Steve_424
Hall-of-Famer
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- Mar 22, 2009
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It's the vast majority of the fan base. Most have no clue what they are talking about (not throwing you in that group, just a general statement). Most never attended OSU. There seems to be a general attitude amongst people that went to OSU that if you didn't go to a BIG10 school then your education is inferior, the school you went to must suck, oh you went to OHIO, must not have learned anything, etc.
I went to Ohio University because they had a great program in my major (much better than OSU's in the same field) and I absolutely loved the school. I got into OSU. They were my back-up plan. I got recruited to play football at Columbia University. I'm not a dumb ass. These are some of the reasons why many people who attended smaller schools really dislike OSU. There's an elitist attitude that prevails from the top down, starting with Gee.
I know from the Ohio standpoint there's a big beef with OSU because although Ohio University is the oldest university in Ohio (est. 1804), Ohio A&M received a massive land grant and was written into law as Ohio's flagship campus, essentially stifling Ohio University's ability grow and get funding beyond a certain point. There was also a lawsuit in the early-to-mid 90's where OSU tried to sue Ohio for the right to use solely "OHIO" on athletic apparel. Obviously they lost because Ohio University owns the trademark for "OHIO" as it relates to intercollegiate athletics, since Ohio was founded nearly 70 years prior to OSU. That lawsuit caused a lot of bad feelings.
To add on to this, it seems like a lot of those fans are the ones who never attended Ohio State - the massive group of frontrunners that help to form "Buckeye Nation". I know many OSU grads, and none of them are obnoxious about Ohio State. It's the non-student fans that insist on it being referred to as The Ohio State, that talk down to you about going to a smaller school (even if it has better programs), and expect you to cheer for the Buckeyes because you live in Ohio, even if they're playing your alma mater.
I also agree on Gee. When your school president refers to mid-major programs as "Little Sisters of the Poor" and says that outstanding football programs like Boise State and TCU don't deserve a shot at the National Championship, you can see where the elitist attitude of some fans comes from.