The whine factor is up from the Wolverine faithful this week – for instance. Generally you hear 3 things – the OSU/Columbus fans are awful; OSU fans are obsessed with Michigan; it is just one of several rivalry games for Michigan and not that big a deal.
My view:
* Like Men of the Scarlet and Gray, I’m tired of the “Ooh, Columbus is disgusting” thread and not going to deal with it anymore. Columbus is an urban area, when urban crowds and alcohol and events mix, shit happens. It is not about Ohio – look at Detroit after Pistons championships, or around Halloween. Judgement goes out the window when mobs form and alcohol flows. Obviously the university and city need to do their best to stem the craziness, but this is not something deep in the DNA of Ohio residents and doesn’t reflect the behaviour of most fans. If you don’t like it, don’t go to big sporting events in big urban areas. * You call it obsession, I call it focus. Focus always wins. And why would you not focus on this game? Winning generally means at least a part of the Big10 championship, a trip at least to the Rose Bowl, and perhaps a shot at a national championship. To not focus on this game would be irresponsible. * Just another rivalry game? So that is why it is always the last game of the season, and why national media have crowned it the top rivalry in sports, etc. You can call it just another rivalry game like an MSU game or ND game if you want – but go read that focus point again.
Just doing this as a public service. The whining doesn’t bother me. It just shows how deep OSU is in the heads of the Michigan community, and contributes to performance anxiety in next year’s game.
