As a proud NR alum, I had to post Mr. Grove's thoughts.......

Pick one: Bearcat or Buckeye? You can’t be both

Posted: Sunday, December 1, 2013 6:11 pm

Charles Grove | Staff Reporter | 0 comments

There can’t be a fan of both the Bearcats and the Buckeyes. Period. It can’t be done.

I’m confused why it seemed almost all of “Bearcat Nation” was all over social media cheering Ohio State University on to an ugly win against a mediocre Michigan team Saturday.

If you go to UC, you chose this school over all the other schools you applied to, or maybe this was the only school you applied to. Either way, this is the school that will be preparing you for your professional life. Why would you openly support another university?

Nearly my entire Twitter feed yesterday was filled with “F*** Michigan” and “Buckeyes rule.” I couldn’t believe what I was reading.

I transferred from Wright State University, a school with virtually no support for its athletic programs at all. A dozen students showing up for a basketball game could be considered a “good showing,” but I thought things would be different here at the #HottestCollegeInAmerica.

The support from the students has been hit or miss to put it politely. Even if the student section at Nippert is full at kickoff, by the end of the third quarter it’s nearly completely empty. And judging from social media, students would rather watch the Buckeyes on TV than support their own school.

Sports matter to a university. Collegiate athletics are how the majority of the public sees a university through the media. Sure, a new study coming out of a certain department might make some headlines every couple of years, but our Bearcats are showcased to millions of people every week on national TV. And when a school starts getting a reputation for not having a sense of pride about itself that hurts everyone.

Whether or not you were raised a Buckeye fan, it’s time to look up and realize you’re not 4 years old anymore, wearing the Ohio State footie pajamas your dad bought you in hopes of raising the next great Buckeye football star.

You came to UC. We’re a BCS school. We’re nationally ranked. You likely pay thousands to go here and you openly support another academic institution?

The alumni of this school have done a fantastic job supporting the football team at Nippert Stadium. The stadium has been full nearly to capacity every week with one exception: the sections near the closed end of the stadium where the students can sit for free.

I transferred to UC and wish I would have done it a lot sooner. Seeing people wear UC gear around campus every day is a big deal I think many current students take for granted. At Wright State I was more likely to see people wearing Ohio State or North Carolina gear to class. The lack of pride made that school as dull as it could’ve been. And I beg my fellow Bearcats to not allow that to happen here.

It wasn’t but a couple years ago that UC was ranked higher than Ohio State. It’s entirely possible for that to happen again. Remember those “bUCkeye State” shirts?

I suppose the bandwagon is over and people would rather support an undefeated Buckeye team playing powerhouses like Florida A&M from their TV set than supporting your fellow classmates in person and on social media while they fight for a chance at a BCS bowl game..

But you “BuckCats,” as I will refer to you from now on, are just scared. You’re scared to root for a UC team that is unproven. They occasionally lose. And it’s much easier for you to support one of the most powerful programs in college football than to show your loyalty to a team that might break your heart like they did in that 2010 Sugar Bowl.

Bandwagoning is never honorable and if you guys are going to suffer through the Bengals and the Reds but never truly give your own future alma mater a chance, then I really feel sorry for you. You’ll never truly appreciate UC. And that’s the most heartbreaking part to all this. You’ll never appreciate what a fantastic university UC is because you’ll be wishing you were somewhere else all along.

Remember, you only get one alma mater.