What's Your Most Unlikely/Surprising Rival Trash Talk Story?
As many Michigan fans prepare to descend upon Bloomington for our game this Saturday I couldn’t help but recall a very unlikely/surprising experience at a Michigan football game in Bloomington a few years ago. I don’t recall the exact number, but I think I’ve now been to 20-25 Michigan neutral/road games in my life. But my very first one was at IU on October 4th, 1997. Our senior year a few of us knew even after only 3 games that we had a very special season unfolding so we just decided last minute to head down to Bloomington for the game.
None of us had been to a Michigan away game so I think we were all quite unprepared for what we saw/experienced. For one thing we were very good that year, but more importantly we were playing INDIANA, in FOOTBALL. This was really the first time I experienced the ever-present Michigan hate outside the friendly confines of our great state.
So here are my three most unlikely/surprising rival trash talk stories. I look forward to hearing about yours. (WARNING – name drop coming up)
1. October 4th 1997 (Bloomington, IN) – A few of us crashed at my HS buddy’s house in the IU student ghetto. We get up, throw on our Michigan gear, drink a beer or three, then head out. I remember thinking that we were going to kick their ass and it would be a very non-confrontational experience in every way. Our guards were certainly down. Nope, from the moment we hit the street we were fielding f-bombs from nearly everyone that we encountered, probably even Jared Fogle come to think of it. Some houses actually had “Fuck Michigan” signs in their front yards. We could not believe it, just kept looking at each other and laughing at our first experience of road Michigan hate. That hate fueled our football team apparently as we won that day 37-0.
2. December 2005 (Manhattan Beach, CA) – I was out having a beer with a buddy of mine (MSU fan). Four sit down at the table next to us. After a few minutes we realize the girl sitting closest to me is Tara Reid, so naturally I start chatting her up. This is a portion of how that went:
Her: “So where are you from?”
Me: “Michigan originally.”
Her: “Fuck Michigan.”
I certainly didn’t see that coming. Turns out most of her family, including her brother that I’m still friends with after that night, went to OSU.
3. July 2012 (Charles de Galle airport, Paris) – I was flying back from a two week business trip tired, hungover, gross, etc. I was wearing my block M hat per usual. Standing in the security line I hear some guy behind me say something to the effect that ‘Michigan sucks and Brady Hoke sucks’. I turn around and it’s some guy wearing an OSU hat. There’s nothing more to this story, but that was the last time and place I thought I’d have to put up with a cooler-pooping truck driver.
Look forward to hearing your similar stories, Fuck Indiana, and Go Blue!
November 11th, 2015 at 12:25 PM ^
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November 11th, 2015 at 1:07 PM ^
November 11th, 2015 at 1:29 PM ^
November 11th, 2015 at 1:42 PM ^
So, a self-hating Buckeye. Redundant, I know.
November 11th, 2015 at 6:26 PM ^
I think she might have taken the whole "Fuck Michigan" thing to heart....
November 11th, 2015 at 12:26 PM ^
November 11th, 2015 at 12:33 PM ^
WD can't watch though or else he has to pay a $100
November 11th, 2015 at 12:44 PM ^
I think Tara Reid should be used as a cautionary tale for every attractive woman in the 16 to 24 age range. Sort of a campfire ghost story, like, "yeah, you're pretty now, but don't count on coasting on that your whole life, because at any minute you could be....TARA REID!!!"
November 11th, 2015 at 10:01 PM ^
November 11th, 2015 at 12:34 PM ^
November 11th, 2015 at 12:26 PM ^
That Tara Reid story really explains a lot.
As Elaine Benes once said, "Another piece of the puzzle falls into place."
November 11th, 2015 at 3:37 PM ^
who was standing at a mic and inexplicably her shoulder strap slipped and her boob was completely exposed? She did not even notice it until someone put the strap back up. What a dolt.
November 11th, 2015 at 12:28 PM ^
About 7-8 years ago, I was driving back to Ann Arbor by myself to visit with friends after graduating. I had a Michigan license plate and the alumni plate frame (very cool, I know) and also my favorite bumper sticker of all time "ohowihateohiostate". When out of nowhere this guy flys up along side of me and flips me off. I'm like "what the heck is this dudes problem", he then cuts me off and is still flipping me off, when I notice his OSU sticker and license plate. Obviously this fan was LCD, but that was a memory I will never forget. OSU still sucks!
November 11th, 2015 at 2:23 PM ^
I was at a house party in Denver a few years back and I met a very cool OSU alumni and fan.
It was weird, I admit, but I swear it happened. I reported it back to Mulder and Scully.
They're still on the case.
November 11th, 2015 at 12:29 PM ^
November 11th, 2015 at 12:42 PM ^
We'll always have Van Wilder.
November 11th, 2015 at 12:47 PM ^
She was the hottest in American Pie 2.
November 11th, 2015 at 12:30 PM ^
I'd expect that kind of feedback from Indiana basketball fans but I always assumed they were more behaved when it came to football.
November 11th, 2015 at 1:03 PM ^
yep, it was pretty remarkable to see those signs all over campus. We could have won that game 60-0.
November 11th, 2015 at 12:31 PM ^
Indiana is a rival??
November 11th, 2015 at 12:37 PM ^
November 11th, 2015 at 1:43 PM ^
I parked my car outside the house on the street. I had a M alumni plate and some M stickers, and the week of Ill vs M game, my car was mysteriously teepeed. There might be something to this Illinois rivalry yet.
November 11th, 2015 at 4:02 PM ^
than anything else.
November 11th, 2015 at 6:16 PM ^
We drove to Champaign for the game (the disaster in 2009, I believe), and at a gas station in Illinois, there was tons of "Fuck Michigan" merchandise. Pretty lame.
And, who on here told the story about when he was in Ohio with Michigan stuff on his car, and a carload of Buckeyes were giving him the business and rear-ended a cop car? That was funny.
November 11th, 2015 at 12:33 PM ^
November 11th, 2015 at 12:33 PM ^
I had buddies that went to MSU. I stayed with them the weekend of the UM MSU game when Henne led the comeback in the 4th with the long TD pass to Manningham. I had to endure the entire game at a Sparty Frat house surrounded by 20-30 bros who all knew I'm a Michigan die hard. The trash talk never stopped throughout the whole day and during the game. I couldn't even say anything back since I was outnumbered and only 2-3 of the bros on hand were my actual friends I cannot explain how happy I was when we came out with the W. I lit into them the entire night and they couldn't say anything! it was the best night I had while in college!
November 11th, 2015 at 12:33 PM ^
November 11th, 2015 at 12:35 PM ^
It was just a very odd experience of someone who seemed to have zero grasp on reality.
November 11th, 2015 at 12:37 PM ^
I went to Michigan @ Indiana in 2010, a game we won 42-35. For those who don't remember, we scored with about 20 seconds left to win, and Denard accounted for almost 500 yards on offense.
After the game, I was standing at the urinal when multiple Indiana fans started talking trash to me about our defense. I zipped it up, gave a quick "scoreboard", and exited the bathroom. One guy was so incensed that he followed me all the way to the gates telling me how badly Michigan sucked, and saying that he was actually an OSU fan (he was wearing an IU jersey), and that he couldn't wait for The Game.
On the walk back to the car, MULTIPLE Indiana fans pulled up next to me in their cars and went off on completely unprovoked, profanity-laced tirades. I'm not entirely sure what pushed them over the edge as they had been so docile during the game, but I'm guessing that coming pretty close to ending a historically long losing streak against us and then coming up short probably had something to do with it.
November 11th, 2015 at 1:08 PM ^
ha, I have met that IU/OSU fan guy before. nothing like rooting for anyone that's convenient. whatta dbag
November 11th, 2015 at 1:22 PM ^
I've met a few Indiana sports fans. Their loyalties are as flexible as Tara Reid. In any given year, they are Indy Colts or Chicago Bears fans, Indiana Pacers fans or Chicago Bulls fans, Notre Dame or Ohio State fans.
November 11th, 2015 at 12:37 PM ^
Met a girl at a bar that was an OSU fan. Couldn't stand half the things she was saying, but the blowjob was nice.
November 11th, 2015 at 1:04 PM ^
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November 11th, 2015 at 5:12 PM ^
where you got a blow job
November 11th, 2015 at 1:21 PM ^
Tara Reid and Ohio St. may be the perfect marriage of school and person fandom-wise.
When I was at the Air Force Academy I ran afoul of a group of drunk fans at a Colorado St. game in Fort Collins singing, "Find a cadet and beat him." Luckily I was in civvies and not uniform, but that one un-nerved me. Not necessarily trash talk but the weirdest example of rival fan dislike I ever experienced.
November 11th, 2015 at 1:49 PM ^
As a CSU alum, let me take this opportunity to say sorry for what seems like idiotic and just plain unnecessary behavior. I usually don't apologize for people I don't know but this seems out of line and straight up hostile.
Especially on a day to honor our veterans and service men/women, it's important to understand the freedoms we are afforded in this country. At the end of day, there are so many things more important than sports but I'm sure we all love the fact that sports can bring us together. So thank you for that too!
*Side note: I remember I went to a Tigers playoff game in NYC in 2011 against the Yankees. I thought I was literally the only Detroit fan in my section. As the game went on and the Tigers starting piling on runs, I was getting heckled and cussed at pretty hard. It was getting close to getting physical with drunk Yankees fans.
Out of nowhere I found a fellow Detroit fan and we watched the rest of the game from the mezzanine and had a great time just joking around while knowing we were very disliked. It goes to show sports can bring the most randon of fans together, if only briefly, over a game we have no control over.
November 11th, 2015 at 2:39 PM ^
My Brother-in-law is a CSU alum as well and was equally puzzled by the event, so it's not like I have any hard feelings over it, just was a weird deal.
Personally people who get to live in Fort Collins should not be mad about anything, pretty much ever, but that's just my opinion. Really pretty spot.
November 11th, 2015 at 12:42 PM ^
jared fogle was not at IU in 1997, nice try though
November 11th, 2015 at 1:25 PM ^
Umm,
A. It was written tongue-in-cheek. You really need to work on your sense of humor skills apparently.
B. You are WRONG. "He graduated from North Central High School in Indianapolis, IN in 1995. He then continued his studies at Indiana University in Bloomington, where he received a degree in Management and International Business from the Kelley School of Business in 2000."
Nice try, though....
C. I expect a full apology.
November 11th, 2015 at 12:43 PM ^
My first Michigan game was the 2002 Michigan/Michigan State game. We all know how fucked Michigan was in 2001 for that game, but of all the places my friend and I had to sit, we were (somehow) surrounded by MSU fans. They were talking all kinds of shit, but stopped when they realized what was going to happen in that game. Final score was 49-3. Boom. Owned.
As we were walking out, I heard this other MSU fan say how trashy Michigan is, how horrible the stadium is, how disrespectful (LOL) Michigan fans are, and how he would never set foot in the Big House again. I walked passed him after he said he would never step foot in the stadium again and said "thank you."
November 11th, 2015 at 12:44 PM ^
They know better when they see me in the streets.
November 11th, 2015 at 12:46 PM ^
a 2nd job in commission sales, and my ID badge hangs from a Michigan Lanyard.
I start talking to this guy, and he goes on for 15-20 minutes about subjects all over the map. He clearly is not looking to buy, so I am trying to exit gracefully - to no avail as he keeps grabbing my arm and stopping me.
Meanwhile, other customers are waiting and getting frustrated that I am with this guy. Some even give up and leave!
Finally, I tell him that I appreciated his time, and asked one final time if I could help him find anything to purchase.
His response:
"Nope. I just wanted to mess with you and use up all your time. By the way: Go Bucks!"
Fuck that guy, and Fuck OSU!
November 11th, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^
find him and egg his car to the stone age... Definitely Fuck that dude.
November 11th, 2015 at 2:25 PM ^
November 11th, 2015 at 12:48 PM ^
Ha - Saturday will be the first time I've ever gone to a road game solo. Your Indiana story has me slightly second guessing myself.
The last few years, I've been to a lot of road games with my wife and we've had nothing but pleasant encounters with opposing fans - Utah, Maryland, Penn State, Nortre Dame, Rutgers, Northwestern, U Conn and a few bowl games. I'm guessing that Indiana fans will not break this streak - but you never know. There are crazy people everywhere - the key is getting lucky by avoiding the ones looking for trouble.
November 11th, 2015 at 3:11 PM ^
or
I might be discreetly following you. . .
That should help you stay awake for the drive!
November 11th, 2015 at 12:48 PM ^
Which, to be fair, was their Rose Bowl year, but man the hate was strong from a team that had been 8-38 the four previous years...