WOOO HOOO

[ZachTheZip]

The reason this loss is good is because 90% of OSu's fans are frontrunners in the truest sense, including all the local media outlets. They cover OSU above Akron despite the close proximity. I have no doubt that if the local media gave both schools even coverage, that you would see a significant increase in Akron fans around here because they only root for who the news tells them to root for. This loss causes some people to be disenchanted, and we're in a very convenient place to pick up the slack, especially in basketball.

[GoZips]

I love your comments. Times have indeed changed. A few years ago I felt like a lone voice speaking up against Mega State U. Now I see a lot of company for all theright reasons.Times have changed. Forty years ago there was a huge separation between the Zips and Ohio State. Akron in no way could compete against Ohio State. Not so anymore. Watch the whiners start bleating that OSU must "improve" its out of conference schedule. BS. Look in that conference and find the real reason that OSU didnot measure up in the last two bowl games.Ohio State scheduled Akron seven or eight years ago. It was a wise move. By all appearances the Zips were improving to a point that they could give the Buckeyesa good game to help sharpen OSU for its conference schedule. That is exactly what happened. Had the Zips had a reasonably decent offensive scheme and a somewhat experienced QB it could have been a horrible day for the Buckeyes. As it was, the Zips put a scare into the Buckeyes. Plus, the Zips uncovered severalweaknesses of the Buckeyes. The reward? Drop Akron from the future schedule so OSU can schedule "better" opponents. What a crock.We have gone from an era where secondary schools could not hope to compete to an era where OSU must abandon playing in state opponents because there is anever increasing likelihood that Akron, Miami, Toledo, BGSU will upset the over loved Buckeyes. God forbid.You think that the arrogance is nearly intolerable now? Let the Suckeyes wiggle out of playing MAC schools. The pseudo fans will bleat all the more.I find it delightful that several of my non-Zip fan friends were pulling for LSU. Why? Because they are also fed up with the arrogance and over dog attitude of thesequasi-fans.I finally had the courage to be rude the other evening. There in front of me coming out of the JAR was a stuffed sausage man with his ten to twelve year old son alldecked out in colorful, leather Suckeye jackets, tee shirts and ball caps. I was rude. I looked the man in the eyes and said my mind. "Please do not wear that gearin this house. It is out of place and disses Akron." He simply stared back dumbly. Frankly, I do not care if they never attend another Zip game. Wearing OSU colors at Akron is rude.

[Zipsrifle]

I agree with those OSU fans that feel they should schedule tougher opponents. Then, we wouldn't waste so many BCS Championship games with blowouts! I'll also remember, next year, if the Zips aren't playing for the National Championship, to NOT watch the game and think of ways to improve our team and post them here. That way, JD can read them (Since he won't be watching the game either) and get some new ideas that he or his coaching staff hasn't thought of yet!

[Zippysgotagun]

I finally had the courage to be rude the other evening. There in front of me coming out of the JAR was a stuffed sausage man with his ten to twelve year old son alldecked out in colorful, leather Suckeye jackets, tee shirts and ball caps. I was rude. I looked the man in the eyes and said my mind. "Please do not wear that gearin this house. It is out of place and disses Akron." He simply stared back dumbly. Frankly, I do not care if they never attend another Zip game. Wearing OSU colors at Akron is rude.

First off, it takes a huge lack of courage to be rude...but I'm sure the stuffed sausage man will think twice before wearing his jacket and hat to the JAR again. Bitch all you can about nobody coming to the games, then chase away those that come. BrilliantSecond, I see no problem with wearing an Ohio State jacket anywhere in the State of Ohio...if people wish to be front runners, by all means, let them be. Akron is part of OHIO. If we want to, we can go to an OSU game in Columbus and wear our Akron gear.

[Zip_ME87]

I finally had the courage to be rude the other evening. There in front of me coming out of the JAR was a stuffed sausage man with his ten to twelve year old son alldecked out in colorful, leather Suckeye jackets, tee shirts and ball caps. I was rude. I looked the man in the eyes and said my mind. "Please do not wear that gearin this house. It is out of place and disses Akron." He simply stared back dumbly. Frankly, I do not care if they never attend another Zip game. Wearing OSU colors at Akron is rude.

First off, it takes a huge lack of courage to be rude...but I'm sure the stuffed sausage man will think twice before wearing his jacket and hat to the JAR again. Bitch all you can about nobody coming to the games, then chase away those that come. BrilliantSecond, I see no problem with wearing an Ohio State jacket anywhere in the State of Ohio...if people wish to be front runners, by all means, let them be. Akron is part of OHIO. If we want to, we can go to an OSU game in Columbus and wear our Akron gear.

I totally agree that being rude like that is not the way to "win friends and influence people". I don't get why anyone thinks it's okay to be rude. Did you ever think of another approach such as talking to the man about Akron and how good the basketball team is, especially given the "show" he just witnessed; then try to convince him to get some Akron gear to show pride in the local team?And for all the Ohio State bashing I hear, I don't remember getting bashed by OSU fans when I was walking to my car after the game back in September. (I was completely dressed in Akron gear.) In fact, the people who chose to speak to me mentioned how great our punter was...they chose to say something positive to me when they easily could have told me how completely inept our offense was. So, yeah, I can see why I should bash them. (I also read a lot of positive posts from OSU fans on their boards when the Zips made it to the Motor City Bowl.)Am I a huge OSU fan...no, not like I once was. (I'm a UA alum, and UA is tops over everyone.) For me, it's the BCS that I truly hate. It has totally ruined college football, and as CK pointed out last year, it is also destroying college basketball.

[zen]

Zip_Me87, you would have heard it very much from OSU fans in september if Akron had won that game. I dunno how that distinction seems to have got lost on you. Maybe you went to that game to root for the buckeyes. I dunno.I've heard some people in this thread say it, and I want to echo it. If the Columbus team did not seem to get blatantly more coverage in our town then the hometown team which seems to get nearly none, I don't think there would be the laden animus. As I said, I was rooting for OSU when the game started, but I honestly was not broken up at all when they lost. Not at all. But even though they lost, the fact that they made it to the national championship game (again) means that we will have to deal with more and more mindless sports reporters/writers embedding themselves in columbus and pretending that nothing else exists in the region except them and the pro teams.

[Zip_ME87]

Zip_Me87, you would have heard it very much from OSU fans in september if Akron had won that game. I dunno how that distinction seems to have got lost on you. Maybe you went to that game to root for the buckeyes. I dunno.I've heard some people in this thread say it, and I want to echo it. If the Columbus team did not seem to get blatantly more coverage in our town then the hometown team which seems to get nearly none, I don't think there would be the laden animus. As I said, I was rooting for OSU when the game started, but I honestly was not broken up at all when they lost. Not at all. But even though they lost, the fact that they made it to the national championship game (again) means that we will have to deal with more and more mindless sports reporters/writers embedding themselves in columbus and pretending that nothing else exists in the region except them and the pro teams.

I resent that you would even imply I went to the game in September to root for the Buckeyes. (Sure, dressed in Akron gear and sitting in the Akron section of the south stands!) I did take my niece, who is a freshman at OSU Mansfield, to her first OSU game in October. We both cheered the Buckeyes to crush the Flushes.By the way, when has Akron defeated Ohio State such that you KNOW what I would have heard from Buckeye fans in that situation? I would really like to experience that firsthand.

[Zip_ME87]

What I think many of you don't get is how much you turn off people who might become Akron fans with your incessant whining and griping about the Buckeyes. My point is celebrate the Zips and keep telling others about the Zips rather than bashing the Buckeyes. A better approach to people who wear Ohio State gear to Akron games would be to ask them why and to point out why they should wear Zips gear or at least blue or blue and gold. Introducing yourself to someone you don't know by berating them just makes them think you're an @ss.

[GoZips88]

My mom's advice when dealing with situations like this has always been "Kill'em with kindness." Though I too think "Get that crap outta here!" when I see OSU garb at Akron events, letting them know you appreciate their interest in the Zips and pointing in the direction of where Akron apparel can be purchased probably works a WHOLE lot better in the long run.

[ZachTheZip]

Apathy is a bigger killer than hatred. Believe me, you get more confused looks when you say that you don't care one way or the other about OSU than if you say you hate them. For them, OSU is the center of collegiate athletics, and it is incomprehensible for them to see a person who just doesn't care about them but cares strongly about another team. It really messes with their black&white perception of you either have to love or hate them.

[Zipsrifle]

I don't think I would ever openly approach someone and lay into them if they are wearing OSU garb at an Akron game. Don't get me wrong, it really, really frustrates me, but in the end they aren't hurting anyone so they can do what they want. What frustrates me the most is how little press the other teams get in this state. I don't care if the Toledo Blade doesn't carry any Akron coverage, but for GODS SAKE can the ABJ step it up?? How about some coverage out of the Cleveland stations??? UA and Can't combined have as many students as OSU, and we are local! Americans in general are going to blindly follow what the media pumps to them, and they get pumped OSU because that is the only sports program that is consistenly good in this state. In the end, the only thing that is going to get a lot of people to cheer for Akron is when we start to win. PERIOD! So until then, I'll continue to talk about Akron and invite people I know to Akron events. That is what I can do to make people more aware of UA.

[Zippysgotagun]

2 observations:1) I know for a fact that all the whining about OSU turns potential fans off. I myself am on the fringe of them. I grew up less than a mile from Akron's campus. Growing up, I cheered for both the Zips and the Bucks. Over the years I've been infinitely more supportive of Akron. Clothing is about 50/50 split...I've got a couple more items of Akron gear. I've been to countless Akron Basketball, Football and Soccer games. I enjoy watching Akron sports. I have never once in my life attended a game for any OSU athletic team. The closest I came was a concert at their basketball arena a few years ago. I sometimes spend lots of time away from this board because I see too much boo-hooing. People are always claiming that "this is a U of A board, no OSU talk"...right up until OSU lays an egg, then it's the hottest topic for a week. Stuff like this screams to potential fans of Akron "Haha...your other team sucks, and since you cheer for them, so do you." You really aren't going to attract anybody with an attitude like that.2) "In the end, the only thing that is going to get a lot of people to cheer for Akron is when we start to win. PERIOD!"AMEN!!!! The biggest difference between OSU and Akron Athletics is that OSU rises to the occasion more often than Akron. Akron has a history (with a few uncommon exceptions) of choking in situations they should easily win in. Portland State, Miami, Half of the football schedule this year, USF in soccer, etc. etc. etc. We never overachieve, and usually do not play to our potential even. Last year, we should have laid the same beating on Miami that we did last week, but instead, we laid a bigger egg than the Buckeyes did monday night. At least OSU was an underdog and wasn't given a chance to start with. We had a lead that should never have been lost to Miami, and it cost us our only shot at the post season. Until we win (especially when we're supposed to), nobody will (or even should) give us a chance for anything. Prove yourself, then complain if you get shafted.I'm sure I'll get flamed for this, but I'm past caring. I can't handle any more baseless complaints. We've done nothing to earn respect, and nobody will hand you something until you earn it.

[GoZips]

I have to laugh.So many of "you people" just have to stick up for the over dog.What the hell did they ever do for you? They tanked three recent opportunities to be national champion. Tanked. Choked. Looked bad. I almost feel sorry for them.Stop defending the Buckeyes. Do it on their board. This is our house. We are Akron. If you are so weak kneed that you have to be a front runner, fine. Just do notwear your Buckeye garb in our house. I would never insult the Buckeyes by wearing Akron gear to one of their games (unless, of course, it was against the Zips).I would have the decency to wear a red sweater, shirt or sweat shirt as a gesture. I do not own any OSU paraphernalia nor should you unless you attended school there.Other wise, you will always be a wanna be loser

[Zippysgotagun]

I have to laugh.So many of "you people" just have to stick up for the over dog.What the hell did they ever do for you? They tanked three recent opportunities to be national champion. Tanked. Choked. Looked bad. I almost feel sorry for them.Stop defending the Buckeyes. Do it on their board. This is our house. We are Akron. If you are so weak kneed that you have to be a front runner, fine. Just do notwear your Buckeye garb in our house. I would never insult the Buckeyes by wearing Akron gear to one of their games (unless, of course, it was against the Zips).I would have the decency to wear a red sweater, shirt or sweat shirt as a gesture. I do not own any OSU paraphernalia nor should you unless you attended school there.Other wise, you will always be a wanna be loser

Thanks for proving my point.

[ZippyRulz]

"Please do not wear that gear in this house. It is out of place and disses Akron."That sounds like a polite request to me. It would be a great experiment to wear full Zips regalia (or any other Ohio school) to a Buckeyes game and see what kind of reactions you get. Not as polite, I would guess. Dude should have known better.

[Zipsrifle]

It would be a great experiment to wear full Zips regalia (or any other Ohio school) to a Buckeyes game and see what kind of reactions you get.

Actually, I did just that thing earlier this year. I was a bit confused though, because there were a LOT of people around me wearing BOTH Akron and OSU gear. I guess they knew before any of us that Fingerhut is going to merge Akron and OSU.

[Zip_ME87]

I have to laugh.So many of "you people" just have to stick up for the over dog.What the hell did they ever do for you? They tanked three recent opportunities to be national champion. Tanked. Choked. Looked bad. I almost feel sorry for them.Stop defending the Buckeyes. Do it on their board. This is our house. We are Akron. If you are so weak kneed that you have to be a front runner, fine. Just do notwear your Buckeye garb in our house. I would never insult the Buckeyes by wearing Akron gear to one of their games (unless, of course, it was against the Zips).I would have the decency to wear a red sweater, shirt or sweat shirt as a gesture. I do not own any OSU paraphernalia nor should you unless you attended school there.Other wise, you will always be a wanna be loser

I'm sorry you missed my point. I'm not standing up for the Buckeyes. I wouldn't do that. My point is that I know people are turned off of Akron by the negativity that some UA fans show toward Ohio State. All I'm saying is that, rather than bash OSU, point out the positives about Akron. I used to be negative about a lot of things like that until a friend of mine pointed out how much better it is to look at the positive side. I have noticed it really does go over better with other people, and I, myself, actually feel better.As far as wearing OSU gear, the last time I did that was when I took my niece (currently attending OSU) to the OSU-K.S.Ucks football game. I have numerous OSU gear in my closet, but I don't wear it (except on the 1 occasion for my niece...family matters to me above all else) ever since the Zips were denied an NIT berth last year...nor have I purchased any more. The BCS is the EVIL EMPIRE. The day of the BCS Championship game, I wore Akron colors and an Akron jacket to work. Surprisingly, no one said anything to me.

[RootforRoo44]

I will say that this could be the only place on earth where there are people who understand my hatred for the front running buckeye types

[zippy5]

I will say that this could be the only place on earth where there are people who understand my hatred for the front running buckeye types

I feel you. The people walking around campus in their suckeye garb really irritate me. I wish I was big enough so I could punch them in the mouth and tell them YOU DON'T GO TO OHIO STATE!!! YOU GO TO AKRON YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!!!But that wouldn't be a good idea, so i'll just proceed to tell them they havve nuts on their chest and leave.