Something that has always amazed me about college sports fans is that many of them tend to have no direct relation to the college and thus have no real reason to be a fan. Being a fan of college sports is much different than being one of professional sports because presumably these are still kids. They don’t have shoe deals, they don’t get paid (unless your name is Maurice Clarett or Reggie Bush), and they have to go to class (unless you are University of Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon and your only class is billiards).
One of my favorite examples can be seen right in Northeast Ohio where almost everyone is obsessed with the Ohio State Buckeyes.
I understand this if:
A: You go to Ohio State.
B: You live in Columbus.
C: One of your close relatives went to OSU and you were raised a Buckeyes fan.
Or
D: You have some other close association to the school, such as one of your parent's teaches there.
Something I do not understand is when people say, “I live in Ohio.”
There are so many colleges in Ohio. Why not root for the Akron Zips, Kent State Flashes, or Ohio Bobcats? Oh, that’s right. They don’t get national attention.
They are Division I-A schools though and chances are most fans sporting the scarlet and gray live a lot closer to a MAC school than they do the Big Ten power house in the capitol.
Now a Buckeye fan cannot even have the excuse of claiming that they are on television all of the time because unless you have the Big Ten Network, you have a better chance catching the Miami (of Ohio) Redhawks take on the Cincinnati Bearcats.
That game may not have national title implications, but a team that plays Youngstown State, Kent State and Akron rarely makes it to the National Championship.
An even larger example of this is Notre Dame fans who seem to exist all around the country for no good reason except that up until recently, they were a force fighting for a great bowl game every year.
They are even given preference by the national media. To be honest, I would not be surprised if this year’s team made it to a BCS bowl just to pull ratings.
Think about it. Shouldn’t you be out their pledging your allegiance to the school you actually attend, or the one that has actual close ties to you? Perhaps the one in your backyard.
This is not denouncing being a fan of a BCS power house like Ohio State, it is just saying that you can see some pretty good football without supporting programs that care more about the score than the kids.
Does Ohio State really need another fan from Northwest Ohio who should be rooting for Toledo?
Does Michigan really need another fan from Ohio who roots for them because everyone else roots for Ohio State?
Does Notre Dame need another fan at all?
The answer to all of these questions is no.
There is great football being played all around the country and the state of Ohio.
I promise that you will not be taking out a second mortgage or forgoing your child’s education payments to attend a game at the Rubber Bowl.
Yes, the Horse Shoe is supposedly one of the best stadiums in college football, but is it really worth a three hour drive to see them pummel Northwestern?
Maybe your team has the longest losing streak in the nation, and maybe Division-III football is not for you. But even if that is true, you only have to drive a half an hour down the road to see the Golden Flashes take one a formidable opponent.
When basketball season rolls around, instead of buying an extra cable package for the Big Ten Network, why not watch regional action of the Bowling Green State University Falcons or the Xavier University Musketeers?
Who knows, maybe you will get to see the next Joshua Cribbs, Ben Roethlisberger, Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich, Randy Moss or Jason Taylor.
This writer can be reached by e-mail at BJordan@BusinessofSportsNetwork.com.
comments (4) write a comment »
write a new comment
5 months ago
Bill, I am going to try to make this as short as possible but I have a lot to say about your article, mainly because I feel like you are talking about me. I suppose I must start of by saying I am a huge Ohio State football fan. I recently graduated from Ohio University and now I reside in Columbus. So I guess after all these years it is finally alright for me to be a Buckeye fan.
I just have a hard time agreeing with you how people from Toledo, Cleveland, Athens, Dayton, and Cincinnati should be fans of MAC schools rather than the Buckeyes. What is the problem with have multiple teams root for every week? First off, I believe that a “true college football fan” is a fan of more than just their hometown football team. In my mind, in order to be a true college football fan there are a few factors. As you mentioned, you should be a fan of the schools that hit close to home. However there is much more than that. You should root for the conferences that your favorite teams are in but at the same time be able to have respect for the other conferences that play good football. As much as I as hate saying it, right now the SEC is best conference in college football. I say not because they were fortunate to beat my Buckeyes the last two years but because I watch at least one SEC game each week.
The other thing that makes a college football fan a true college football fan is when you follow your team on more than just Saturday in the fall. A big college football fan will pay attention to what is going on around the country during the week leading up to the weekend and a true college football fan will pay attention to what is going on around the country all year leading up to the season. I follow Ohio State’s recruiting process all year, which is out of this world right now. 12 oral commits already for the 2009 season, 7 of which are ranked in the top 100 prospects in the country.
I do agree that there is good football played in the MAC and yes those Purple Raiders are a damn good football team. However, I would rather spend a Saturday in Columbus just tailgating than watch any game played in the Rubber Bowl, Glass Bowl, or Peden Stadium.
Lastly, did you ever think that all these Ohio State fans from Cleveland, Toledo, and Cincinnati choose to root for Ohio State because someone from their hometown is playing for the Buckeyes. Tim Tressel tries harder than any other coach in the country to recruit in state and not let any of the best players leave to play for any other Big Ten schools. If you live in Ohio and you are NOT a Michigan fan, there is much more to love about the Buckeyes than there is to hate.
5 months ago
Well if someone you know plays for the team, that would go along with the proximity question. That would be valid according to points above.
I had lunch with Jim Tressel about a month ago and he does stress the committment of players from inside of the state so like you said, that is a very real possibility.
You bring up some good points, and I guess the question is just whether one has a valid reason to root for their specific team, not whether they are a fan of college football as a whole.
Obviously tailgating at the Horse Shoe would be a more exciting experience than driving up to the Rubber Bowl 15 minutes before kickoff and sitting wherever you want.
There is no problem rooting for multiple teams, I just feel that one's allegiance should be to the school they are closest to. (Whether that be in terms of proximity, where they attended or how they were raised.)
Also, one of the things that makes schools like OSU great is that there are people with no real ties to them who are obsessed with their football team.
I guess I just wish more people would give the other teams a chance to compete for their fandom. Unlike you, I fear many are just caught up in the hoopla of a national powerhouse and go along with the crowd.
5 months ago
I do suppose that being a fan of a team and rooting for a team are two different things. All things considered, lets be thankful that the state of Ohio produces quality football at all levels. It makes it a lot easier for me to be such a big football fan.
5 months ago
Oh, no doubt. Not many realize how much great football comes from the state of Ohio. It seems to be overlooked (even though OSU seems to always be in the championship picture).
write a new comment