Part of being a fan is showing your passion and enthusiasm for your team. Michigan fans in particular are among the most passionate in all of sports. But did you ever consider that there is more than one type of Michigan fan? Spoiler Alert: There are tons of different types of fans.
Here are 15 different types of Michigan fans we could come up with:
Gear Fan: This fan has gear of all kinds up the wazoo: hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, ties, and more. He must wear some type of Michigan gear at all times to show their team spirit. This fan is easily recognizable in public. Gear Fan is not necessarily outgoing or talkative, but no one will question which team they root for.
The Homer Fan: This fan thinks Michigan is the best team in college football every year. They think Michigan will win every game and does not give up on any game no matter what the score is. The Homer ignores all reason and uses the phrase “We” often. In his mind, Michigan is a national title contender every year and is upset with every bowl bid that is not the College Football Playoff.
Excuses Fan: This fan is famous for making excuses why Michigan did not win the game: bad referees, weather, and luck are his go-to logics. They are not afraid to point out why his team lost the game but does not include things the other team did well. They can be heard all day long on local sports radio stations and on social media platforms. They love Michigan so much that they cannot admit when they play a team better than them.
Michigan Man: This fan is an endangered species. He went to Michigan, bleeds maize and blue, and is the only type of fan allowed to truly use the term “we”, although they rarely do. Just going to the university does not make a fan a True Michigan Fan, but only is a prerequisite; it is the behavior after graduation that does. They either has had season tickets for decades or have a special Saturday routine on the couch. Either way, they have watched every play since they were born. Just about every other type of fan besides other True Michigan Fans annoy them.
Most Wins Fan: This fan can be found everywhere. His one and only statement besides “Go Blue” is that Michigan has the most wins in college football history. Even though Michigan’s early victories were against schools like Peninsular Cricket Club, Rush Lake Forest, Grand Rapids High School, Ann Arbor High School, Physicians and Surgeons of Chicago, Illinois, and Racine. First to drop the stat but argues when anyone mentions the fact that Michigan has been playing football for nearly 140 years.
The Hater: This fan hates everything Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan State. They would rather see UM’s rivals lose than see their Wolverines win. The Hate Fan can be seen trolling on social media and in person by making fun of their rivals with opinions or outdated stats. This fan can also be seen staring down at their phone during the game to stay updated on a close OSU/ND/MSU game.
Analytical Fan: This fan is Most Wins Fan’s cousin. The Facts That Don’t Matter Fan can be seen on message boards backing up their opinions with the most detailed analytics, including average punt yardage and backup quarterback completion percentage. While their analytics are interesting, other fans can be worn down from the numbers game.
The Historian: This fan has a master’s degree in Michigan athletics. They read as much as they can and form their opinions based on logic, history and facts, rather than hype. The Historian Fan isn’t commonly noticed or heard from: at games they don’t talk with other fans, but can be heard celebrating big plays. Only time you’ll hear from them is when they’re called upon for the correct answer.
Walmart Wolverine: This fan doesn’t necessarily buy their gear from Walmart because they want to fit in with the True Michigan Fan crowd. Instead, they did not go to the university, use the term “we”, see out of rose-colored glasses when worshipping the Michigan football program, tweet at recruits and players, and commonly mispronounce names.
Doesn’t Matter, We Got Harbaugh Fan: This fan is commonly seen on message board and social media using the terms “staff”, “Jim”, and “JH.” This fan does not think for them self, but instead believes whatever the Michigan coaching staff does will work out. The “Staff”/”Jim”/”JH” Fan does not see obvious concerns about the team or future opponents and believes that Michigan will be fine because of the coaching staff’s NFL experience.
Twitter Recruiter: This fan drives a lot of other fan types crazy because of how they represent the Michigan fan base. The Social Media Fan’s twitter page is notorious for having a picture of something Michigan related in their profile picture; if not, it seldom includes their face. Also, this fan’s twitter page includes various positive and negative tweets to recruits, players, and coaches, banter with fans of other schools, and arguments with reporters.
Message Board Member: This fan can be found on message boards of recruiting sites. Message Board Fan is Social Media Fan’s cousin, but does not have social media for one reason or another. They spend all day on the message boards to make sure they don’t miss a single update or rumor, but to also let their two cents be known.
Late to the Party Fan: This fan is the cousin of the Unknowledgeable Fan. The Uninformed Fan is not privy to the latest news like injuries, verbal commitments, and decommitments. This fan believes they are the Educated Fan by informing their friends about a major commitment when in fact that fan has known for two weeks.
Play-By-Player: This fan comes out on game day at the stadium, in your living room, and at restaurants. At the stadium, they are excited to brag about their knowledge of the team by detailing every play; they even provide bonus information about players’ recruiting processes and what high school they went to. This is the fan that gets more eye-rolls from other fans than any other during games.
The Student: This fan is, surprisingly, a student at Michigan. They were not a fan of the team prior to getting their acceptance letter to the University but become huge fans after taking in their first game day experience. Now, they are at every game and have a nice collection of student game day t-shirts.
Loading ...Which fan are you? Which fan do you despise? Which fan is most common, least common? Choose which fan describes you most in the poll and make sure to comment below!
Photo Credit: Daniel Brenner I AnnArbor.com
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