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| Michigan State and Central Michigan battle it out in last year's meeting at Spartan Stadium. |
So now that I haven’t exactly put up a blog post in about
500 years, I think I’m ready to put them up as much as possible, now that I’m
back at college at have…more free time? Something like that, but I think this
whole college thing is what got me an urge for another blog post.
The big storyline in Mount Pleasant, Mich. in 2012 has
been one and only thing: CMU vs. MSU at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on September 8. We’re
more or less 60 hours away from what could possibly be the largest crowd that
has ever come to a Central Michigan home game. Students have lined sidewalks
for hours just for a ticket, extra seats have been brought in, there’s even a
new suite on the back sideline! I’ve been looking forward to this event ever
since I realized it was happening. The Chippewa Marching Band and the Spartan
Marching Band are both performing at halftime, and then will play a tune
together on the field and blow everybody out of their seats!!! And I certainly
can’t wait for pregame coming on the field…did I tell you I’m a Marching Chip?
At the same time, I’m not excited for a lot of things
about the weekend. Thank goodness nobody is coming to visit me for this game, I
think it’s going to be the worst day of traffic I’ve ever seen, and yes I have
been in Toronto. At least I won’t be on the road…Apparently there’s four bars
in Mount Pleasant that will only allow MSU fans inside on Saturday, and if I’m
right, I guess that means no Chippewa fans can go to their favorite bars like
The Bird or Marty’s on a day when it would mean the most…So a Big Ten town
bought a MAC town for a day? That’s somewhat insulting…
But what I think got everyone all up in arms today –
except for me – was a CM Life article, talking about Central students planning to
attend the game in MSU gear, and cheer for the Spartans. Facebook lit up,
people on campus lit up about it, people in class lit up about it, all absolutely
stunned that their own student body wouldn’t have the pride to cheer for their
own team.
What do I think? Let them do what they want, and don’t
rat them out for it.
For anybody that has a lot of Chippewa pride at CMU, why
be upset if the rest of the student body doesn’t? To start, it means YOU have a
lot of school spirit, and YOU are in the top tier of “fired up” people for
Central Michigan University. You stick with your team even when they’re 3-9 in
back-to-back seasons. You stand behind Ryan Radcliff and Dan Enos, even when infinite
interceptions and 30+ point losses tell you not to. You know how to sing the
Alma Mater, the Fight Song, Hail to the Chippewa, and maybe even On To Victory!
(If you’ve ever heard of that one) Maybe you even know how to play every one of
them as well…
Whatever the case, that means YOU’RE AWESOME!!! Why criticize
everyone else when you could simply be proud of your unwavering devotion?
Second, don’t forget what Central is, a mid-sized college,
surrounded by miles and miles of farmland in the middle of Michigan, and with
teams in the Mid-American Conference. The point here, is to not forget where
most of CMU’s student body comes from in the first place, and what they grew up
with.
The first college football game I ever attended – and probably
ever watched – was in November 2004 at Spartan Stadium; my dad’s friends
invited him and I to come watch the final home game of the season. We tailgated
all afternoon (no I was no drinking, I was 12), and witnessed the Spartans win
in style, blowing out the undefeated Wisconsin Badgers 49-14. Watching all that
action out on the field – especially when it was still a close game – was about
the coolest thing I had ever seen in person. I hadn’t become a passionate
hockey fan yet, a big golf fan yet, or anything. But I thought Michigan State
was cool, really cool.
With that, I’m sure a lot of fellow Chips grew up in the
mitten the same way, picking the U of M or State side. Long before I envisioned
myself in college, I was a fan of Michigan State. In fact, I don’t think I had
ever heard of CMU until grade eight when I saw a graduation plaque on the wall
of my math teacher’s classroom. Actually learning about CMU happened when
people I knew in high school started going there for college.
Again, I think many students here would feel the same,
they knew about Michigan State – whether they love or hate them – light years before
they knew anything about Central, Western, Eastern, Northern, Grand Valley,
Wayne State, the list goes on and on. So likewise, why be upset with CMU
students when they cheer for the team that they’ve either 1) loved for years,
or 2) been a bandwagon fan of for years? They might not have had the GPA to go to
Michigan State, or the money (Not that CMU’s cheap). And speaking of money, most
businesses in Mount P. are undoubtedly only looking at this with a financial
perspective, dare I say it, I’d be stunned if the university wasn’t. Sadly, I
have been told over and over that everything is “all about the money.”
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| Can't wait to spend another football game as a member of the Marching Chips... |
But believe me, I promise, I am PROUD TO BE A
CHIPPEWA!!!! OO-WAH!!! Even if that student section is going to be the greenest
it’s ever been, the section I’m sitting in will be 100% Maroon. Win or lose, I
will be proud of Chippewa football. I respect the decision of any student that
goes into Kelly/Shorts wearing a Spartans jersey, I think it’s an honor to be
able to see Michigan State in action IN MOUNT PLEASANT, Something that has
never happened before. It’s a historic day for the city, the community, and 20
years from now, I will be thrilled to have been in attendance. So if you bleed
maroon and gold, know that when all your classmates won’t be pumping up the
Chips on saturday, YOU WILL BE! Be proud!
go back to canada
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