I hate football! (But when in Rome….)

A sports blog this is not.
Regular readers know that the above might even be understatement, as I have less than zero interest in athletic events. Where it comes to sports, I’m like an alien visiting a strange planet. This has never been more true than since the move to Ann Arbor, Michigan where I find myself living just a block away from the Michigan athletic complex, in an area dominated by students, many of whom would be stereotyped as “jocks.” However, I very much like the fact that even though they have loud parties, they generally mind their own business, don’t care what other people do (nor do they express busybody fears of “pit bulls”), and I can enjoy the relative anonymity of being an older guy who happens to live in the neighborhood.
Just because I’m generally uninterested in organized athletic events does not mean that I’m hostile, though. I’m also ignorant about science fiction, but I’m not hostile to that. Why, were I to be plunked down in the middle of a Science Fiction Fair somewhere, I’d probably be curious enough to at least ask questions, and maybe read some of the most important things. (You know, the stuff that SciFi folks might see as basic “cultural literacy.”)
Additionally, there’s that slogan “When in Rome.” Considering the absolute intensity of what happens when there’s a football game down the street, I don’t think it is any exaggeration to say that living here and not attending a football game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor would be a bit like time-traveling back to ancient Rome and not bothering to attend a gladiatorial event. You’d not only be violating the “When in Rome” rule, you’d be missing out on an important aspect of the culture.
I think that’s enough by way of a background explanation of what happened to me yesterday, which was in and of itself a highly unusual event in my life:
I went to a football game.
And not just any football game, but Michigan versus Wisconsin. The Wolverines versus the Badgers! Yes, by a process of inverse anthropomorphism, football apparently turns people into animals — in this case it was a battle of the mustelids versus a weasel like group. Interestingly, both animals are quite vicious in real life, and although combat is unlikely in nature, I think wolverines could defeat badgers. (As happened yesterday with the human variety.)
The human variety of wolverine can be just as wild as the natural variety, especially when seen in its characteristic blue and gold phase:
ES_Wolverine.jpg
Yes, that’s me on the left, wearing a very fraudulent T-shirt. This year’s official T-shirt is bright yellow gold. Too bright for me. So my blue color is out of date, plus I never attended Michigan Law School. And even though I am a lawyer, my only connection with “Michigan Law” is a blog post I wrote criticizing one. But I’ll leave the T-shirt ethics to others; I am in Rome doing as Romans do, and that shirt is the “When in Rome” equivalent of a toga.
When I first entered the stadium, here’s what it looked like:
MI_stadium.jpg
Eventually, it was filled to capacity; around 110,000.
The first half of the game went so poorly that I was beginning to wonder whether everyone was a bit deluded about the Wolverines being such a great team. The Badgers scored two touchdowns and a couple of field goals, and were ahead 19-0. But finally, in the third quarter, the Wolverines showed their stuff. During halftime, I had heard someone talking about how they had “worn out” the Badgers and allowed them to get ahead, but they’d definitely come back and finish them off, but I thought this was wishful thinking. To my astonishment, the Wolverines did just that, and pulled off a wildly impressive upset victory. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a crowd go as wild.
A couple of action pictures I took:
MI_WI2.jpg
MI_WI3.jpg
In the stands, a couple of very blue Wolverine fans:
BlueWolverinesMI.jpg
And in the air, the Goodyear Blimp was replaced by the DIRECTV Blimp!
directvblimp.jpg
The final score was 27-25.
Here’s a video of the final “Hail to the Victors” as the team leaves the field in triumph.

To show what a total ignoramus I am, I was already familiar with the tune, but because I’d heard it played repeatedly at Republican events and conventions I had assumed that it was a traditional celebratory tune intended for political rallies. Once I learned that it is the official Michigan victory song, I put two and two together, and realized that it had been seared into my memory as a “political” tune only because I had heard it played for years to honor President Jerry Ford, who was a noted football star here in the 1930s. (Fool that I am, I had unwittingly put a political spin on something that wasn’t political.)
I can’t believe that I had so much fun doing something I’m not supposed to like.


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5 responses to “I hate football! (But when in Rome….)”

  1. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Eric says, “I can’t believe that I had so much fun doing something I’m not supposed to like.”
    Me either! But now that you have…I can SO envision your next “aha” moment.
    Eric says, “I can’t believe that I had so much fun doing something I’m not SUPPOSED to do!”
    Okay, so we lose a bit of momentum here. ๐Ÿ™
    But that’s only because we have come to know and love you as our smartest, sweetest boy scout. No one anticipating a wrist slap here, let alone a misdemeanor charge in any of our 57 states.
    Of course Coco is first in line to support you in your newest endeavor. I lent her some pink lipstick, and she looks quite fetching, if I may say so myself. Not piggish at all. As we speak, Simon is looking for just the right mood music for this occasion. He has even agreed to allow Coco to lick back his hair. Of course this was totally negotiated by yours truly, and you should also know that both Coco and Simon are not happy with me, nor each other, but they both promised to smile for the group photo which should look something like this… [ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ ].
    Ready or not, here we go, eric!
    WAIT!
    Oh for cripe’s sake. Simon, can you PLEASE put down that video recorder?
    Thank you…but GEEZ and crackers, man. Do you have no sense? This is our friend!
    Sorry, eric.
    I think we are ready now, assuming you are. Just be yourself, honey. It works EVERY time.

  2. Kirk Avatar
    Kirk

    You have truly been blessed to catch this game in person.
    There is absolutely no place like the Big House.
    It can really get under the skin, win or lose.
    Could you feel the love?
    GO BLUE
    Its great–to be–a Michigan Wolverine….
    Welcome back my friend to the show that never ends, we’re so glad you could attend…
    Come inside, come inside.
    What I would have given to be there.
    I had to watch, and tape it way down here in Alabama.
    So glad you enjoyed it.
    It is really hard not to.
    Thanks alot for sharing the event on your Blog….its like sweet honey to this Trueblue Wolverine.

  3. mellow-drama Avatar
    mellow-drama

    Be careful, Eric! It starts with a simple “when in Rome…” moment; then you go and have a lot of fun, and the next thing you know you’re watching NFL football every Sunday at a sports bar! That’s what happened to me in college and I’ve still never recovered!

  4. Gregory Avatar
    Gregory

    Hmm.
    It’s SF, by the way, not sci-fi. That’s a more derogatory term. But since you’re not interested in either SF or sci-fi, we’ll let it pass, won’t we, boys?
    And if you had fun watching gridiron, imagine how much more fun you’ll have watching Aussie Rules…

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