On Fandom: Loving the Arrogance of the Maize and Blue
by Remember Bo on Jan 15, 2011 5:00 AM CST
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Printwarning: sailor-speak ahead.
I like making "series" posts, so I'm going to try a new segment called "On Fandom". Who knows what it'll be like, and whether it'll be any good, but today I'm talking about Michigan arrogance from my own perspective as an arrogant fan.
I'm going to lead with something extremely relevant that Zach said in his "Back to the Future" post.
Other team's fans call us arrogant. Well, you know what? Fuck them. We are arrogant. We expect so much out of our team that we eventually canniblize the coaching staff and players and spit out the bones.
The purpose of this site, among other things, is to get a fan perspective on the world of sports. A wonderful, heartbreaking world that we construct for entertainment. Part of that is debating, and part of that is trash-talking everyone, even fellow Michigan fans, because we each think we know what's best for our team.
Zach's right. We should be arrogant. Let me put it another way: we should feel like we have a right to be better than everyone else. We still are the winningest team in college football. Thirty-plus straight bowl games until a few years ago. These facts are not up for debate. And, dammit, I'm falling back on those.
The last few years invite plenty of criticisms, sure, but hey, that's not our fault as fans, right? We expect ten-plus win seasons. We chased a perfectly good coach out of town because 9-win seasons and not beating our hated rivals wasn't enough. Whether you agree with that or not, it's what the fanbase has come to expect. And as Zach says, "fuck you" if you disagree. Feel free. But I've been really happy with my Michigan fandom and the arrogance that comes with it.
So let's talk about fandom. When I started writing at the beginning of the season, that's why I did it. I did it because I live and die with Michigan sports, most of that football. That's why all of you (and trolls are people too) post on this site and argue and bitch and moan about planes that may be flying to some unknown location and breathlessly follow talented 17-year-olds in hopes of divining their college decisions.
Arrogance doesn't just mean that I think I'm right and you're wrong. It means much more than that.
More after the jump.
About three months ago, I said this in my "Thoughts on Michigan State", and while i didn't give credit to a good MSU team for beating our asses, I stand by this statement:
Chin up, M fans. Better days are ahead. Shake it off, because, let's face it, we're Michigan and they, be they MSU or anyone else, aren't. No one else can say that. We still have the most electric player in the nation who will carry us to better days. [...] [ed note: hopefully]. Maybe it's not the greatest day in the world to be a Michigan Wolverine, but, heck, it's still great to be a Michigan Wolverine. So be haughty. Be aloof. Be everything Michigan is criticized for, because except in a few brief instances, we back it up. Be a Wolverine, because it'll get you to next Saturday when we start winning again.
Sure, I might have been a tad optimistic. The season fell apart after that. But, somewhere in my heart, i expected Michigan to pull through. I fully expect, every Saturday, for Michigan to put together a team that will come out with a win, and if they don't, I don't want to believe it was because they were outplayed or outcoached. This is my expectation. Ordinarily, through my years of fandom, that's true. I willingly concede that there are other good teams in college football - in fact, it hurts me to say that there have been many, many better teams, even during some of the good years in Michigan Football. But as a fan, as an arrogant Michigan Fan, I expect my Michigan teams to be better. That's why I "cannibalize my coaches and players" when they get outcoached and outplayed. It hurts when that happens. In my mind, it shouldn't happen. That's what my version of Michigan Fandom has taught me to expect.
This is my arrogance as a Michigan Fan. I expect to be better than every team we play. The last few years have made me look pretty stupid; because I want my team to win, it hurts when they don't. As an arrogant fan, it hurts when they're not even competitive. Is my expectation that unrealistic, though?
From 1990 to 2007, Michigan won more than 75% of their games, went to a bowl game every year, went to a New Years' Day bowl more often than not, won eight Big Ten championships and a national championship. All-Americans were expected; Heismans were a legitimate hope. Before 1990, we had Bo, my idol, who won roughly 80% of his games. Michigan has a rich tradition - and call me biased, I welcome it - and I daresay it's the richest college football tradition in the country. There are other schools with tradition - Texas, Oklahoma, Florida State, Miami, OSU, Notre Dame, and USC to name a few - that absolutely deserve to have a similar arrogance. The recent success of the SEC also gives rise to some fairly legitimate arrogance from the fanbases - the Tebow years at Florida were downright special, even if I rooted with all my heart for them to lose.
I started thinking about other sports, and tried to come up with some other franchises that have the "right" to be arrogant. In European soccer, Barcelona and Real Madrid come to mind, and they rabidly chase Spanish League cups and Euro glory like few in America can understand (and I'm not even going to mention the EPL). The Canadians have hockey, but by nature they're a very docile bunch. Hearken back to the great Russian Olympic teams for another example of bombastic arrogance. In the realm of American professional sports, a team dear to my heart has done rather well. The Red Wings have been dominant after a resurgence from their down years, but I'm not so sure I can call their fans arrogant, though I am one (maybe I'm just not rabid enough). Then I thought baseball and remembered the Yankees. The most loved and hated franchise in the world. One of my friends dabbles as a freelance Yankee beat writer, and I asked him what he thought of Yankee arrogance:
To be a Yankee Fan is simultaneously the easiest and most difficult thing in all of sports fandom. In order to understand the present, you must understand the past; there is no franchise that celebrates its heroes quite like the Yankees. Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, and so on. Other franchises would be lucky to have one or two iconic figures like that; we have more than a dozen. We have retired the numbers of sixteen players, more than any other team in the MLB. All of this is to say that we have not come to expect mediocre things from our team, or even good things. we expect great things every. single. year. NYC is the biggest city in the US, and it is one of the last three cities in which baseball is still more important than football. We pay through the nose to see our team, we pay to get the team's regional sports network, and we don't complain because we know that money is going right back into the team. That's the deal we made when we signed up.In exchange, we expect greatness, and we often get it. There are three guaranteed first ballot hall of famers on the roster. There are young players who may well be on that level someday. These are the players we can afford because the fans will pay for them. Does that make us arrogant? Probably. We are arrogant because we have the greatest and most storied history of any sports franchise, and we have ownership and fans who are willing to do what is necessary to ensure we stay that way. If we are arrogant, it is because we have earned it, and we will continue to earn it every year that we win. Some call us whiners, and enjoy seeing us lose. They know we hate to lose, and in the game of baseball, it is very hard to win every single year. No team has ever won more than 118 games out of 162. That's why it can be so hard; when a fan expects not just goodness but GREATNESS every season, anything short of that – a postseason birth, a division title, even an AL pennant – is a failure. That is life as a Yankee Fan. (ed note: emphasis added)
But I think the way this (ed: hiring process) went down proves that all the things rivals say about Michigan are true. This is an unbelievably arrogant program convinced its past glories are greater and more recent than they are, certain outsiders have nothing to teach it. We will enter bowl games against opponents that say "boy, that Michigan just lines up and comes after you," and we probably won't win many of them. We never have, and trying to out-execute Alabama or Oregon seems like a tall order these days.
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Good read. I thought nothing embodied the Michigan arrogance more than a question Hoke encountered in his introductory press conference. Someone took offense to Hoke only mentioning competing for Big Ten titles every season and not mentioning national championships and asked Hoke why our goals aren’t elevated. Hoke is talking about winning a conference with four 800-win teams (Starting next season). A conference where we haven’t been relevant since 2006. This is why we Michigan fans are the best in the land. We always expect greatness and you can’t excite this fan base by promising conference championships—we’ve already got 42 of those. Go Blue!
Those who stay will be Champions
I feel bad for current UM students
I had the pleasure of being a junior during the ‘97 season. Of having student season tickets. Of rushing the field after the OSU game (A2 cops and their pepper spray be damned!). My arrogance as a fan was born in those 4 years, and I can’t imagine how it would’ve felt to watch my teams go through the last 3 years while I was a student. That’s why I am happy Hoke is the new coach, because every Michigan student is entitled to go to home games and throw marshmallows at the ESPN2 camera man during Indiana or Minnesota games because the outcome of the game was never in doubt. Every student is entiltled to watch his Wolverines beat MSU, OSU and ND at least once at home during his tenure. To jump up and down in a screaming, ecstatic mass with his fellow students.
That’s why I disagree so much with Brian from MGo right now. I love the Hoke hire precisely because it offers the chance to return to Michigan football. Under Carr, we won a MNC in ‘97, and were a few points away from playing for another one in 2006, and played in a few BCS games in between. Did it suck to watch us lose at home to App State? Of course! Did we need a rejuvination of sorts after Carr? Yes, but that doesn’t mean you throw the baby out with the bath water, which is precisely what we did in hiring RR.
The spread has the upper hand for the moment in college football, but don’t for a minute think it has anything to do with “modern” or “schematic advantage”. It has to do with a style of play that opens a new class of athelete to be recruited, and as long as only a few programs employ it, they can concentrate that talent on their teams and that is the source of their advantage. Once it becomes slightly more ubiquitous in college football, and the talent gets spread out across more teams, it will lose it’s power. Thus, “basketball on grass” is a flash in the pants fad that will fade. I want no part of it, especially if it means I have to watch such poor execution.
Competing for Big Ten titles every year, having a chance to play in the MNC game once or twice a decade, never suffering through a losing season, and doing it without ever having to read about how we payed a juco $200k to come here, or that 5 of our star players sold their jerseys and bowl memorabilia is what I expect out of Michigan football. If other UM fans want to sell our integrity to have a 3 or 4 year run of dominance like USC, or Miami, then fuck them.
It’s time that Michigan got back to being Michigan. Go Blue!!!!!!
For every complex problem, there is an answer that is simple, easy to understand, and wrong.
MosherJordan
The spread has the upper hand for the moment in college football, but don’t for a minute think it has anything to do with "modern" or "schematic advantage".
I know a few smart coaches that have figured out how to defend against the spread consistently.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v4MhdoPEYw
O had no first downs until mid-way thru the 3rd… Not even Auburn could do that to them!
I disagree about drews question the mere fact that you are Michigan if you win the conference there is a good chance you are going to the NC game maybe not every year but most.
It was a stupid question asked by an idiot
it's not that you are stupid, it's just that you don't suspect!
Nothing is good nor bad until compared to something else.
by Darth Prophet on Jan 16, 2011 8:23 AM CST up reply actions
What defines my arrogance...
My brother is a State fan. Every year, ‘maybe we’ll get 9/10 wins this year and beat stupid Michigan’ is his mantra.
And because I like my brother a lot, I’ll nod my head and say “OK, sure, whatever you say,” but inside I’m laughing. Ten wins? They’ll be lucky to get their ass handed to ‘em in a bowl game. Beat Michigan?! Ha! Besides, ten wins isn’t a goal; the Big Ten is a goal! Going undefeated is a goal! And that’s how we’re arrogant… while the MSU’s in the world can hope to win 3/4 of their games and actually beat us for once, the Michigans want greatness (that’s a funny word… seemed to come up in the Yankees fan convo and this blog a lot too).
And that’s what made these past three years especially painful… we were no longer hoping for BT titles and greatness; we were hoping ’let’s beat 2/3 of our rivals and win 9 games because that’s progress’. Quite frankly that’s not what I want our goal to be, and quite frankly that’s why I was damn pleased when we ran Rich’s ass out of town. Great guy, but he had no ‘greatness’ direction for the program
Yeah, I know...
and I wish I could’ve been there, but coming into a blog like this and posting a comment like that demands retribution.
No hard feelings, though.
An arrogant fan is...
what you are called if your team usually wins and their team usually loses.
It is really all about the fact that the fans that root for teams that win championships consistently come to expect that level of play from their team as normal. The fans of teams that rarely win championships become upset because they cannot enjoy such success from their team. So they accuse the fans of the winning team of being arrogant.
Spartan fans love to accuse Michigan fans of being arrogant. But in the past few years they have been guilty of exactly the same things they hates about Michigan fans. They have gloated and rubbed in the wins. They did not win with grace or courtesy as they said Michigan fans should. Funny how that works.
When do you lose the right to be arrogant?
Michigan fans lost this “right” to be arrogant when:
1. They stop demanding excellence from this program on the football field.
a. Some fans were pleased with “improvement” from the 3-8 2008 year.
b. “A bowl game is better than poking your eye with a stick”.
c. We haven’t beaten OSU since ’03.
2. They stop demanding excellence from this program off the field
a. Demar Dorsey can’t get in to Michigan?
b. Why the fuck are we on probation?
c. Certain players can’t pass classes?
3. They stop demanding things done the “Michigan way”.
a. They hired someone to completely change everything about the Michigan program, which was an admittance that changes to our program was necessary.
b. They hired someone who did not understand the importance of things that are purely Michigan football such as the #1 jersey, the OSU rivalry.
c. The head coach of Michigan needs to want to be at Michigan and understand (or believe) that there is no better job in America.
In essence, we lost the right to be arrogant when we hired Rich Rodriguez. Of course Spartan fans are being arrogant, they’ve won THREE YEARS IN A ROW. I don’t care for arrogance at all, I care for WINNING. Since the only way to justify arrogance is to be the best, then we must win again to re-earn our right to be arrogant.
Fuck Arrogance. Let’s just win some football games. A young Barry Sanders once had the opportunity to win the league rushing title with a few minutes left in the 4th quarter of the last game of the regular season. With the Lions already up by multiple scores, Barry told his coach not to put him back in, in essence giving up the rushing title.
Wolverine fans should follow Barry’s example. We don’t need to brag or be arrogant about our team. If it’s truly great to be a Michigan Wolverine, we don’t need to tell Spartan fans about it ALL THE TIME. Especially when we haven’t beaten them in three years. I understand the need to be a fan, but there’s a line between fanaticism and arrogance.
What would Yzerman do?
by Huzilla on Jan 16, 2011 2:08 AM CST reply actions 1 recs
Part of what I love about arrogance is that I don’t have to justify it or need any kind of “right” to proclaim it incredibly loudly.
As for the Spartans, they’ve won three years in a row. They’re the better football team right now, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a Michigan Fan who disagrees with that statement. That doesn’t mean those same fans aren’t hurting like hell because of it, but that’s part of it – we expect to win those games. We expect our program to be better, and for some of the same reasons you listed above, we aren’t right now.
I understand your need to disagree with me, but there’s a line between arrogance and stupidity. I do not possess the latter in my fandom, yet I embrace the level of fanatical.
Go Maize, Blue, and Gray!
why arrogance is bad
Definition of Arrogance: an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions.
If you maintain an attitude of superiority, when you aren’t actually superior to your opponents, that’s a problem because there’s a good chance you might not care about getting better, if you think you’re already better. Sure, we should expect out team to win, but we shouldn’t be arrogant enough to look for ways that our team can get be better. And hold ourselves accountable to make that happen. I maintain that over the past three years, our arrogance has prevented our program from finding problems that needed to be fixed. A quick example of that is the arrogance some have in believing that we can win against good big ten teams without a good defense.
Yes, there are times that we can be arrogant. “We want the big then championship, and we’re going to win it as a team” – Bo Schembechler
Was Bo arrogant? YES. But did he win? YES.
Sure, we can be arrogant, but let’s win football games first. Until then, where’s the line between arrogance and stupidity. Sure, don’t justify you’re arrogance. I think Bo could. That’s why nobody ever accused his arrogance as stupidity.
What would Yzerman do?
while you are entitled to your opinion
and have told me that you’re against the whole philsophy, i’d just point out that i have consistently pointed out that the program is down and it a) hurts me and b) hurts my ability to be arrogant. but my expectations for greatness are still there. as other posters have mentioned, and even the spartan guy would agree, that never changes.
“A quick example of that is the arrogance some have in believing that we can win against good big ten teams without a good defense.”
sure, that’s arrogance. and i always believe we can win, that doesn’t mean i don’t want a better defense…
my expectations are certainly arrogant, and the successes of michigan football in history have given me reason to be this way. most fans would agree with that statement, and I think you’re referring to a different kind of arrogance and trying to relate it to my opinion in order to troll, which, again, you’re certainly entitled to.
Go Maize, Blue, and Gray!
by Remember Bo on Jan 17, 2011 11:45 AM CST up reply actions
And you are certainly entitled to yours.
But I think your quickness to consider opinions different than yours to be “trollage” is problematic. You posted your opinion and I’m asking you to defend it.
It seems that you are trying to say that arrogance is simply “expectations for greatness”. My quick search for the definition of arrogance on the merriam-webster dictionary has shown that to be different.
In your original post you quickly mentioned that you can’t really decide whether you think Red Wing fans are arrogant. I think the difference between arrogant Michigan fans and arrogant Red Wing fans is that the Wing fans can back up their arrogance with recent success, championships, character, and wins against their rivals.
You have responded to me that you agree that the program is down. Then what does Michigan have to be arrogant about? Anything within the past 10 years? Expect greatness, yes. But don’t assume that it will happen just because we’re Michigan. It’s going to take a lot of hard work and good decision making to be where we want to be. Fuck arrogance. We have a coach who emphasized toughness, character, and effort in his press conference. Let’s go to work.
What would Yzerman do?
arrogance
Am I arrogant? You tell me.
At Iowa a couple years ago on game day I took my visitors stroll through the tailgate area with my big ten coffe in hand. I have it neat by the way. Soon struck up conversation with some Iowa fans. One of the guys stated that “you people from Michigan are crazy, you actually expect to win every game” My answer “why else would you play it!”
Arrogant? You bet!!!..
It's one thing...
…to expect greatness of your team on a consistent basis. It’s another to be arrogant of your successes.
William Pollard, a scientist from the Manhattan Project, summed up your argument quite well…
“The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow”
Cheers!
This kid down the street, I think his name is Denard, keeps throwing footballs at me when I wear my Michigan State jersey...I just don't get it!
All I am saying, is that Sparty had an opportunity...
to show us arrogant Wolverines how it is done. But it seems that Spartan fans are perfectly capable of the very same arrogance that they have accused Michigan fans of having for so long. All it took is a little success to bring it out. So Sparty has lost the ability to be the victim, and their right to point fingers about arrogance. Reality has replace your victimization.
What Sparty is discovering is that every team that wins will have fans that are obnoxious. Every team that loses will have fans that become sensitive about the taunting. It is predictable like the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. I would even venture to say that some the arrogant Spartan fans were probably arrogant Wolverine fans a few years ago. Welcome to the bandwagon.
Now that Michigan has lost for a couple years, some Wolverine fans have gained humility. But that humility does not extend to expectations. Yes, we know that Michigan football was not very good under RichRod. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. But RichRod is gone because we are NOT willing to accept that level of mediocrity. Those that argue that Michigan and their fans are accepting of such are not really paying attention.
Everything in life is cyclical. Ohio State had down years under John Cooper and now they have risen under Jim Tressell. Now Michigan is taking their turn for some down years; we were due. But fate smiles on the Wolverine football team more often than not. The down cycle will not last many more seasons and the world will once again be as it was meant to be:
Michigan will beat the Spartans in most years.
Michigan will beat the Buckeyes as often as they lose.
In most seasons Michigan and Ohio State will play for the Big Ten championship.
Enjoy your moment in the sun Sparty. It will be fleeting.
How was that for some Wolverine arrogance?
Well then...
That was quite the onslaught, and it’s very apparent that you missed the message. First, I’d politely ask you not to lump me into a perceived category of Spartan arrogance. I merely did the same to you because you openly proclaimed your arrogance. And if you’re accusing me of being recently on the ‘Spartan bandwagon’, I’m a third generation Spartan alumnus. And as far as I’m concern, the recent successes of Spartan nation hasn’t equalized the ridicule I’ve taken in the past and today from UM fans. It is a bitter tonic, isn’t it? I’m glad you have experienced it to know how unsettling it is.
Now that that is out of the way, you seem to be attacking Spartans in general. Yet, I never mentioned the fact that I was part of MSU. Would my argument stand if I were to, say, be a OSU fan? NW? Perhaps even a UM fan? You merely looked at my tag and made your assumptions.
I understand that you demand excellence out of your program. Heck, if Izzo left and the next coach drove the basketball program into the ground, I’m sure most MSU fans would be running him out with torches and pitchforks (please, no farm-related jokes here).
Mind you, every year in every sport, I hope MSU beats the snot out of UM. That is what rivalries are about after all, right? What my comment was referring to is humility. It is one thing to be good at what you do. It’s another to be humble about it. Perhaps those MSU fans who are ‘rubbing in’ the current successes are merely retaliating to the years of prior ridicule? Maybe without years of UM mocking, MSU fans would be more sympathetic to current UM issues?
What I’m trying to say is, instead of posting about how great you are and how you’ll put ‘Little Brother in their place’ etc etc, talk about how you’re optimistic about upcoming years and returning to elite status. As I’ve said in prior posts, I’m glad UM has a new coach. I hope they perform at a higher level for the sake of the Big Ten. But I’m also aware that we fans ‘take our friendly jabs with searing fire pokers’, as I stated in a post on another post.
How was that for Spartan humility?
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