Everyone who cares knows that the Wolverines suffered another embarassing loss this Saturday when they got routed by the unranked Oregon Ducks 39-7 (our worst loss since 1968). This is on the heels of the historically awful Appalachian State game last week and our record now sits at 0-2. This post is not about how much the team sucks, instead it's about the schism that's happened between the fans as a result of this horrific season.

I run with a crowd who bleeds maize and blue. They're die hard fans who claim to have loved U of M football since birth. Their reaction to this season so far has been to get really pissed at all the other fans, the "fairweather fans." Their argument is as follows:

To be a true fan -
You're never allowed to boo your own team.
You're never allowed to say your coach sucks.
You're never allowed to say your quarterback sucks.
You're never allowed to leave early.
You're never allowed to say you're ashamed of your team.
It is you, the fans, who are the disappointment, not the team.

To this ultimatum, I say, **** that.

I'm not sure who came up with this philosophy that by booing your team, you're not a fan. If you weren't a fan, you wouldn't give two shits, or you'd be laughing like the rest of the country. And really, we can't say our quarterback, coach or defensive line sucks, when they so clearly, are in fact sucking? To not boo them and bitch them out for their atrocious play is the equivalent of patting your drug attict friend on the back every time he takes a hit instead of kicking his lazy ass into rehab.

Look I'm sorry if I'm not motivated to sing a rousing chorus of "The Victors" after I just spent four hours watching an embarassing excuse for college football by a team that has not lost any of their key players this year and by no logical means should be this terrible. I'm sorry if I'm a little bit angry that it's my senior year and I've come out two weeks in a row to watch a team that is best described as a complete waste of my time and energy.

The only thing I agree with my die hard compatriots about is the fact that you cannot say Michigan football sucks. I could spend another four paragraphs listing our rich history as the winningest team in the sport, but everyone knows that, and no one is forgetting it. But there is a problem and it's that we do suck. Right now. This year. We suck. A lot. And I don't see the need to deny that.

So don't tell me I'm not a fan. And don't tell me that as fans we don't need to whip our team into shape by letting them know that they're letting us down. How they play is not our fault. Our running back does not fumble the ball because we boo, we boo because he fumbles the ball. Our quarterback does not throw interceptions because we say he sucks, we say he sucks because he throws interceptions. We can forgive intermittent foulups, but when it happens all the time? It's both infuriating and depressing because we know it just shouldn't be happening.

There's a difference between losing and being embarassed. I will always cheer my team when they're down and putting forth effort to recover, but if they play like they just don't care? I'll yell at them until I lose my voice and they remember what school they play for. Go Blue.