UMich clothes and weird fans Need Advice!

Couple years ago my daughter was given a really heavy nice UMich insulated hoodie as a gift. But it’s way too big for her, so she didn’t take it to school.

Rather then letting it collect dust, I’ve been wearing it. It’s a fantastic jacket. Warm, well made, great pockets…I love it.

I keep having these weird encounters with sports fans who want to talk about the UMich games…that I am completely oblivious to. Have never followed a sport or watched one on TV or in real life …in my life. Couple years ago I had to ask what sport the Super Bowl was, cause I honestly didn’t know. None of them hold any interest for me.

So these people come up in public and want to talk about the game…and I’ve been saying…I have no clue about sports, my kid just goes there. For science. We’re nerd people who watch documentaries and listen to NPR. I have no idea what you’re talking about. I like watching figure skating. And equestrian trials. I’m really, really sorry.

But these people look like I’ve just kicked them when I do this. Seriously…the crestfallen looks of horror I’ve gotten are just kinda…tragic to me. it’s like i’m hurting their souls!

So here’s my question…What the hell do I say about something I have no clue about?

Do I just smile and say “Go, Blue!” and run away as fast as I can? That’s been my recent strategy.

Any suggestions? And before saying…why not just try sports? I’d rather have a colonoscopy.

hahaha - yes, many are going to say “Go Blue” and some may ask about a team. But, I think you are right in just saying my daughter goes there but I’m not much of a sports fan. I can’t see a sane person taking that poorly. Now for the insane sports fan …

It might possibly get a whole lot worse in the next week or two. You might want to check the NCAA men’s basketball tournament results and dress accordingly.

People may go to UM for science but it’s a pretty rare thing for someone to spend 4 years in Ann Arbor and not pick up some love for the football, basketball, and hockey teams.

Go Blue!!!

The best sports site for Michigan, probably the best college sports site in the country. The posters have forgotten more than you will ever learn. The posters are almost all nerds and you will see Ph.D. level analytics at work, perfect for the ignorant sports nerd. No politics or Spartans allowed.

www.mgoblog.com

Second best with a little more Walmart Wolverine passion and fewer PhDs is thewolverine.com. Either way, @MaryGJ you should get on the bandwagon now and save yourself a lifetime of awkward encounters.

LOL…thank you all for the advice. While I’m not ready to join the sports cult, yet, I might possibly check out the websites and at least get some idea which season matches which sport:)

Happened again today in Meijer. Some guy shouted…“Hey! Sweet Sixteen!” He winked at me and wanted to high five me. I obliged, but was baffled. Is sixteen the number of a popular player? I just smiled back and mumbled something about “loving Wolverines.” This seemed to appease him. Have to admit, the enthusiasm is endearing. People are entertaining.

Thanks again:)

@MaryGJ - I have enjoyed your thread. Perhaps it’s because I’m in Texas or because my shirt says “Michigan Mom,” but I rarely get more than a “Go Blue!” If you’re on Facebook, though, I suggest following the Ann Arbor News. While keeping up with the always-important new restaurant scene and local Ann Arbor news, you’ll get the highlights from UMich sports news. E.g., you’d know that the men’s basketball team made it to the final 16 teams in the NCAA tournament. Their next game is tomorrow, so be ready for more comments if you wear your hoodie.

if it just has the big M on it, you can just say you went to the University of Moldova and coincidentally they happen to have the same logo and colors.

You need to know that “sweet 16” is amazing (basketball tournament) and if they win the tournament, burn the sweatshirt if you can’t come up with more than “loving wolverines”…

“Go blue”
“I know, amazing, right?”
“You said it”
…All appropriate responses.

Your D goes to a highly-charged collegiate sports powerhouse. The shirt will get that response, even outside the US. So remember, you are the “weird fan”, not them. get used to it. One day it will help her get her first job, so embrace it.

Too late for it to help her get her first job. She’s already been employed by University of Michigan and Michigan State University. Oddly, she doesn’t recall any sports references among coworkers in either department.

I think sports enthusiasm…is a fascinating phenomenon. Not a cult I want to join, but the love of the games is sort of endearing to witness in others. It seems to bring people a lot of joy, and promoting fitness, good sportsmanship and healthy exercise is a very positive thing.

To each their own:)

For all you fans…Go Blue! Good luck in the tournament tomorrow!

My pride in UMich will always have a lot more to do with the excellence of it’s academics and the astounding opportunities it offers, particularly in research…but I don’t mind tipping my hat and wishing the players a good game.

PS…thanks for explaining “sweet sixteen”

The power of the block M is not to be underestimated. Walk around London, Hong Kong, Mumbai, or Budapest with your Michigan cap on any you will hear ‘Go Blue’ with a raised arm from somewhere on a crowded street.

Very true, TooOld, but I do ask myself…is this because UMich is know for its sports or its academics overseas? UMich is a very popular college for foreign students to aspire to. Its global reputation is stellar…as an academic powerhouse.

“My pride in UMich will always have a lot more to do with the excellence of it’s academics and the astounding opportunities it offers, particularly in research”

That goes for all of us MaryGJ. However, what separates Michigan from peer institutions such as Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Penn etc… is its rich tradition in sport, and the crazy school spirit that comes with that. If you never attended Michigan as an undergraduate student, you will not understand.

September-November is football season. Almost every Saturday between September 1 and November 30, Michigan will play a football game. There can be a December game and a January game, but those are conference championships or bowl games. So if anybody brings up a sport in September-November, you can assume they are talking football. Just to get an idea of the scale of Michigan’s tradition in football, the program has won more games (935, second in Division I is Nebraska with 889), and has the highest winning percentage (73%, Notre Dame is second with 72%), of any program in the country. Michigan’s stadium, AKA “the Big House”, which accommodates over 110,000 spectators, has the largest capacity of any stadium in the US. Michigan’s fight song, “The Victors”, is considered one of the best fight songs in all of sport. The Michigan vs Ohio State rivalry is widely regarded as one of the fiercest and best in all of sport.

December-April are the Basketball and Hockey seasons. Although the Basketball and Hockey seasons start in November, it isn’t until after the regular football season ends that fans turn their attention to those sports. Michigan’s tradition in Hockey is stellar.

“Very true, TooOld, but I do ask myself…is this because UMich is know for its sports or its academics overseas?”

Overseas, Michigan’s reputation is stellar, and it is entirely thanks to it world class academic programs. Top 10 in virtually every field of study.

But the "Go Blue"s you get while overseas are not from people who know it or want to go there. They are from the alumni flung all over the world. I’ve never seen anything like it until traveling with my UM kid in his hat. THAT alumni force is what helps kids get jobs. (I’m sure your daughter didn’t need the alumni support tho…)

UM is sports and acedemia. It’s a package deal. You seem to find the sports fan part “cute” in a very patronizing kind of way…it’s fine if you don’t get it, but the fans who do are not “weird”. They are proud of their school. You did not attend, so it is probably hard for you to understand their enthusiasm. I’m sure your daughter gets it, even if she’s not a sports person.