So I read an article today on another sports website that I frequent about rules for being a College Football fan and it got me a little irritated as by the author's set definitions I am breaking a few rules. It did make me wonder though what other people might think about what it takes to be a "true fan". The article makes the main point that for someone to be a true fan they must be attending or have graduated from their college football team's school, which makes my Ohio State fandom less credible.
I am Canadian (hence the name!!!) and am a HUGE Ohio State fan, and to be honest I don't even know when I started rooting for the Buckeyes, I just grew up rooting for them because both my parents are sports fans and they always cheered for Ohio State. I have lived in Canada my whole life, I went to University near Toronto and have only been to Columbus one time in my life (it was AWESOME). Regardless of that I don't consider myself any less of a Buckeye fan, nor do I think I in any way qualify as a "bandwagoner" since I have always rooted for them since I knew what football was (basketball to a lesser extent as well).
Really I just wanted to see what everyone else thinks is a prerequisite for being a College Football Fan, not just Ohio State, but in general. I assume quite a few people on here went to or are attending Ohio State but I am sure there are quite a few here that might have attended other universities and still root for tOSU. So what does it take to be a true fan? Is it true that I can never be a TRUE fan unless I am truly a part of the University? What "rules" need to be met in order to be a true fan in the eyes of my fellow 11 warrior fans?
EDIT- Article taken from GrantLand
1) please do link out.
2) there are no rules, and 'true fandom' is a farce.
3) if anything, get enjoyment out of it.
Taquitos.
If you stick to your team, year in and year out, through good and bad, then you're a true fan. Doesn't matter why you started rooting for who you do.
Totally agree with Denny. I was born in Youngstown but my parents moved us to South Florida when I was 5. Grew up an enormous Buckeye, Indians, and Browns fan because my grandpa LOVED them and because I have Ohio blood in my veins, and was a good way to keep in touch with him and we had stuff to chat about.
That being said, alumni status or even being a resident of said state is not a prerequisite at all. Anyone trying to argue otherwise is a fool. We all have our reasons for being OSU fans and I think that we can bring all these perspectives together and by doing so make our collective fandom better. This mindset should apply to all sports and fan bases. There is no "truer" fan than anyone else. The only difference is perhaps us non alumni are a little more jealous =)
I hear that argument from UC fans down here all the time when referencing OSU fans....prob because they are upset there just as many OSU fans as UC fans here.
CPLUNK said it best! Just don't be a fair weather fan!
I added the article to my original post, there are a few other points in there that I find to be rather silly as well.
I can pretty much agree to what Denny said and I think that most others would agree as well. Perhaps "true fan" isn't what I am meaning to say. Do you think that people that have gone to Ohio State get more pride in the team as they feel a part of being involved with the program though?
Is there anybody who perhaps attended UM and still roots for Ohio State (regardless of our hatred for the team, I understand they are a very respected university academically speaking)?
Even though I didn't attend OSU (I was accepted, but when I went for a college visit the 'counselor' completely turned me off by suggesting I change my major), I don't feel like any less of a fan. My father is an alumni and I grew up every Saturday cheering for the Buckeyes. And to suggest you can only cheer for your alma mater is ridiculous. 90% of college graduates would never see their team on television. But we give our time and our money to support OSU, we just didn't write checks to the controller's office for tuition. Plus, Buckeye Nation is bigger than that.
It is utterly silly to think that you had to attend tOSU, or any school for that matter, in order to be a fan. My brother attended tOSU (undergrad), University of Denver (Law School), and UM (PHD Program). He is undeniably a Buckeye fan all the way. I know lots of fans of both UM and tOSU who never attended either. But I will go back to what I said earlier, being a true fan is supporting the team through thick and thin, whether you went to school there or not. Does not mean you have to drink the cool aid, but it does mean that you will not cheer against them, regardless of the opponent. I know many college football fans who fit that mold. However, there are quite a few fair weather fans out there as well.
The worst example of this was when RR was still at MI and tOSU fans outnumbered them at their own stadium. As bad as Cooper's record was against TSUN, we have never had that happen in the Shoe. Not saying it couldn't happen, but it would sure take a terrible season for that to occur. Even last year with a terrible record heading in, the last home game vs Penn State had very few PSU fans in the stands. I know we have our fair share of fair weather fans, but they are usually not the ones who fill the stadium.
Whenever a play call works make sure to bring up that one time on that one day when you told them that play always works. When a play goes horribly wrong, make sure to question if your head coach knows anything at all about football despite his prior success or accolades, that is all.
I had an aquaintance down here in Raleigh who claimed to be a Buckeye fan... in football. He roots for UCLA in basketball. Florida State in baseball. IMO that guy is not an actual fan of the Buckeyes. He's the fan equivalent of a name dropper.
A real Buckeye would root for the scarlet and gray in a game of tiddly-winks. Or a Quidditch match. Or a bass fishing tournament.
/When did bass fishing become a college activity?
// I refuse to call bass fishing a sport BTW.
#fistpumpgobuckeyes
What @NC_BUCKEYE said!
Check out the Needham Hex
"I 've got an El Camino full of rampage"-- Sterling Archer, codename: Duchess
@NW
Consider the '09 game an economic decision. Doubling or Tripling your money by reselling your ticket makes a little sense when your team is 5-6 and facing a top 10 team.
For the record, I was there to witness that crap.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
Hail, You are simply proving my point. You are a real fan of TSUN, thus you showed up to watch that crap. There are many times when I can't make it back to the Shoe to see the games, and I have to sell my seats. Never do I sell them to an opposing fan base, despite the economic advantages of doing so. I am sure you feel the same way about your seats. (I have to add that I do completely understand cashing in our your seats in a given situation, it's just that I have never done so.)
I did not attend OSU but my father did and I grew up going to the games or watching them on TV with family and friends, almost never missed a game. I have player autographs from when I was as young as four. Neither the college nor graduate school that I attended even played football, so my allegiance was never challenged. From childhood through HS I probably spent as much time on or around the campus as some actual attendees, as us kids went to the Short North to party as soon as we got drivers licenses. Anyway, the idea that one must be attend a school to be a fan sounds pretty stupid to me.
This is silly. Life is too short to have other people tell you what you can and can't enjoy. Live for what you want to, love the things that matter to you, cheer for whatever team you want to. It's that easy!
Just don't pick up a team randomly and then start cheering for them and be all in everyones face about it. People don't like that.
Part two of the rules was put out today by Grant Land... Good news everybody! They made an exception for me!
I don't think attending the school makes you more of a fan of the team.
Connections to the school, however do make you feel more connected to the team, if only indirectly.
My Dad is an OSU professor, so I grew up watching games in the Shoe. But when I attended the school I felt more like the team represented me, as I do now as an alumnus.
Example: If a player acts like an idiot / punk in a game, it upsets me more now than before I attended TOSU.
It also pisses me off when non-students/non-faculty cause problems in the stadium, outside the stadium or for other fans.
But, if classy people from other places want to root for the team (and take the responsibility with it) -- The more the merrier!!
"We get paid to score touchdowns, not kick field goals"
-- Urban Meyer
Still doesn't account for people like me. Oh, so sorry I didn't want to pay roughly $35,000 a year in out of state fees and housing to go to Ohio State when the state I grew up in, Florida, offers the sweetest instate scholarships in the whole damn country. The Bright Futures Scholarship (paid for by the state lottery) paid 75% of your tuition for a 3.0 WEIGHTED GPA and a 900 on your SATs (pre essay), and 100% of your tuition with a 3.5 WEIGHTED GPA and a 1270 SAT. Needless to say including housing, books, classes, tuition over the course of 5 lazy, booze filled years I graduated college with less than $11,000 student loans.
So sorry I didn't want to incur $100 K in student loans just so I could justify myself as a "REAL" Buckeye despite the fact I was Ohio born and partially raised and have rooted for the Buckeyes since birth. To hell with that Longhorn author of that article.
PS
The Bright Futures Scholarship is also why Florida has some of the more enormous student populations in the country, with 3 of the top 10. FSU, FAU, and USF aren't far behind on this list either. Please see below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_United_States_university_campuses_by_enrollment
In full disclosure, I went to UCF and I will still root for OSU to steamroll their cheating asses in a few weeks!!! Any other matchup I mildly root for UCF, but when I went there no one really cared about football.
I think it is insultingly elitist to say only students/grads can be true fans - it's a shame that some people think so little of themselves that they feel the need to try and pull others down. "Fan" is short for "fanatic" - no tuition required for fanaticism. End of story.
I'm proud to call any lover of my alma mater a fellow Buckeye, even the f'ing-nuts-idiot ones...every family has them...
"The revolution will be televised."
I personally believe that you can be a true fan if you pull up a seat every Saturday and root your team on, no matter what the circumstances [down year]. I really think that is the only requirement. You don't have to fill your house with memorabilia, buy season tickets, or be alumni.
But I do know what you are talking about. When I attended OSU some of the students would turn there noses up to people that did not attend OSU. One was one of my roommates. He thought that he was more of a fan because he actually attended the school and felt it gave him more of status (he was probably one of the worst fans I've ever seen). Quite frankly that attitude pisses me off. If it weren't for my father who never attended OSU I would never have been a fan, or even attended OSU, maybe.
In short I guess what I have to say is that in my experience I have seen people that I would consider better fans that never attended school at OSU, people who try to convince you otherwise are elitist jerkoffs.
"Without winners, there wouldn't even be civilization."
I feel closer to the team as a representation of the four best years of my life than I would if I otherwise hadn't graduated from Ohio State. It is a little different with college sports in that respect because there is a connection that one cannot ever have with a pro team.
But that isn't to say someone can't be a "fan" of a college team. Some connection is preferable. Many Michigan fans living in Ohio that have no connection to UM are just trolls and they're a significant annoyance.
A true college sports fan though should NOT support one college in football and another in basketball. Big no no.
Canadian
You don't have to attend Ohio State to be a fan any more than I have to be Canadian to enjoy Trailer Park Boys.
I became a Buckeye fan because my parents always have been and always watched them when I was growing up. I bet that's where it starts for a lot of people.
Trailer Park Boys rules!! Bring it back.
"We get paid to score touchdowns, not kick field goals"
-- Urban Meyer
There is a small part of me that agrees with this. but a huge part that doesnt. And I guess the small part of me that agrees with this is because when I talk about OSU, there is surely to be someone to join the conversation who wants to disagree with me and hate on the buckeyes. it's nice to be able to pull out my alumni card and tell them to shut up and i'm just talking about my school.
A fan, is a fan, is a fan. Go bucks! And go Tennessee Titans even though I never lived in or near Nashville.
Canadian
you don't have to attend Ohio State to be a fan any more than I have to be Canadian to enjoy Terrance and Phillip.