Unreasonable Expectations: Ohio State fans need to be more levelheaded on-line

From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about our Unreasonable Expectations. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our Unreasonable Expectations here.

We live in a world where everyone has to have an instant reaction to everything. Twitter has made it easy to say whatever you want, whenever you want, to whoever you want. I’m not innocent in all of this. Back when Twitter was in its prime, and I was a few years younger, sometimes it felt like I would comment on pretty much everything.

Now that I’m closer to 40 than 30, I’ve slowed down a little bit. I’m like a baseball pitcher who might not have as much juice on his fastball, but can still find crafty ways to get enough hitters out to still be effective.

One reason why it’s becoming tougher to stomach social media and Twitter is because of how Ohio State fans love to play the victim and think that everyone is out to get them. Just look at how Buckeye fans view ESPN. For years there was thought amongst the fan base that ESPN hated Ohio State and was out to get them. Just think about that for a second of how asinine it would be for the network to hate a team that constantly was responsible for some of the best ratings for games.

What ESPN loved was getting Ohio State fans going by pushing their buttons with some topics and coverage. What good is it if ESPN just kisses the feet of the Buckeyes and doesn’t give fans anything to talk about? Pretty boring from a television perspective. There’s a reason why ESPN gives a bunch of money to Stephen A. Smith. It is because Smith moves the needle with some of the ridiculous things he says. The more cartoonish Smith is, the happier ESPN is.

It was funny over the weekend to see some reactions to my “Biggest Concerns” article about being worried that Ryan Day had peaked. To those who think I’m a huge Michigan fan, the world’s biggest idiot, and wrote an article in “poor taste”, thanks for reading! I get that it might sound a little crazy to think Day might have peaked when he just became a head coach a few years ago, but coaching is so much different in college football than it was even 10 years ago.

I’m not saying to not be passionate about your favorite teams, or anything you love. Being a fan is easy, the tough part is to not take the bait when it’s obvious trolling is the main goal. Some people are just trying to get a rise out of their rivals or threats and they’ll go to extreme lengths to try and get under the skin of anyone they perceive as being against them. That has become even easier over the last decade with social media and the ability to say things anonymously.

At this point you’re probably wondering where I’m going with this. Sometimes Ohio State fans just need to relax. At times there is a huge inferiority complex in the fanbase. What makes it even worse is it feels like the more insignificant the issue, the madder they tend to be if they feel slighted. Who cares if the Buckeyes aren’t ranked as high as you think they should be when the third College Football Playoff rankings are revealed? All I care about is the Buckeyes are ranked correctly in the final CFP rankings.

Another thing I’ve seen that is becoming more and more irritating is just how easy some fans expect things to be. There are times when Ohio State could be a drive or two into the game and fans are calling the team overrated and ready to throw in the towel on the game and the season. You would think the Buckeyes were already down a couple scores with how people react sometimes.

While Ohio State is more talented than pretty much everyone they play, every game isn’t going to end with a 80-0 win. Remember, these are still college student-athletes and not professionals, so things aren’t always going to go as planned.

There are times when people just need to take a few minutes away from the keyboard or their phone and just relax a little bit. Even though fans are invested in their favorite teams, it isn’t the end of the world if things don’t play out exactly as you were hoping. Me from 10-15 years ago would be angry for days if Ohio State lost. Now, if a Buckeye loss happens, I don’t have nearly as much trouble shaking it off. It’s not that I don’t care, it’s just that I’ve become better equipped to handle disappointment. I guess that’s what growing up as a Buffalo sports fan does to a person.

Even though we may disagree on some things, there is still much love for all of you around Buckeye Nation. Sometimes we all just need to step back and take a breath. Now let’s have a great summer and recharge our batteries so we can beat Michigan in Ann Arbor in November, and win another natty. Go Bucks!