On Saturday morning I woke up a little late and got dressed quickly in order to get to work on time. When I arrived at the station, I unzipped my jacket and realized my dress had some goldish, yellow coloring in it.
I looked up at my sports director, Andy Baskin, in utter frustration and said, “Oh no, should I go home and change?”
It was the day Ohio State hosted Michigan, which is of course one of the most epic rivalries in all of sports, and I was wearing of one of the enemies’ colors. I thought I would receive hate mail from our viewers, who overwhelmingly support Ohio State.
Baskin convinced me I was overreacting and I didn’t need to change.
In college sports, there is a distinct line between Ohio State and Michigan, between scarlet and grey and maize and blue.
However, two days after Ohio State defeated Michigan in a double-overtime thriller, those same colors appeared to have faded, as the distinction between the two teams seemed far less important than it did just 48 hours prior.
While I am not sure if there is ever such a thing as a “good” Monday for a college student, this past Monday should have been among the better of its kind for Buckeye students. The elation and excitement from this past weekend’s victory should have carried over into the work week, even if it was combined with a dose of exhaustion.
Instead of boasting about their win, many Buckeyes spent the morning hiding from their classmate.
On Monday, a student allegedly drove his car into a group of students and then proceeded to attack his peers with a knife. The act of violence left 11 students injured and many more in fear.
Michigan was among the many institutions that reached out to send its best to the Buckeyes.
The support was not surprising and in fact probably expected by many people.
Michigan and Ohio State often appear to hate each other. Whether it’s a relationship, a friend or even a relative, I always say you can only hate someone that you love, because they are the only ones with access to your heart.
The strong and historic rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State leads to extreme competition but also has resulted in a unique bond that links these two schools together. The softer side of that bond is often only highlighted in times of suffering.
For lack of a better phrase and maybe for the pure fun of using an alliteration, in competition, they like to beat each other’s butts, but in reality, they’ve got each other’s backs.
Ohio State and Michigan actually remind me a lot of me and my big brother.
Monday’s tragedy made it ever so obvious that whether you’re a Wolverine or a Buckeye, a Crimson Tide or a Tiger, all actually co-exist on one canvas, as their colors blend together to paint the picture of the true spirit of sports, which is humanity.
