With Ohio State out, it’s safe to watch March Madness again
We had to chuckle Saturday night during the second half of Ohio State’s regional final loss to Wichita State.
After seeing our Twitter timeline littered all week with comments by Buckeye fans about how Wichita State would be nothing more than a speed bump (if that) on the way to a certain Final Four appearance, it was funny to see how quickly things turned as Wichita State put the finishing touches on a Shocker to the Bucknuts of Brutus Buckeye.
Over-confidence quickly turned to excuses, with comments ranging from how fans “didn’t really expect the Buckeyes to get this far” to “Thad Matta isn’t a big-time coach” and “(fill in the blank) is a horrible player.”
Snerk.
Saturday night was the perfect example of what makes watching an Ohio State game so difficult – the fans, who we realized a few years ago are college sports version of Pittsburgh Steeler fans.
Even though the Buckeyes have not won a college basketball championship since 1960, and have just one more championship in football than Kent State since 1970 (and that one is even questionable, as there would not have been any title if the ref had rightfully kept the flag in his pocket), Buckeye fans have a sense of entitlement that doesn’t match where the teams stand on the national stage. And while they are quick to point the finger at other schools and fans that they think are entitled, OSU fans lack the same sense of self-awareness.
At least now we can watch next weekend’s Final Four games in peace and we have a reprieve from “Buckeye nation” until football season rolls around in the fall.
Trust us, we’ll enjoy it while it lasts.
Red Right 88 