Assignment 3-1 Weekly Written Analysis

            The Ohio State University has become a national powerhouse in the Big Ten with a football team that has become one of the best in the nation over the last decade. OSU hired Jim Tressel to lead their team in 2001 knowing that he was going to be the man that would bring their team out of their slump and right into the winners circle. Tressel proved that he was the right man for the job by taking a team and within two years of coaching lead them to a national title. He achieved a record of 7-5 his first season with the team and then turned around and was able to accomplish a perfect record of 14-0 in his second season finishing up the season with a win over Miami and ending their 34 game winning streak.

            Tressel has reignited the passion that the entire state feels for this team. If you live in Ohio it is almost a given that you are a diehard OSU fan and if you were to drive through a random neighborhood on a game day you would be sure to find at least one game day party taking place with a house packed full of fans cheering and supporting their team. Residents in Ohio are among the most dedicated fans to a certain sports team in this nation and they are not afraid to let you know it. If you were to be randomly walking through a crowded mall or other area and scream O-H you would receive an answer of I-O.

            The following of the Buckeyes is extraordinary but fans can be found for most teams and most sports. The fans dress themselves covered in logos, put jerseys on with their favorite player’s number, put flags on their cars, and signs in their homes. The fans never miss a game and usually can recount all the major plays. The dedications these fans have is like a cult and loyalty is generally not wavering. According to Michael Petracca and Madeleine Sorapure, author of Common Culture: Reading and Writing About American Popular Culture, “Sports can affect fans in surprisingly intense ways. We all probably know people whose moods fluctuate with the fortunes of their favorite team” (2007, p.419-420). The fans let the outcome of something they have no control over affect their mood and this again shows the dedication these fans have is cult like. The fans let the sport overtake them. In Ray Browne’s book Profiles of Popular Culture: A reader he has included an article by Judy Tarjanji titled Religious Fervor Is Building for Pro-Football Fans. Tarjanji writes “A super-sized religious event is about to occur in American life, anticipated by millions with the kind of eagerness felt by children before Christmas. It is Super Bowl Sunday” (2005, p. 128). Tarjanji put it accurately fans of sports are treating at as a religion versus a form of entertainment.

Resources

Ohio State Buckeyes. (2010, Aug 1). Football: Jim Tressel Biography. Retrieved from http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059367.

Petracca, M. & Sorapure, M. (2007). Common culture: Reading and writing about American popular culture. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Tarjanji, J. (2005). Religious Fervor Is Building for Pro-Football Fans. In R.B. Browne (Ed.), Profiles of popular culture: A reader (pp. 128-131). Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press.