Considering our fans (hating on players), and Farmdog's post on outside perception...

[Goat Holder]

...I just got to thinking. We wonder why everybody thinks we're Ole Miss, and we wonder why no one wants to give MSU any respect. Think about this, we don't demand it! I'd say only 15% of our fanbase PROUDLY wears our colors around, flying flags, putting shit on our cars, etc. We're too busy trying to fit in, and trying to 'be a good sport' when some Alabama fan condescendingly gives us a compliment about how cute our program is or something.

Croom was right that we have to start having more pride in MSU. No matter if we win or lose, we still should act like MSU is the place to be. Everybody else does it, why not us? I was rolling along the other day outside Birmingham and I saw two boys, probably about 7 or 8 years old, on bikes. One had an MSU shirt on, the other one Alabama. I rolled down the window and told the MSU boy that he had a good looking shirt and he needed to tell the other boy to get rid of his and get the right colors. Boy doesn't know me from anyone but he will remember that there's another MSU fan out there that told him his shirt was cool. Maybe he'll wear it with a little more pride now. These are the little things that MSU fans EVERYWHERE can do, even if you can't attend games and gives gobs of money to the Bulldog Club.

You people out here that think this sort of thing doesn't make a difference, you are idiots. It does. Especially outside the state of Mississippi. Just like social media makes a difference.

[SnakePlissken]

+1

[FlabLoser]

There is confusion because the University of Mississippi insists on being called by an ambiguous nickname which doesn't obviously indicate one school are the other.

Name another D1 school that calls itself a nickname. I think there is not one.

[Ghost of Hank Flick]

Nice signature Flab, and I agree with the nickname. People outside the state simply do not know what ole miss' real name is. I can sort of understand the confusion unless you are a big time football fan that pays attention nationally. That is no excuse for ESPN though.

[Goat Holder]

This may be true but it's a cop-out. We should still be doing our part.

And besides, Auburn/Alabama and Clemson/South Carolina don't have that problem. If anything, 'Ole Miss' should make it more distinguishable than Mississippi/Mississippi State.

[FlabLoser]

Auburn & Alabama don't share the name, "Alabama". Clemson and South Carolina don't share any words either.

Neither Michigan nor Michigan State is called "Ole Mich". Neither Colorado or Colorado State is called "Ole Co". Arizona, Arizona State, "Ole Az" (but is one called "Zona"? hmm...) . yada yada yada.

You suck, Ole Miss.

[Ghost of Hank Flick]

This may be true but it's a cop-out. We should still be doing our part.

And besides, Auburn/Alabama and Clemson/South Carolina don't have that problem. If anything, 'Ole Miss' should make it more distinguishable than Mississippi/Mississippi State.

The name Clemson is clearly different than South Carolina. Auburn is clearly different from Alabama. People know ole miss is a nickname, the just aren't sure whether it belongs to Mississippi or Mississippi State.

[Barking 13]

I was in Chicago for a conference during the CWS. Of course the Blackahawks were in the middle of the Stanley Cup, so when I fell up in the lounge with my M-State shirt and demanded they put at least one of the TVs on the CWS, I didn't really make any friends. ;)

I pretty much sat by myself for a while hollering at the umpire and cheering my dogs on until a few fellas from Tulsa, OK came over and started watching with me. Those guys usually drive to Omaha every year for the CWS, no matter who is playing. Knowledgeable fans of the game but not Mississippi State. I had to school them on our players and University. They seemed to be impressed.

You just gotta make a stand!

[hailmari]

...I just got to thinking. We wonder why everybody thinks we're Ole Miss, and we wonder why no one wants to give MSU any respect. Think about this, we don't demand it! I'd say only 15% of our fanbase PROUDLY wears our colors around, flying flags, putting shit on our cars, etc. We're too busy trying to fit in, and trying to 'be a good sport' when some Alabama fan condescendingly gives us a compliment about how cute our program is or something.

Croom was right that we have to start having more pride in MSU. No matter if we win or lose, we still should act like MSU is the place to be. Everybody else does it, why not us? I was rolling along the other day outside Birmingham and I saw two boys, probably about 7 or 8 years old, on bikes. One had an MSU shirt on, the other one Alabama. I rolled down the window and told the MSU boy that he had a good looking shirt and he needed to tell the other boy to get rid of his and get the right colors. Boy doesn't know me from anyone but he will remember that there's another MSU fan out there that told him his shirt was cool. Maybe he'll wear it with a little more pride now. These are the little things that MSU fans EVERYWHERE can do, even if you can't attend games and gives gobs of money to the Bulldog Club.

You people out here that think this sort of thing doesn't make a difference, you are idiots. It does. Especially outside the state of Mississippi. Just like social media makes a difference.

Stranger danger!

But seriously, some of us may be too afraid of coming off as arrogant. I, on the other hand, never leave the state without a maroon shirt on.

[camsu]

Living in No Calif, most sports folks know the difference. I also proudly fly my M-State flag everyday in front of my house. Interesting an Admiral I worked for years ago - 10, emailed during the CWS to say go Dawgs!

[maroonmania]

The name Clemson is clearly different than South Carolina. Auburn is clearly different from Alabama. People know ole miss is a nickname, the just aren't sure whether it belongs to Mississippi or Mississippi State.

And believe me, outside of the South, there are tons of people who don't even know what state Auburn and Clemson are in. So it does help them with confusion relative to the other state school but it hurts them with locale recognition.

[bulldawg28]

Good stuff.

[Original48]

Goat you will be happy to know I am leaving today on a week long baseball road trip with stops at several minor league parks in Ohio (buddy manages A affiliate of the Indians) as well as Indians game and finishing off at Wrigley. You will not be disappointed in my choices of apparel for the games..although my buddy going with me will (Ole Miss).

[Percho]

There is confusion because the University of Mississippi insists on being called by an ambiguous nickname which doesn't obviously indicate one school are the other.

Name another D1 school that calls itself a nickname. I think there is not one.

We need another billboard.

WE are not oLE mISS!

[Farmdawg]

It is funny how here in SC most everybody wears burgundy or orange. Sadly most of them don't know anything about the team or even who they are playing week to week, they just wear it proudly day in and day out cause its the cool thing to do. I feel we are just way behind in the "coolness" factor of wearing our colors and supporting our school. It's improving, just not fast enough.

[Goat Holder]

Great point on the coolness. Our goal needs to be making ourselves a destination school for 1 - All of MS, including the southern and coastal parts, 2 - Birmingham (similar to how you see Auburn 35% of the time in Atlanta), 3 - Memphis, 4 - Mobile. MSU fans shouldn't be seen as 'weird' or 'outsiders' in any of those 4 places.

[Barking 13]

It is funny how here in SC most everybody wears burgundy or orange. Sadly most of them don't know anything about the team or even who they are playing week to week, they just wear it proudly day in and day out cause its the cool thing to do. I feel we are just way behind in the "coolness" factor of wearing our colors and supporting our school. It's improving, just not fast enough.

It's a shame that in Columbus, there are Crimson and "A's" everyfreakin' where....

[Ronny]

..outside the SEC gets us mixed-up with Ole Miss (and visa-versa) because both school bear the same historical legacy of athletic mediocrity.

For example, if we would have won the NC in baseball 2 months ago that would have gone a long way to distinguish MSU from OM. ESPN would suddenly see MSU as a national champion, hence they would take further steps to separate us from OM.

Or if we ever played in the Final 4 or a BCS bowl game MSU would gain more national notoriety hence better name recognition.

But since both MSU & OM constantly flounder in the big 3 men's sports, to anybody living in Utah or Connecticut we are both brothers by different mothers.

[dickiedawg]

..outside the SEC gets us mixed-up with Ole Miss (and visa-versa) because both school bear the same historical legacy of athletic mediocrity.

For example, if we would have won the NC in baseball 2 months ago that would have gone a long way to distinguish MSU from OM. ESPN would suddenly see MSU as a national champion, hence they would take further steps to separate us from OM.

Or if we ever played in the Final 4 or a BCS bowl game MSU would gain more national notoriety hence better name recognition.

But since both MSU & OM constantly flounder in the big 3 men's sports, to anybody living in Utah or Connecticut we are both brothers by different mothers.

Pretty sure we've done that...

[dickiedawg]

I think the Maroon Friday thing helps. Every Friday, whether you live in Jackson or Saskatchewan, put on your MSU shirt. (Then do it again on Saturday because it's game day). This has really caught on in Starkville, especially during football season, but I also noticed several MSU shirts in Florence, AL a few weeks ago on a Friday.

Other little things like putting an M-State sticker on your car or hanging a flag on your porch help too.

[J-Dawg]

Another perspective slash perception moment.

If you never believe/trust/have faith in/etc. yourself, then no one else will either. Outsiders and smartasses will say you are a sunshine pumper, but there is a difference. It IS possible to have pride/optimism while still maintaining rationalization.

Pride isn't always predicting 12-0 for your team. Pride IS never backing down when outsiders and smartasses start ribbing you/your school.

While on this subject, we have way too many OM apologists in our fanbase. I understand alot of what we do, ESPECIALLY in recruiting, is directly tied to them being our biggest rival, but a large majority of our fanbase always uses the "OM Caveat" when discussing MSU. A good buddy of mine and I were talking recruiting this past January. Our class, in particular. We had no intention of discussing any other school, so I start talking about a few of our recruits. His response "Yeah, they are good, but did you see that class OM has?" Sure, it seems innocent enough, but to me, that shows that a faction of our fanbase is always worried about them and is always comparing MSU to them. I understand discussing your rival when the conversation calls for it, but sometimes its obvious that we have man fans who are self-conscious about comparing us to OM.... basically always worrying how we stack up against them. It's like we are always trying to compare to THEM. They should be comparing to us. We have the better overall athletics program, historically. Educationally, the schools are about par. Literally everything else (town, campus, student body) is STRICTLY PERSONAL PREFERENCE. That's why I never put any stock into publications ranking opinionated things.

Sorry for the rant. Hope it makes sense. And before anyone refutes me, I realize that we have to keep tabs on them because we battle for everything, but there is a not-so-fine line between being aware and being self-conscious.

[Pollodawg]

Another perspective slash perception moment.

If you never believe/trust/have faith in/etc. yourself, then no one else will either. Outsiders and smartasses will say you are a sunshine pumper, but there is a difference. It IS possible to have pride/optimism while still maintaining rationalization.

Pride isn't always predicting 12-0 for your team. Pride IS never backing down when outsiders and smartasses start ribbing you/your school.

While on this subject, we have way too many OM apologists in our fanbase. I understand alot of what we do, ESPECIALLY in recruiting, is directly tied to them being our biggest rival, but a large majority of our fanbase always uses the "OM Caveat" when discussing MSU. A good buddy of mine and I were talking recruiting this past January. Our class, in particular. We had no intention of discussing any other school, so I start talking about a few of our recruits. His response "Yeah, they are good, but did you see that class OM has?" Sure, it seems innocent enough, but to me, that shows that a faction of our fanbase is always worried about them and is always comparing MSU to them. I understand discussing your rival when the conversation calls for it, but sometimes its obvious that we have man fans who are self-conscious about comparing us to OM.... basically always worrying how we stack up against them. It's like we are always trying to compare to THEM. They should be comparing to us. We have the better overall athletics program, historically. Educationally, the schools are about par. Literally everything else (town, campus, student body) is STRICTLY PERSONAL PREFERENCE. That's why I never put any stock into publications ranking opinionated things.

Sorry for the rant. Hope it makes sense. And before anyone refutes me, I realize that we have to keep tabs on them because we battle for everything, but there is a not-so-fine line between being aware and being self-conscious.


This. We needs some serious duct tape for our, "The sky is falling" fans every time OM lands a good recruit or wins a game. I know they're our rivals, but talking them more than we talk about our own damned team does us no good. We've got to plug MSU. If we don't, you can be damned sure no one else will.

[J-Dawg]

It's a shame that in Columbus, there are Crimson and "A's" everyfreakin' where....



THIS too. East MS is littered with Alabama "A"s just like South Mississippi from Vicksburg down the river and the coast are littered with LSU stickers. In which I'd say confidently that 85% of those fans couldn't give you directions to the respective stadiums without looking at Google Maps.

We've got to win our own state first. We've made some progress in Dan's tenure. Not enough, though. We blast Bama for their sidewalk fans, but in reality, we need them too.

[Farmdawg]

I definitely used to have the same feeling about sidewalk fans....but I'm starting to change my mind and realize that they are the ones that help make the popular schools popular nationally.

[Goat Holder]

Another perspective slash perception moment.

If you never believe/trust/have faith in/etc. yourself, then no one else will either. Outsiders and smartasses will say you are a sunshine pumper, but there is a difference. It IS possible to have pride/optimism while still maintaining rationalization.

Pride isn't always predicting 12-0 for your team. Pride IS never backing down when outsiders and smartasses start ribbing you/your school.

While on this subject, we have way too many OM apologists in our fanbase. I understand alot of what we do, ESPECIALLY in recruiting, is directly tied to them being our biggest rival, but a large majority of our fanbase always uses the "OM Caveat" when discussing MSU. A good buddy of mine and I were talking recruiting this past January. Our class, in particular. We had no intention of discussing any other school, so I start talking about a few of our recruits. His response "Yeah, they are good, but did you see that class OM has?" Sure, it seems innocent enough, but to me, that shows that a faction of our fanbase is always worried about them and is always comparing MSU to them. I understand discussing your rival when the conversation calls for it, but sometimes its obvious that we have man fans who are self-conscious about comparing us to OM.... basically always worrying how we stack up against them. It's like we are always trying to compare to THEM. They should be comparing to us. We have the better overall athletics program, historically. Educationally, the schools are about par. Literally everything else (town, campus, student body) is STRICTLY PERSONAL PREFERENCE. That's why I never put any stock into publications ranking opinionated things.

Sorry for the rant. Hope it makes sense. And before anyone refutes me, I realize that we have to keep tabs on them because we battle for everything, but there is a not-so-fine line between being aware and being self-conscious.

+100000000

[Jack Lambert]

I agree with this. I mean everyone knows the differences between North Carolina and North Carolina State. It's because NC has a great Basketball traditions. I get asked all the time in my travels which school is Ole Miss.

[Barking 13]

Another perspective slash perception moment.

If you never believe/trust/have faith in/etc. yourself, then no one else will either. Outsiders and smartasses will say you are a sunshine pumper, but there is a difference. It IS possible to have pride/optimism while still maintaining rationalization.

Pride isn't always predicting 12-0 for your team. Pride IS never backing down when outsiders and smartasses start ribbing you/your school.

While on this subject, we have way too many OM apologists in our fanbase. I understand alot of what we do, ESPECIALLY in recruiting, is directly tied to them being our biggest rival, but a large majority of our fanbase always uses the "OM Caveat" when discussing MSU. A good buddy of mine and I were talking recruiting this past January. Our class, in particular. We had no intention of discussing any other school, so I start talking about a few of our recruits. His response "Yeah, they are good, but did you see that class OM has?" Sure, it seems innocent enough, but to me, that shows that a faction of our fanbase is always worried about them and is always comparing MSU to them. I understand discussing your rival when the conversation calls for it, but sometimes its obvious that we have man fans who are self-conscious about comparing us to OM.... basically always worrying how we stack up against them. It's like we are always trying to compare to THEM. They should be comparing to us. We have the better overall athletics program, historically. Educationally, the schools are about par. Literally everything else (town, campus, student body) is STRICTLY PERSONAL PREFERENCE. That's why I never put any stock into publications ranking opinionated things.

Sorry for the rant. Hope it makes sense. And before anyone refutes me, I realize that we have to keep tabs on them because we battle for everything, but there is a not-so-fine line between being aware and being self-conscious.

As for recruiting day, when the OM folks start cackling about they got this and that, top 10 yada yada, and ask WHAT we got.. My response is, we got who we wanted to fit OUR needs... it's not a beauty pageant

[SnakePlissken]

It is funny how here in SC most everybody wears burgundy or orange. Sadly most of them don't know anything about the team or even who they are playing week to week, they just wear it proudly day in and day out cause its the cool thing to do. I feel we are just way behind in the "coolness" factor of wearing our colors and supporting our school. It's improving, just not fast enough.One of the side effects of having 15 different uniforms is that we are diluting the school's colors and can't really wear just maroon any longer. We're grey now, gold now, black now, silver now, etc. Yes, that is an exaggeration but the point is that those folks know their school color is burgundy (SC) and orange (Clemson). They don't have to worry if their colors of the week are silver, gold, grey, or some new color someone with photoshop skillz has created as a a new uniform and color of the week.