Apparently, “Ohio State lost big”:http://www.lordjabez.net/blog/?p=253 yesterday. And apparently, it’s a “sore subject”:http://www.scalzi.com/whatever/004761.html for a lot of Buckeye fans. I’ve never really understood sports fanaticism. I lived in Ohio for a number of years, and I know how seriously those folks take their OSU sports team, especially where it comes to football. Anyone ever heard of the classic OSU/Michigan rivalry? ((And from what I’ve heard, Michigan doesn’t even take the OSU/Michigan rivalry all that seriously; it’s apparently just an Ohio thing.))
For me sports has always just been about the game. It’s an opportunity to relax and watch an event that’s pretty fun. I’ve had teams I’ve supported in the past, ((I used to be a Toronto Blue Jays fan, back when they were winning World Series and before the big strike that ruined the sport for me.)) but never one I’ve been rapidly fanatical about. For one, it’s _just a game_, and that’s all it ever should be. I know folks who will be depressed for days because their team lost. I can appreciate folks wanting to have fun and maximize the excitement of the event. I can even appreciate those (insane) guys who paint themselves up and strip off their shirts in the dead of winter to support their team at the stadium. But I can’t justify allowing sports to govern one’s life to the extent where that’s all that life is about for them.
We all have to have hobbies, but there’s a big difference between a hobby and idolatry. Enjoy the game, have fun with it, but _win or lose_, once the game’s over and the players have cleared off the field, remember that it’s time to move on. Life is about bigger and more important things than how the scoreboard reads at the end of the day.
One of the beauties of sports is that when things go well for your team you can get really excited and rib the fans of the other team etc. But what’s extra special about it is that it *is* just a game and though a bit disappointing, losses are not the end of the world, and life goes it. Plus, one has no right to hand out ribs if he is not able to take a few himself. So, anyone (particularly Florida fans), who want to throw a few jibes my way can leave them on my Xanga site. as posted above
Though, I do have to say that you are wrong in your assessment of Michigan fans. At the end of the 90’s they didn’t care much about it because they had OSU under control, and were more focused on their other two rivals: Notre Dame and Michigan State. However, the last 6 years have done a great deal to change that and the Michigan fans I have known growing up have come to hate OSU just as much as OSU hates Michigan.
I think if you go back to before John Cooper came to OSU you’ll find a very similar attitude at Michigan.
It’s like this: on Sept. 10, 2005, Ohio State fans hated Texas. Today Ohio State fans hate Florida. Had those games gone the other way, Ohio State would probably be indifferent to them now.
I was wondering how long it’d be before you found this and chimed in, Mike. :)
And you totally need to switch to a more open community (like wordpress.com, _hint hint_) so people don’t have to be registered just to comment. ;-)