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Cut Michigan slack, losing could happen here too
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Also by Mike Ackerstein:
- Clay carries Badgers to win in O.T. (November 24, 2008)
- Safeties turn game around (November 17, 2008)
- Sharing carries OK with P.J. (November 12, 2008)
- Wisconsin runs past Hoosier 'D' (November 10, 2008)
- Valai's anger strengthens UW attack (November 10, 2008)
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With the clock winding down in the fourth quarter and the Badgers trailing UNLV by a point, Wisconsin faced a crucial fourth down inside Rebel territory. A failure to convert the first down would make losing a very real possibility. Fans of the Cardinal and White across the country focused their attention on the expected recipient of the ball, running back P.J. Hill, but I wasn't thinking about the action on the field at Sam Boyd Stadium at all. Instead, my thoughts drifted someplace Badger fans won't see at all this season. I started to think about Ann Arbor, Mich.
Like many other Wisconsin football fans, as well as pretty much everyone not an ardent Michigan fan, I've taken immense pleasure in watching the Wolverines start their season with two embarrassing home loses, putting the Rose Bowl hopefuls in an 0-2 hole to start the year.
I've text messaged taunts to friends at Michigan, laughed out loud at their misfortunes, and spent plenty of time watching the highlights of the losses, but facing a possible defeat at the hands of UNLV, I realized that the suffering occurring right now in Ann Arbor could very well happen at any time in Madison.
Caught up in the hype surrounding an undefeated season and national championship, Michigan fans learned the hard way that "perfect" is not a word fit to describe football teams and seasons. Michigan’s struggles should be not used as an opportunity to jeer, but rather as an opportunity to learn. After all, it could happen here too.
Even though Hill picked up the first down, setting up Tyler Donovan’s game-winning touchdown, the thought of losing has firmly been planted in my head.
If Michigan, with their Heisman Trophy-candidate running back and preseason No. 5 ranking can go down twice, surely UW is not unbeatable.
With that concept now understood, it becomes clear that the losses and subsequent ridicule that Wolverine fans have been faced with is not something that can be cast aside and avoided; instead it must be expected and accounted for. Actions taken now will affect the ones we will take later.
For example, almost immediately after Appalachian State beat Michigan, I proudly declared I’d be ordering and wearing a Mountaineers shirt to the Wisconsin-Michigan game in attempt to really stick it to the Wolverine fans. Soon though, it became apparent to me that it wasn’t such a good idea, and that in doing so I’d be tempting the fickle and merciless college football karma god to act with vengeance toward me (also, Ohio State fans beat me to the punch). Although losing is not preventable, there’s no need to ask for it to happen.
So, with a Boy Scout-like attitude of "be prepared," here are some steps fans can take to make an inevitable upset (not necessarily this year, but sometime in the future) a little more bearable.
Don’t take too much pleasure in the defeats of rivals
What goes around comes around. All the voicemails and Facebook messages you thought were so funny at the time won’t seem so amusing when everyone you know piles on you after an upset. Save the trash talk for people who don’t know how to reach you.
Start with low expectations
A way of life traditionally favored by pessimists, expecting the worst may lead to some unnecessary stress at times, but at least when the big loss occurs, you will have already convinced yourself that it was going to happen. Plus, wins become that much sweeter when you’ve convinced yourself a win isn’t in the cards.
Savor the good times
Knowing that things won’t always be so great means that when they are you should enjoy them even more. UW won’t always have a top 10 football team, so live it up now. Also, when tough defeats do happen, it’s the good times that you’ll want to look to for solace.
Find an outlet to channel your anger
Though the popular decision after a tough loss may be to turn directly to alcohol, there are other ways to take out frustration. Health nuts have working out, but I’d suggest finding something defenseless to pummel instead. Try a pillow or a punching bag — definitely something that doesn’t breathe.
Don’t care so much
Contrary to some fans' belief, losing is not the end of the world. Sure it hurts, but if your self-worth is caught up in the outcome of a football game, then you might want to reconsider your priorities. After all, starting quarterbacks probably aren’t losing sleep on how your econ test went, and if they are, the losing might come sooner than we thought.
Mike is a sophomore majoring in journalism. If you’d like to offer another way to cope with losing (that means you, Cubs fans) he can be reached at mackerstein@badgerherald.com.
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IP hash: 70642d0d
I don’t like to see ANY Big 10 team lose a non-conference game.
Michigan is embarassing the whole Big 10.
I hope they beat ND
IP hash: c90ed780
Of course, playing and beating Michigan won’t mean much now as far as the BCS is concerned, assuming we don’t amass more than one loss between now and then. (The #5 ranking helps out a lot.)
IMHO, I don’t completely condemn the Wolverines for losing to App State, (They were the defending 2-time NCAA Division I-AA champions for crying out loud!) but their rout by Oregon was plain out INEXCUSABLE! I think Wolverine fans would agree with me, that this is absolutely NOT expected nor acceptable for the University of Michigan football program.
IP hash: 70642d0d
I had been expecting Michigan to blow out Oregon out of pride, but now I wonder if they keep losing until they get to Northwestern.
IP hash: 72a8e0f0
I’ll admit, I celebrated Michigan’s losses like everyone else. In retrospect though, they are devastating for the rest of the conference.
Now if Ohio State, Penn State or Wisconsin beats them, the pollsters will say “So what? Everyone else did too.”
Their losses make the entire Big Ten suspect, and I would be surprised if any Big Ten team can make a national championship game this year.
Here’s hoping the Citadel doesn’t become Wisconsin’s “Poison Cupcake”.
IP hash: 4ba8d025
The reason everyone likes to see Michigan lose is because they are so arrogant and obnoxious. Most people on the street probably couldn’t tell you how other Big Ten teams (other than the Badgers) did this weekend, but plenty of people will gleefully tell you that Michigan lost. Again.
Of course it could happen to any team, and yeah, it looks bad for the conference, BUT don’t you feel just a tiny bit of happiness to see such an over-hyped bunch of jerks lose for once? Oh wait, I mean TWICE! Ha ha ha!
IP hash: a4e836ac
To the poster who wrote: “The reason everyone likes to see Michigan lose is because they are so arrogant and obnoxious.”
Sounds like you are merely jealous of the ranking and predictions…neither of which has ANYTHING AT ALL to do with Michigan players or coaches. For that, your anger (jealousy) should be channeled toward sportswriters and voting coaches as THEY control that.
IP hash: 4ba8d025
Actually I grew up in Michigan surrounded by the weasel hype, so I know it very very well. The arrogance that surrounds that university (players, coaches, and ESPECIALLY fans) is inbred and constant, and it happens no matter what the rankings say, no matter what the score is, and it is not confined just to sports. There is a certain mentality that goes along with the whole University of Michigan and it is always nice to see them brought down a few notches.
“Sounds like you are merely jealous of the ranking and predictions…neither of which has ANYTHING AT ALL to do with Michigan players or coaches. For that, your anger (jealousy) should be channeled toward sportswriters and voting coaches as THEY control that.”