The Ohio State Buckeyes fan base is notorious for its intensity and passion for football. While this has its upside, it also means they have high expectations for their team, and when the Buckeyes fall short, things can sometimes get nasty. Recently, several college football insiders have been critical of the Ohio State fan base, most notably, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit (a former Buckeye).
Herbstreit was critical of the pressure that Ohio State fans put on their team, considering it to be aggressive and unnecessary. Former Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer disagreed with Herbstreit and other critics. From Meyer’s perspective, the competitive nature of the Ohio State fan base reflects positively on the team and pushes them to strive to be the best.
Former Buckeyes Coach Urban Meyer Defends Ohio State Fan Base
Meyer shared his thoughts on Ohio State’s fan base during Monday’s episode of his “The Triple Option” podcast.
“I kind of watched what happened the last few weeks, and if I didn’t watch, I was obviously hearing about it through people text messaging me and going after the Ohio State fan base, you know. The pressure, and then I saw, you know, someone sent an article to me today where ‘Do the players or the coach really need this?’ win and get out, and I’m thinking: ‘What are you talking about?’” Meyer said.
“We expect you to be the very best in the country … Maybe not all players, not coaches but … the alpha dogs, they want to be at the place where anything less than perfection is not allowed.”
Meyer went on to deliver a solid defense for the Ohio State fan base, pointing out the benefits of having deeply dedicated fans.
“Fan bases are the bloodline for what programs are.” Meyer said. “Are they rugged? Are they tough? Do they have high expectations? Do they expect you to win every game? To beat your rival and win a national championship? You’re damn right they do.”
“Do you realize that when you’re born in Columbus, Ohio, they give you a ‘Beat the Team Up North’ shirt? People say that’s insanity, and I agree with you … but I’ll tell you one thing, you can never worry about an open seat at Ohio Stadium. The expectations will never change. I love passionate fan bases because I’ve seen the opposite. I’m very defensive of the Ohio State fan base because I’m one of them. It’s not just a pastime, it’s a way of life.”
Kirk Herbstreit Calls Out Lunatic Fringe in Ohio State Fan Base
Meyer’s comments seem directed at Herbstreit, who called out the Ohio State fans for what he referred to as a “lunatic fringe.”
Herbstreit’s statement was made in response to a question from Chris Fowler who asked him if Ohio State’s dominant victory over Tennessee would help fans forget their team’s earlier loss to the Michigan Wolverines. Kirk responded rather bluntly.
“I can’t speak on behalf of the lunatic fringe. I’m not sure how they operate. The lunatic fringe at Ohio State is as powerful as anywhere in the country,” Herbstreit said.
“It used to be 8-10 (percent). I think it’s grown now to about 15-20, so I don’t know. I’m sure they’ll be happy tonight — be fired up about what the Ohio State team did.”
Herbstreit would later walk back on his statement, but the debate has yet to die down — and Herbstreit and Meyer are on opposite sides of it. With the CFP National Championship game against Notre Dame fast approaching, Ryan Day has a unique opportunity to finally win over the hearts of the Ohio State fan base.
In the case of a loss for the Buckeyes, critics of the fan base will be paying attention to how they react.
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