Ohio State Fans: Pros and Cons of The Best Fans in The Land

There are generally three types of sports fans (and people for that matter):

Irrational Optimists - Their team can do no wrong. Happy days are always on the horizon. 

Irrational Pessimists - Their team can do no right. Doom and gloom is a way of life.   

Rational - Since no one can be completely objective, the rational fan does have optimist/pessimist leanings. Unlike the irrational fans of either extreme, however, the rational fan remains grounded in their conviction.

If every fan base is composed of the same types of fans, what makes Ohio State fans different?

The Good

Ohio State fans are passionate and when has passion ever been a bad thing? The Buckeye faithful include Buckeye Man, Buck-I-Guy and hordes of other fans who don face paint and sweater vests.

Buckeye fans love their team with such zeal because Ohio State football is more than just a sport. Carmen Ohio, the Alma Mater, espouses what it means to be a Buckeye. Fans have taken the lyrics to heart, causing them to attend games in frigid temperatures regardless of how the team is doing. Some have even requested that their ashes be scattered at Ohio Stadium.

Any team would be lucky to have such fans.

The Bad

Since Ohio State fans are so passionate, they consequently have a higher percentage of Irrational Optimists/Pessimists than most fan bases (and hence a smaller percentage or rational fans). This is the main reason why Buckeye fans get a bad rap.

The rumor regarding Jim Tressel's resignation is a good illustration of this. Upon hearing the news, some Ohio State fans took the plunge off the deep end. From "Jim Tressel would never leave Ohio State because we're Ohio State" to "We're now a .500. team," the fans on either extreme drowned out those in the middle who were cautiously skeptical.

Also, flipping over cars and smashing windows is bad. Even if it is Michigan.

Verdict

Ohio State fans are a different breed of people but that's not necessarily a bad thing. As the proverb says, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.