 57-38-6. To tie it up OSU needs to win every game until 2023. The bitterness of this rivalry on our side seems mostly due to jealousy. In an entire litany of ways, Michigan could be viewed as a superior school, in football and academics. While loyal to OSU, it still strikes me as odd how we villianize a school of comparable quality to our own from apparent envy.
The rivalry has become a problem for Ohio State due to several reasons. First, the school administration puts too much of an emphasis on this game. Whenever guests come to give large talks, like the author of Freakanomics this Monday, they are strongly encouraged, perhaps coerced, into pandering to the football fanatics. It is shallow, forced gesture and it detracts from academic programming. Likewise, university Web sites, like the one mentioned above, declare this as the best week of the year. Why any academic institution willingly subordinates itself to one of its extracurriculars, regardless of the money it rakes in, escapes me.
The great majority of the blame falls on every student and alumnus. The primary goal here is education, not sports. Everyone needs to remember that. The Michigan game is just a game. It is something that we can all enjoy, but only if we treat it with a certain degree of levity. Instead, we turn wholesome school pride into raging jingoism. Periodically, it flies right back in our face, in the form of burnt cars and depreciated degrees.
Good rivalries thrive on begrudgingly mutual respect, not slanders and idiocy. Michigan\'s athletes work hard just like our own team, and Michigan students do the same things that we do. Certainly, we want to best them, and we should. Our athletes should outclass them on the field, and more importantly, we fans should outclass Michigan students off the field. We want to give this rivalry renown, not notoriety. So cheer as loudly as you can for our guys, and feel free to harangue our worthy opponents. Just make sure to do it sportingly.
Tom Moosbrugger wears blue and yellow whenever he feels like it. Validate his point by sending angry emails to [email protected].
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<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>The official Beat Michigan Web site declares this "the greatest week of them all." For the same reason why it praises this week, I hate it. This week shows how we students have a ridiculous perspective on the entire game and the rivalry.
There are some positive aspects to Michigan week. Various philanthropic events try to balance out the prevalent misanthropic attitude towards Michigan. However, enthusiasm for victory often works against the few positives of the week. In the annual Ohio State-Michigan Blood Battle for the Red Cross, there is the superstition that the winner of the blood battle loses the game. For some winning the game trumps helping a good cause.
The shirts worn this week are tacky at best and reprehensible at worst. The staple, "Fuck Michigan" shirt is tactless, although better than the similar "Muck Fichigan" model. If you go out of your way to dress vulgarly and look like an ass, do not try feign being coy and polite about it. There is also the "Ann Arbor is a Whore" shirt. All our favorite shirts derogatory to Michigan have a strong misogynistic overtone, In the future, I imagine they will get even more outlandish. Someone should start a "Let's Anally Rape the Wolverines" line of shirts. Then at least he or she can profit from the insanity.
The entire rivalry with Michigan has become incredibly juvenile on our parts. Michigan has a hefty lead in the overall record, 57-38-6. To tie it up OSU needs to win every game until 2023. The bitterness of this rivalry on our side seems mostly due to jealousy. In an entire litany of ways, Michigan could be viewed as a superior school, in football and academics. While loyal to OSU, it still strikes me as odd how we villianize a school of comparable quality to our own from apparent envy.
The rivalry has become a problem for Ohio State due to several reasons. First, the school administration puts too much of an emphasis on this game. Whenever guests come to give large talks, like the author of Freakanomics this Monday, they are strongly encouraged, perhaps coerced, into pandering to the football fanatics. It is shallow, forced gesture and it detracts from academic programming. Likewise, university Web sites, like the one mentioned above, declare this as the best week of the year. Why any academic institution willingly subordinates itself to one of its extracurriculars, regardless of the money it rakes in, escapes me.
The great majority of the blame falls on every student and alumnus. The primary goal here is education, not sports. Everyone needs to remember that. The Michigan game is just a game. It is something that we can all enjoy, but only if we treat it with a certain degree of levity. Instead, we turn wholesome school pride into raging jingoism. Periodically, it flies right back in our face, in the form of burnt cars and depreciated degrees.
Good rivalries thrive on begrudgingly mutual respect, not slanders and idiocy. Michigan's athletes work hard just like our own team, and Michigan students do the same things that we do. Certainly, we want to best them, and we should. Our athletes should outclass them on the field, and more importantly, we fans should outclass Michigan students off the field. We want to give this rivalry renown, not notoriety. So cheer as loudly as you can for our guys, and feel free to harangue our worthy opponents. Just make sure to do it sportingly.
Tom Moosbrugger wears blue and yellow whenever he feels like it. Validate his point by sending angry emails to [email protected].
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