Obsession Alert—UM Football Issues Dog Tags Commemorating OSU Win

Stop me if you've heard this one before — Michigan fans have been caught with their hypocritical pants down.

U-M's football program has issued dog tags commemorating the team's 42-27 victory over Ohio State last season. One side features the words "Team 142," while the other side depicts Ohio State's block "O" with Wolverine ~~diarrhea~~ claw marks.

So what's wrong with that? Honestly, nothing. It's a big deal when you accomplish something for the first time in 10 years! And for just the fourth time this millennium!

But really, college football teams can commemorate achievements however they see fit, be it with dog tags, plaques, or even rings. Speaking of rings...

Remember last month when Michigan State unveiled its Peach Bowl rings? Many Michigan fans appointed themselves as official arbiters of what is and isn't appropriate for college football teams to include in their commemorative items, then promptly ruled against the Spartans' Peach Bowl ring because one side was dedicated to MSU's win over Michigan.

Here's another Michigan fan who wants you to know that he's uniquely qualified to decide what is and isn't permissible on a college football team's bowl ring, and he says what MSU did is not OK. Further, this guy, who is probably the same guy who will lecture you about Michigan's superior academics, doesn't seem to grasp the concept of commemorative rings in sports and how they often bear the name of the wearer.

Some media* even got in on the act.

(*In the case of the latter, we use that term loosely.)

Many Michigan fans are more than eager to let you know that their dog tags are a completely different thing than MSU's rings, and that's why their favorite team's commemorative preference is OK and MSU's isn't. I would offer, though, that their taking the time to perform such mental gymnastics tells you all you need to know about this matter.

It's not unusual for college football teams to commemorate wins over rivals, by the way. If you find MSU's Peach Bowl rings weird or Michigan's dog tags odd, check out the golden pants pin Ohio State gives its players every time they beat Michigan.

Just let college football teams decide what they commemorate and how they commemorate it. It'll save you a lot of grief and help you avoid looking like a hypocritical, reactionary doofus.

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