Why are you cheering for Ohio State?

[Lizzizzie]

I came here out of convenience (I'm from Sylvania: suburb of Toledo) and thought orange and brown were gross when I came.

That must mean you went to Northview

Good observation

Haha, nice deduction!

[billchase2]

i am LOVING this article... way to go lizzie!

it's funny, my mom actually emailed me today about this article. i've talked to my parents numerous times about this exact thing and she and i had talked about writing something like this for the BGNews. ends up that she actually thought i'd written the article until she read the name at the bottom! haha

[Shakeatailfeather04]

It's not even JUST about athletics or just about football, either.

This OSU crap is just indicative of the bigger problem.
It's more about the spirit issue in general. The people who don't enjoy themselves here and don't have any BG pride are the ones that sit around and do nothing all the time, whereas plenty of us are active on campus, grow to love BG, and then naturally want to scream sport our BG apparel and support the athletes at games. That's sort of what I'm trying to inspire.

I came here out of convenience (I'm from Sylvania: suburb of Toledo) and thought orange and brown were gross when I came. I'm the first in my family to come here. I was trying to urge younger kids to FIND something to be excited about/proud of, because if you find something you enjoy, the BG pride & spirit develop naturally.

Exactly! A lot of times when people find out I went to Bowling Green, they make comments like "There's nothing in that town!" or the ever popular "But it's so flat!" Then I launch into how much I absolutely love everything about this school, and the reason that I love it so much is because I got out and was active on campus. If you're sitting in your room bored while you're a student here, it's your own fault. There is a ton to love about BG and it's not hard to find!

I remember when I was a senior, and still buying BG apparel, my mom said "You better stop buying that, you're not going to wear it after you graduate." Wrong! I proudly sport my orange and brown all the time, including my "LT" necklace. And when I'm in Columbus I always try to find an opportunity to wear my "Beat The Buckeyes" t-shirt

[mmisbg]

If I wasn't engaged, I would definitely try to find this girl.

[jpfalcon09]

It's not even JUST about athletics or just about football, either.

This OSU crap is just indicative of the bigger problem.
It's more about the spirit issue in general. The people who don't enjoy themselves here and don't have any BG pride are the ones that sit around and do nothing all the time, whereas plenty of us are active on campus, grow to love BG, and then naturally want to scream sport our BG apparel and support the athletes at games. That's sort of what I'm trying to inspire.

I came here out of convenience (I'm from Sylvania: suburb of Toledo) and thought orange and brown were gross when I came. I'm the first in my family to come here. I was trying to urge younger kids to FIND something to be excited about/proud of, because if you find something you enjoy, the BG pride & spirit develop naturally.

Exactly! A lot of times when people find out I went to Bowling Green, they make comments like "There's nothing in that town!" or the ever popular "But it's so flat!" Then I launch into how much I absolutely love everything about this school, and the reason that I love it so much is because I got out and was active on campus. If you're sitting in your room bored while you're a student here, it's your own fault. There is a ton to love about BG and it's not hard to find!

I remember when I was a senior, and still buying BG apparel, my mom said "You better stop buying that, you're not going to wear it after you graduate." Wrong! I proudly sport my orange and brown all the time, including my "LT" necklace. And when I'm in Columbus I always try to find an opportunity to wear my "Beat The Buckeyes" t-shirt

Lizzie's a cool girl, she dates the captain of the club hockey team, Sam Spurlin so I've seen her around the rink a lot. Again, what a wonderful article, I think I e-mailed the link to about 20 people on this campus and they've all had great things to say about it.

[BleedOrange]

This is my all-time favorite AZZ thread.

I went to BG from '85-'89, and the attitudes described are EXACTLY as they were then. There was this pervasive sense of disinterest and even disdain for Falcon sports in relation to the Big Ten. Many students, whose perceptions were shaped completely by media hype and not at all by hard information, viewed Falcon sports in a completely different light as the Big Ten.

Like a cultural force, this mindset of disinterest has been passed along from one BGSU incoming class to another to another to another. I saw the issue then, and it's distressing how it has lost no steam whatsoever. I wish the university and student groups would recognize this as an very significant issue that costs the university dearly. Who knows what could be done, but acknowledging it formally would be a good start.

What is most tragic is the college experience that BG students miss out on. One of my college friends had transferred in from Purdue. She said that the one thing she really missed about Purdue was the spirit. We don't have the campus wide camaraderie or unified identity that comes from rallying around our sports teams. By rights, we could and should have the type campus spirit that other schools have, but we don't. We have football and basketball programs, but our students don't embrace them, and it's mainly out of total ignorance.

I have the same disgust for OSU fans that most of you have. Whenever I can, I give OSU fans hell.
"So, you're an OSU fan, huh?"

"Daaarrrr, yup."

"Um hmm. Did you actually GO to Ohio State"

"...No." (puzzled).

"So WHY are you an Ohio State fan? Where did you go to school?"
Blah blah "...I just like Ohio State..." yada yada "...I'm an Ohioan...." dabadabadaba "...darrr, Go Bucks!..."

"Right. So, essentially, you have no more ties to the school than the average Ohio redneck, correct? You're basically a bandwagon jumper? You fall in line with the 9 million other mindless, bug-eyed, drooling Ohio zombies." (Playfully, I say this with a smile to avoid being punched or being referred to HR.)

If they don't simply shrug their shoulders and admit to what I just said, then that is when the real fun kicks in. It is here where the OSU fan starts saying really stupid s**t that I can continue ridiculing. At some point, they'll rag on BG along the lines of "who gives a rip about BG? They don't play for national championships."


(Doing my best Clint Eastwood) Well, unlike you, punk, I actually root for the school that I attended. My school, unlike OSU, has to compete for everything that it gets: funding, players, coaches, public attention. Unlike you, my school doesn't doesn't have an athletic budget larger than the GDP of most 3rd world nations. Unlike OSU, my school is not endowed as the defacto media darling, but instead continually faces an unearned media stigma that feeds on itself. My school sometimes wins, sometimes doesn't. Yet, I remain loyal to something that's part of me and my family. That means something. On the other hand, your being an OSU fan is just dull and it doesn't mean s**t."


It has always creeped me out how seemingly EVERYBODY in Ohio roots for Ohio State.

[jpfalcon09]

I'd love to show all the current students a tape of the day ESPN came to BG for Gameday. Students complain about a big time atmosphere, that day showed that even in lil' ol' Bowling Green, big things can and do happen. The pride shown that day by the BG students will forever be the benchmark that this university will hold on them. I'm sure a good deal of current students probably don't even know it happened, but in my mind it's an important part of this university's history and should be held in a high regard in terms of student interest.

[h2oville rocket]

Back in the day my midget football coach planned to take us all to see OSU play after our season. My dad suggested going to see UT-BG as it would be cheaper, a rivalry game and excellent football. Not interested. Had to be OSU to really show the kids what college football was like.

I was unimpressed by the stadium at OSU and the game was a boring blowout of a bad Iowa team. I was very glad I wasn't paying to see that game. My dad felt bad so he took me to the GB to see UT-Miami. Much more like it- I had a ball. There is much to be said about football where the tail isn't wagging the dog. Since then I've been to hundreds of UT, BG and other MAC games, meets, etc. Went back to OSU for the state track meet and a couple invitationals in HS and college. That's it. And I'm perfectly happy.

My niece gave me an OSU t-shirt for X-mas (she attended). I tell her I wear it all the time. I don't tell her I wear it to paint the house and I wear it inside out. I think she suspects, though.

[bobio]

Hey SicSic 80. If I recall, you are a michigan fan!!! Shots for shots?

[BGFalconfromCincy]

Anyone else start to laugh when the "your from Ohio you have to cheer for OSU" line comes up. I mean if we use that logic wouldn't we have to cheer for Ohio University as well, and by no means am I doing that.

[Schadenfreude]

Anyone else start to laugh when the "your from Ohio you have to cheer for OSU" line comes up. I mean if we use that logic wouldn't we have to cheer for Ohio University as well, and by no means am I doing that.

That's an interesting point.

Next time, I hear about how Ohio State is Ohio's team, I'll have to launch into a monologue about Bobcat football, and then stop and ask: "You do follow the Ohio Bobcats, right?"

[SicSic80]

Hey SicSic 80. If I recall, you are a michigan fan!!! Shots for shots?

WOW......you talk about a small world!! What say we run down to dirty Don's and then commence shots 4 shots.

Firstly - born in Michigan so I am a proud U of M fan.
Secondly - raised in BG so I will forever bleed orange and brown!!
Thirdly - based on first two and all of the afore-mentioned attitudes, I will forever loathe the Buck-nuts!
Lastly - does your big bro still work @ OSU and does he ever visit this board?
Lastly +1 - see you Saturday, maybe at the Freak's tailgate?

[Lizzizzie]

Anyone else start to laugh when the "your from Ohio you have to cheer for OSU" line comes up. I mean if we use that logic wouldn't we have to cheer for Ohio University as well, and by no means am I doing that.

It doesn't make sense to me, either. I'm from Ohio. (Sylvania). But if we're talking geography, I live closer to Ann Arbor and Detroit than any of Ohio's teams. So we tend to be U of M/Tigers/Lions/Pistons (oh my) fans. I usually use that argument if the "you live in Ohio" line is used.

[Lord_Byron]

Anyone else start to laugh when the "your from Ohio you have to cheer for OSU" line comes up. I mean if we use that logic wouldn't we have to cheer for Ohio University as well, and by no means am I doing that.

It doesn't make sense to me, either. I'm from Ohio. (Sylvania). But if we're talking geography, I live closer to Ann Arbor and Detroit than any of Ohio's teams. So we tend to be U of M/Tigers/Lions/Pistons (oh my) fans. I usually use that argument if the "you live in Ohio" line is used.

Lizzie, you wrote a great column, and has been mentioned, the message should be repeated each year to incoming freshmen.

Part of the problem with the whole tOSU thing is that people in Ohio have a lot of civic pride in their state. We're taught from a young age about the US Presidents from Ohio, Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, the Wright Brothers, etc.

For example, James Thurber always would brag up Ohio in conversations with colleagues. Finally one asked, "If Ohio is so great, why did you leave?" Thurber answered, "Too much competition."

So the extension of this is that people throughout the state associate tOSU with their sense of civic pride in their state. I guess, I can't fault that.

The progeny of those people attend the other fine institutions in our state and feel that turning their back on tOSU is the equivalent of turning their back on Ohio.

So, all the rational discussion in the world won't cause them to drop their love of tOSU since they became fans at a visceral level. As is often said, "You can't reason a man out of a belief he wasn't reasoned into."

For me, I was one of those people who cheered for BG but still wanted tOSU to be successful because of the above reasons. That changed during the 1978 Gator Bowl when Woody Hayes punched Charlie Bauman in the throat during the game. When tOSU fans subsequently defended the action, I was done with them forever.

[1987alum]

Anyone else start to laugh when the "your from Ohio you have to cheer for OSU" line comes up. I mean if we use that logic wouldn't we have to cheer for Ohio University as well, and by no means am I doing that.

That's an interesting point.

Next time, I hear about how Ohio State is Ohio's team, I'll have to launch into a monologue about Bobcat football, and then stop and ask: "You do follow the Ohio Bobcats, right?"

Keep a camera handy. The looks on their faces will be priceless.