MSU grad still a Michigan fan, Spartans heads explode
but I would say if you know the goal put in the work. When I walked into high school my freshman year I asked the guidance counselor what it took to get into Michigan include the last 5 years acceptance rates, stats (GPA, activities, ACT, SAT) for my school and my county. I knew the bar and strove for it.
If that doesn't work out and it takes people a bit longer to find their grove (which happens) find a school thats a good transfer school and set a plan.
If you are THAT diehard you find a way.
It is really fricking hard to get into Michigan these days. My son had very good scores and grades but did not get in at first. He transferred in after Freshman year from GVSU and got an UG degree and is now in Grad School at Michigan. Both my father and I are Alumni - which the University could give two shits about when it comes to admission.
So today it's often less about desire than the sheer number of applicants and difficultty in getting accepted. My son had many friends who wanted to go to Michigan but were not sccepted and ended up at State or GVSU. I know sure as hell I could not get into Michigan today.
No big deal. A lot of people grow up cheering for Michigan but can't get admitted to the university. He wanted to go to college, went to MSU, graduated, congratulations, move on.
[Edit: or wanted to study something that Michigan doesn't offer, like "Beef Cattle Teaching and Research." Shouldn't have assumed he applied and didn't get in.]
I think its weird. He doesn't have to start hating michgian but one of the joys of college sports vs pro sports is the actual connection you get to feel to school and having them represent you. You went to class with players, the student section stuff, after we beat kansas in the ncaa tourney people were literally just screaming as they ran around high fiving strangers.
If you don't go to college or go to one without big time sports it makes sense to keep whoever you grew up rooting for, but if you attend a big time sports school I think its sad you didn't develop a rooting interest for that school.
Agree 100% -- If you went to undergrad at a school "equal in sports" to the one you had previously been a fan of (well, almost equal in sports ... I mean ... it's Michigan) -- I just think you're weird if you stay primarily a Michigan fan after that experience.
I can see that to some extent, but I find it hard to believe it's easy to want to cheer for a guy like this?
Or a coach who pumps his players full of drugs to build them from low-level MAC prospects to B1G-caliber football players?
It's hard to look the other way or just blindly accept that because that's where you go to school.
Similar to this kid, I went to MSU, lived in the dorms, lived a year in Cedar Village, got my diploma and have great respect of the University itself (little less with recent events), but I never once waivered from my Michigan fandom that I was born into and raised watching games with my father.
I saw the two as seperate entities that one did not have to equal the other. My friends understood that and never gave me shit (of course this was John L. years), those who did question me, never understood that my fandom was not just because I liked Michigan, it was also Saturday tradition of watching games with my dad.
Of course I would have never gone to social media like this kid and flaunt my fandom like that, pretty unnecessary, also, there are more Michigan fans at MSU then you would think so when I saw this article I just kind of laughed and thought "how is this news".
Oh, I don't know, people who went there might have a bit of a connection to the place?
Unpopular opinion in these parts: MSU is a good school. It has a beautiful campus. My friends and family who went there all got great jobs, in large part because their degree programs set them up for success.
I don't like Sparty and all, but it's not a hellhole.
Woah, woah, woah. Let's not get carried away here.
tend to be 3 types of people who go to msu:
1 - those who didn't get into UofM
2 - those whose parents didn't get into UofM so they were raised msu fans
3 - outliers such as out of state kids wanting to leave home (similar to the people from michigan who go to indiana), random internationals, and those who "claim" Michigan doesn't have X (journalism, cow studies, whatever)
I grew up and lived in Ann Arbor for about 80% of my life, HOWEVER, I now live in Okemos due to my work situation. MSU isn't this burning-dumpster land we portray it to be. I can say, having experienced both, East Lansing has NOTHING on Ann Arbor in terms of city to city, but MSU has a nice, sprawling campus, the people are pretty friendly until discussions about sports come up. It's a Big Ten school, and a degree from MSU will allow people to go on to do great things. I'm all for the 3-9 jokes, and everything related to athletics, but I'm not taking away from people's education or a city that's actually filled with decent folk away from Spartan Stadium and the Breslin.
Shut up. It's a hell hole. You're wrong.
I wouldn't willingly live in a hell hole, hence why I don't live in Columbus.
Just like the dentist in Seinfeld that converts to Judaism and still gets to tell Catholic jokes, this kid gets the best of both worlds and is able to be a fan of both. He is above reproach!
He's got a good head on his shoulders.
I don't think his case is all that uncommon. I know several, actually. In fact, there is a guy I used to work with who had 3 kids who went to MSU (studied in programs they are good at like supply chain management) who remained M fans.
It really saddens me seeing my kids' friends who I saw grow up wearing nothing but blue from when they were toddlers turn to the dark side when they have to go to Sparty.
I have a friend who grew up a die hard Sparty fan. So much so that we gave him the nickname Gumby. He was the one at all of our get togethers that we made fun of and he was always a good sport about it. (most of this was during the John L. Smith days).
His last straw was when we were all watching the 2006 Notre Dame/MSU game where MSU found every way to blow a huge lead and lose (Mike Valenti rant game). After that game was done he said he was done being a Sparty fan.
A few years later he took a job in the Saline area and is in constant contact with UM people. He now goes to UM games regularly and cheers for UM. I still call him Gumby, because he was such a die hard MSU slappy, but to his credit he divorced himself from MSU on the spot, did not jump back on the bandwagon when they had success and says his life is so much better.
Went to the '98 Rose Bowl and on December 30th it was 75 and sunny in L.A. vs. -8 in Michigan. Applied to USC. Got in. Went there. Enjoyed nice weather. Still root for Michigan first and foremost. You can't take the blue out of blood.
Had two friends at U of M undergrad with me that were both MSU fans (and continue to be so to this day). They went to UM because they were smart enough to and recognized the value of the degree at UM was higher than a degree at MSU. Fandom stayed in EL, though.
Goes both ways.
I saw a lot of Spartans complaining about this. Puts a smile on my face!
About this on Valenti's show the other day. The kid actually called in to explain himself.
Mike's thinking is very stuck in the 1980s regarding this. Students are doing a ton more than just going to school. There is a MUCH higher population now today that only go to campus a couple days a week, work on weekends, and hell, take everything online.
He told Valenti that the program was a better fit at MSU, he worked on weekends, and went him to watch the M games with his dad. It's really not that far fetched anymore to go to a school and not fall in love with the culture.
Up, because you had further information from the kid
Down, because you admitted to listening to Valenti discuss.
Hello
Seems totally reasonable. Especially since he went to Moo U for animal science and agriculture.
http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2017/05/university_of_michigan_doctors.html
Throwing in my 'cats sleeping with dogs' story. Our UNC business school class had 8 Dook grads. I think most of them stayed hardcore Dook fans.
1997 OSU grad here. Born and raised a Michigan fan. Dad is from the U.P. but we lived in Northwest Ohio. Out of state tuition destroyed my dream of going there. So OSU it was. Wore a Michigan shirt under my gown at graduation, which was rained out, so no pictures exist of me doing this because I never saw my parents until well after I had to go get my diploma at the French Field House. But before the rain, Ishowed my classmates who were super pissed. But that was during the 9-1-1 days and I got to brag. Still to this day I have never worn or owned anything OSU related. Minus my diploma. Great memory.
In state tuition trumps everything. Got two degrees from tOSU back in the 90's when the Fab 5 was in their prime and the Cooper era was in full bloom. It was great. Most of my dorm mates were cool with it. But they never let an opportunity to give he crap pass. Unfortunately I had to endure the Kordell Stewart debacle and the Chris Webber timeout, but otherwise things were fine. Until I came into class with a 1997 UM National Championship hat. Then it was more silent treatment. Glad I'm not there now. It would be insufferable.
I'm amazed people haven't brought up 3 to 9 times how happy he looks to be wearing the maize and blue.
Ugh, that just felt dumb writing it.
But seriously, good for him rooting for the team he cares about. I never understood when people gave grief to people from other schools for liking the Wolverines, or really any team. It's sports, it's fandom, it's not a loyalty oath. Michigan is a great school; MSU is fine as well. You can attend one school without severing all your feelings about other teams and their sports programs.
Grew up in Dayton, live in Cincinnati, went to state school in Ohio, but always been a big Michigan fan. YUGE. Raised my kids to be Michigan fans as well (while understanding that they get to make their own choices). My son loves Michigan as much as I do. There is no set of circumstances that would have him attending OSU. His grades and test scores would make OSU very affordable, if not free. Still not happening. He plays soccer and runs track and there are many games and meets in Columbus. We talk about how weird we feel when we're in that town, like being on vacation in N. Korea. If he doesn't get into Michigan, we'll pay out of state tuition somewhere else. No OSU for us, thanks.
I grew up a State fan, but I went to Michigan for Undergrad. I cheered for Michigan as soon as I steped in the door. It was my school.
I went to Illinois for my Master's dgree. I cheer for Illinois except when they play Michigan.
I went to Virginia for my Doctorate. I cheer for UVa except when they play Michigan.
My Dad cheers for Michgan football and State basketball.
It is a free country cheer for whoever you want.
Senior year I was basically living with two state football players, one who went to the league, and I was maize and blue every Saturday.
I enjoyed my time there and the education. That piece of paper certainly helped me get started, but the complex they have with Michigan is real and they compare everything to Michigan, from sports to education, and it gets old quick.
People are blown away when I share I'm all Michigan, but to me growing up 3 hours north of Detroit, when you start as a fan, born in 75, why would I change just because I started paying 15k a year to someone else?
Go Blue!
I can point to a couple examples of people I know who went to Michigan State and are still die hard Wolverine fans, and indeed a few examples of the opposite, people I know who went to Michigan and were and still are MSU fans. You hear a lot of people say that line about allegiances going out the window when you set foot on a college campus, but I think people already fully immersed in a fandom or fan culture really don't just lose it like that.
Hooked on M athletics by the 1969 M v. OSU football game.
W and I graduated mid-70s from M. W was a letter winner.
Oldest went MAC, Second went Ivy (but M for grad school), Youngest went to one of the military academies.
All 3 were big time M sports fans but rooted for their schools too. Not much chance of any of their schools playing M in football. All three still follow M sports fervently.
Again, I argue that it's only odd when the school you choose is roughly equal in athletic excellence to your school of past-fanhood.
My dad went to MSU and rooted for Michigan his whole life. He grew up a Michigan fan and didn't see any reason to change it.
Raised near A2 and was always a UM fan, but got my degreee from ASU's Cronkite School of Journalism. Highly regarded communication school and education, but could not care less about their athletics.
Somehow missed out on the ASU party atmosphere to which the Simpsons refer so regularly, but then, pretty sure it's a frat/sorority thing. Really didn't have time for it between school and work.
I love having a House Divided. Go Blue!
although i went to GVSU first to play football. after my carear was shortened, i transfered into MSU. Applied to UM undergrad: couldnt get into ross, but could get into the university with an undeclared major, but would have been another 3 years to graduate as oppossed to 2...i remember going to tailgate in EL for Michigan wearing Michigan gear...Im a diehard through and through
Me too...
When the WCC route because my family was so poor <insert how poor joke here>. Transferred after a year. Got accepted as undeclared because the counselor at WCC told me that was the easiest way to get transfer.