Fandom of Fandoms Podcast
Fandom of Fandoms is a podcast that dives into the worlds that fans love most — from galaxies far, far away to magical schools, epic quests, and everything in between. Each episode spotlights a different fandom, exploring its history, what makes it special, and why people are so passionate about it. We’ll chat with real fans, share wild stories, and invite you to geek out with us, one fandom at a time.
Fandom of Fandoms Podcast
O-H-I-O: The Fandom Guys Dive into Buckeye Football
The sacred sounds of 100,000 fans chanting "O-H-I-O" around the stadium. Lucky buckeye necklaces passed from generation to generation. The thrill of watching classic games with your children, sharing moments that happened decades before they were born.
In this episode, we dive deep into Ohio State football fandom with Bailey Alexander, discovering why Buckeye Nation represents one of the most passionate and welcoming communities in sports. Bailey shares personal stories that highlight the unique aspects of OSU fandom – from finding Buckeye bars in Florida to encountering fellow fans in Jamaica during his honeymoon.
We explore memorable games, beloved players like Ted Ginn Jr. and CJ Stroud, and the unique aspects of following a team whose mascot is literally a nut. Bailey also provides insights into the upcoming season, including thoughts on the #3 ranked Buckeyes facing #1 Texas in their opener.
Whether you're a die-hard Buckeye fan or simply curious about what drives sports passion, this episode offers a window into how shared experiences create meaning and belonging. Join us for a conversation that goes beyond scores and stats to reveal the heart of what makes fandom matter.
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If you have ideas about future episodes or would like to join us as a guest, send us an email at fandomofpodcast@gmail.com!
All right, gentlemen, we are back for episode seven. How are we doing Great?
Speaker 2:Yeah, feeling pretty good. Yeah, it's been a bit of a busy week for me.
Speaker 3:What have you been up to yeah school started.
Speaker 2:So that's my brand new job, brand new grade level. So it's kind of been just a bit of a wild ride for me personally, just kind of getting used to all of the things and learning about all the the specific procedures and rules of the new building and just all this stuff. So it's been. I've been putting in a lot of hours at work so I'm hopeful that, like as the year goes on, I can kind of all right, we're getting more used to it, yeah exactly because, man, I feel like I've worked way too many hours this week, so that's been me like what about you, mikey, what you've been up to?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, well, uh, so baby time is is nigh, uh, baby's coming in less than a week now. So, um, this whole weekend we are just organizing the nursery is finally done, we took a picture of it to just capture, like it being done because it's about to get you know, destroyed again so it never will look this nice again?
Speaker 3:yeah, honestly it never will.
Speaker 1:So anyway, yeah, that's what I've been up to. Uh, we got our ben and I have our volleyball tournament tomorrow, yep, so we're gonna try to try to win for once.
Speaker 3:Oh man, are you gonna have to take some time off for for baby volleyball? Yeah, I'm gonna be off for a few weeks probably.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'll get a sub.
Speaker 4:Actually, if any of our listeners out there are good at volleyball send us a message Tuesday nights.
Speaker 2:Yeah, send us a message. Well, I guess that's a good way of saying that, since the babies do this week. Man, that means, are you gone from the next episode then?
Speaker 1:I'm going to be on paternity leave from the podcast for maybe a couple episodes.
Speaker 2:It I'm going to be on paternity leave from the podcast for maybe a couple episodes. It is on paternity leave. This is America, after all. Yeah.
Speaker 3:So, Ben, what have you been up to? You know, I should have thought of that before we started this. It's not like I didn't know you were going to ask me but, not a ton, just working helping out at the church, a lot with Bailey and getting some stuff done there, edited a video that we showed this last weekend and stuff like that. So yeah, just the usual stuff for me, but not complaining Well.
Speaker 4:I guess we should introduce.
Speaker 3:We have our guests, our second guest ever.
Speaker 5:Mr Bailey Alexander. Oh hey, it looks like my fame has preceded me.
Speaker 1:That's great. Yeah, you deserve the applause.
Speaker 3:Yeah, thank you, bailey, and I have known each other for over a decade now, like 11, 12 years, he and I have been going to the same church. He's my worship pastor there and I've been serving under him, Super honored to have you here and of anyone who could talk about Buckeye stuff, it's you.
Speaker 1:Thank you.
Speaker 5:I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:That's so great For our YouTube watchers. You can see that Bailey's decked out today in his. Osu garb.
Speaker 2:We forgot to tell Bailey that he needed to bring something for show and tell.
Speaker 5:He brought something. I'm very excited about this too.
Speaker 2:Let's dive into the intro music and get this going here. Hello and welcome to F of fandoms, the show where, every single episode, we dive into a world that fans love the most, things that people are passionate about and we are super excited to be talking about well, at least I am anyways excited to be talking about the buckeyes. I'm here with my co-host, ben, and our producer, michael, and, of course, our special guest bailey here today, so we're going to go ahead and dive in and, uh, let's just kind of get started into the overview of, like the, the Buckeyes in general. There's a lot to talk about. Obviously, the Buckeyes have a storied history of whatever gosh we gotta be at 150 years at this point, 175 years that the university has been in existence.
Speaker 2:I should have written down more, like we should have put some normally I've got like a little blurb that I could read, but yeah, obviously the preparation was not there on the overview now, so we're really in this episode, kind of I think we can go all over.
Speaker 2:We're going to be mostly, I think, in football because that's the yeah the most common thing, but I'm sure like it can stretch into other parts of just the fandom in general. But yeah, let's talk about this, so let's go with the people that are usually on the podcast. What's your background been in, michael? As far as Ohio State goes, what's your opinions of it and all that stuff? This is where we're going to get controversial right now Are you talking about me?
Speaker 3:We'll start with Dan with okay, well, um, so I mean obviously I've I've lived in ohio my whole life, so I know all about, like, how big it is. I will say I did grow up as a university of cincinnati fan where's the booing michael?
Speaker 2:oh, come on, no, we don't need to do that.
Speaker 3:Okay, yes, for the record though I was at uc the same years that the kelsey brothers were, so I'm just saying like hey who doesn't like mr swift right?
Speaker 4:no no, uh. So I mean like yeah, while I was there especially.
Speaker 3:It was just like at the time with the football team they had. At those years we were like the little brothers of ohio state, so it just was always like oh, osu, like everyone, all everyone in ohio is expected to care about osu and I just don't like being what everybody expects me to be you are.
Speaker 1:You're the most rebellious of my friends.
Speaker 2:Yes, sorry, it's because he's from cincinnati, it's okay I know you know some that uc has to have some fans too.
Speaker 1:I mean yeah, yeah, what about you, michael.
Speaker 2:What's your? What's your background in Ohio state? What do you know?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, not not much of a background. So I didn't grow up in Ohio. I grew up out West uh, colorado, new Mexico, texas. That's where I lived up until I came to Mount Vernon uh or Mount Vernon Nazarene University for school, which is where I met Ben and Nick. And so when I moved to Ohio, it was just I was like smacked in the face with like the fandom you know, that's, that's and.
Speaker 1:I think initially I did feel kind of annoyed, like, OK, you know, like these insane fans, like they're idolizing you know this school, but honestly, like as I've gotten gotten older, like it's just fun like it's so fun to see people like engage in it.
Speaker 1:Their kids are engaging it. Uh, like my pastor's at church who, uh, these guys know um like they're teaching their kids to like love osu football and it's just like fun to see. So my I'm, I'm, I've warmed up to the osu fandom. But no, no background at all. I mean I couldn't tell you any like history or stats or anything about it.
Speaker 3:I'm excited to learn from bailey. That's what I'm here for. What about football in general?
Speaker 1:michael yeah, honestly, I mean just football in general. I was a uh diehard broncos fan because we were from colorado. You know I was born in colorado, but I think that was mostly just because my were from colorado. You know I was born in colorado, but I think that was mostly just because my family, they were die-hard fans. I was kind of just adopted into that, but as an adult I've not followed really nfl at all.
Speaker 3:So yeah, um yeah, we're not even talking nfl today. Yeah, exactly, yeah, exactly, yeah, nick, what about you?
Speaker 2:what's your background? Uh, so I, you know, I was born in in the columbus area, so I kind of was born into the Ohio State fandom. For sure you know my. So just to kind of give you some background into my family, it was my mom that kind of instilled a love of Ohio State in me, but she's not like a massive fan or anything like that, she was just. You know, if there was anybody in the house that was also a fan along with me, it was my mom. Um, because both. So my dad, uh, I feel like I talk about him in every single episode, but it's kind of funny like well, you love him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's exactly right, but uh, he was very anti-ohio state and it wasn't because he was like a michigan fan or something like that. Uh, I think he just liked to irritate me.
Speaker 3:Honestly, that was that is a fun part of not being in the fandom for sure. That's true good point.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so he'd pick at me and we can get into this a little bit later, but he was the one like that was. I was always so irritated because he didn't even have like a team. He just liked to tear down ohio state fans just because he thought that we were you know, whatever. Uh a little cuckoo, yeah, exactly uh, and then my sister kind of jumped on that bandwagon as well.
Speaker 2:Again, didn't have a team, but loved to trash on ohio state and I think for a while she would wear michigan stuff again, just to just to be irritating, instigate so but yeah, pretty much all the way through. I I don't think that I attended my first ohio state football game until probably high school, like that was probably around the time that I attended my first ohio state football game until probably high school, like that was probably around the time that I attended my first one, I think it was, uh.
Speaker 2:So, when I was in high school, I was a part of this, uh, this, choir group, and somebody that was a part of the choir as well, like one of the parents found out, a way for us to kind of raise money for the group was to go and work in the concessions at Ohio State games, so like my senior year I got to go to quite a few games and just like I was one of the people that was there, like throwing the hot dogs at people and all that stuff, walking up and down the aisles.
Speaker 2:It was a lot of fun actually, like I would. I would totally go back and like, just work at some concessions at the at the stadium. Yeah, so that's sweet yeah, so that's a little bit about it, but yeah, let's uh. What about our guest here? So why don't you talk to us about your background at ohio state?
Speaker 5:yeah, I was born in. I was born kind of like in the middle of the state, ish uh, in worcester, so it was. And I will say I feel like I didn't grow, like I don't have tons of friends who were were big buckeye fans. I feel like they've become more like more obsessed, obsessed with Ohio state in the last like 10 years, sort of stuff, sort of thing. But um, I did, I did bring this guy, which is me at 10 years old, rocking that like white on white.
Speaker 1:No way, that's sweet Nice.
Speaker 3:The white on white Ohio state. Yeah, I'll take a picture of it and like put it up. Yeah, that's a good idea.
Speaker 2:That's a good idea, it's a good way to kind of like I did for Dana. Right, we'll get a picture.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 5:But I did. I just I fell in love with the Buckeyes early and I think it was a family thing early on. But I'm kind of like you. It was, to be honest, it was when Tress came in 2001,. That was when I was like, okay, this could be cool, and there was just kind of like a newness to Ohio State again, and so that's kind of when I feel like I jumped back on and then of course well, not of course, because if you don't know, then in 2002, we won the national championship, so it was like oh, everybody loved it.
Speaker 5:Well, if you're from, Columbus it's like oh, everybody loved. Well, not if you're from clums like yeah, we're all now fully integrated again so I feel like I feel like my outright like big time fandom started like in 01, yeah, and then 02 helped it's been kind of like absolutely up and up for most of the years exactly exactly, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 5:So that kind of. That's where some of my earliest memories of you know, some of some of those sorts of things, uh, that's where I, yeah, kind of fell in love. And and now, like you talked about, like, uh, your pastor, like we love, like having Buckeye football days. Our kids love getting up and getting excited about it. Actually, last year bought buckeyes from kimball's kids oh really on my way to the stadium. Yeah, I'm sure we paid more than you would for a normal like buckeye but it was great.
Speaker 3:There's little kids, yeah, and you're just talking about. You're gonna instill that in your daughter now, or she wants to do that, right?
Speaker 5:yeah, that's yeah, that's her own thing. Yeah, she wants to go down and sell stuff and that's for her own personal gain.
Speaker 2:I don't know if that has as much to do with the Buckeyes, but she's going to make Buckeye necklaces. So this is like people are making Buckeye necklaces and then selling them in the—.
Speaker 5:That's what she wants.
Speaker 2:That's what my daughter wants to do.
Speaker 5:I actually bought the candy, like the chocolate peanut butter from—which were incredible actually they killed those yeah, my daughter wants to like make. We have a buckeye tree in our yard so she wants to make buckeye necklaces and she's just entrepreneurial so she's like let's just make a bunch of stuff, take water and just go sell it down at the stadium and I was like great idea, I'll take you to do that, yeah yeah okay, well, so over the years, like you talked a little bit about, like when you got started, but over the the years, what has really kept you engaged with the fandom, especially, you know, like, like Buckeye football is largely just, you know, a couple months of the year, really.
Speaker 5:Right, exactly, yeah, yeah, well, kind of. Ok, yes, we can get into that, for sure, but yes, we can come back because that's kind of like yeah, like a subset, if you will, of fandom, subset, if you will, uh, of fandom uh, but it is. I do think there's a community aspect. It kind of goes back to like why, I think, you know, I would encourage people to get in, like to fall in love with something. I do think you know, if you're in ohio, you should probably just fall in love with the buckeye right uh, just because there's kind of these natural communities here, but but I've also been to like.
Speaker 5:I've also been to places in like florida yeah and arizona that were like buckeye bars and really watch games, that's crazy
Speaker 1:super wild dude. Yeah, I would not have thought that.
Speaker 5:No it's naples, florida. There's this buckeye bar that we went to to watch a game and I was like this is incredible snowboarders down there, I'm sure.
Speaker 3:But yeah, that makes sense. I can speak to that too because, living out there for a few years, there were Buckeye bars out there.
Speaker 2:I remember going for a game to a place called the Bottled Blonde, oh, and it was packed with Ohio State fans.
Speaker 1:That is so funny. It was packed, yep.
Speaker 5:My honeymoon, which, okay, this will also add to the fandom. Sarah, the only thing that she really gave me was like hey, you're in charge of music for the wedding. It's like what we walk down to and stuff like that. And then the date of the wedding Because we were getting married in November. She's like it's going to be a Saturday, so you pick, and I picked November 11th, not because it was 11-11, but because it was the Northwestern game and I knew that we'd kill them, and then we could be in Jamaica for the game, which ended up being 06, number one versus number two, 42-39.
Speaker 1:Like one of the best games literally in college football history.
Speaker 2:Ohio State, Michigan. Yes.
Speaker 5:It was insane and in Jamaica I went. Ohio State Michigan. Yes, it was insane, and in Jamaica I went down. So we're watching Halftime comes. I'm like, hey, I'll go down, get us some food and stuff at halftime. Just Ohio State jerseys everywhere In Jamaica.
Speaker 1:It was so cool man that is so crazy.
Speaker 5:Yeah, it was so cool, so I think there's just like this natural people say it all the time. You can walk anywhere and yell O-H, and then somebody usually is going to give you an I-O. Kind of no matter where you're at. We've tried that. We've tried it out Like it usually works out pretty well.
Speaker 2:Well, speaking of dates like this podcast is going to launch the day before the season begins.
Speaker 5:Yes.
Speaker 2:And we're starting the season versus Texas. Huge game Number one Texas begins. Yes, and we're starting the season versus texas huge game, number one texas. When the listeners hear this, this is going to be the day before the big game. So yeah, that's. Uh, I didn't even realize that I was like I sent a message.
Speaker 3:I'm like dude, I didn't even somebody pointed this out to me as soon as I scheduled baylor for the podcast. It's like, oh, this will be perfect, because this right before the texas game like sounds great cool.
Speaker 5:Yeah, number one texas. Number three ohio state. It's gonna be a banger, it's gonna be great.
Speaker 2:That'll be probably what biggest game of the year, right like michigan, man don't didn't they used to like?
Speaker 3:college teams usually start off like against yeah like yes, very small schools, yeah, not anymore every once in a while.
Speaker 5:it kind of depends like uh, in 22 we started out the year with notre Dame at home, like and it was like oh, there's no, you don't get, you don't get a warmup game. You're just like, yeah, so same thing, you're kind of jumping in and it's a good. It's a good play, good way to find out where you're at, cause it won't hurt you as much if we play Texas week one as opposed to week 11.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right, yeah, so well, I would say, since there's been like the changes to college football, like you're starting to see more of that, like it used to be, that yeah, people would schedule these cupcake teams because they knew well they can't afford a loss at all if they want to make it to the, to the title game. Yeah, and so well, they're going to make kind of the beginning of the schedule as easy as possible. But now that there's more teams that are getting in, these teams are willing to schedule these harder you know better games that are going to draw more people in, because they know that they're going to make a ton of money off of the, you know, selling the licensing rights and television and all that stuff. So like that's really kind of really only over this past couple of years that like it's there's been this shift.
Speaker 1:I would say in college football, so I've never heard the term cupcake team. What is that?
Speaker 5:Well, I will say Cincinnati. I would not say it was a cupcake team. At one point they were for sure, yes, but I wouldn't say that today, even though I think the last time we played, I think we won like 35-0.
Speaker 1:Okay, so it's just a team you're going to kill. Basically, yes, but at the time I'm pretty sure.
Speaker 3:UC was ranked.
Speaker 2:They were you're gonna kill. Basically yes, but at the time I'm pretty sure use it was ranked or yeah. So I mean you've heard of, I'm sure you've heard of like college teams paying these teams to like to come in and play them I have not heard that, no so that was the way that it would work is they would pay millions of dollars sometimes to like these teams to come and play because they're you know they're paying them because they know they're gonna get destroyed yeah, the university is like we want to get something out of this.
Speaker 5:I have a good one though. So two years ago Notre Dame paid Marshall to come like 5 to 10 mil I don't know the number, 5 to 10 mil to come to Notre Dame to play them and beat them.
Speaker 3:Marshall won, yeah, and so every once in a while it backfires.
Speaker 2:Wellfires one of my favorites was Michigan and Appalachian. Well done.
Speaker 5:I was going to bring it up that was a good one.
Speaker 2:They paid them a bunch of money and then they came in and beat them first game of the season.
Speaker 5:What a year that was the year after it was either 07 or 08, but ended with the team at North, which is what I call them.
Speaker 3:Sorry no no it's okay, yeah.
Speaker 5:Yeah, appalachian State blocked a kick, blocked a field goal, which actually didn't like. Yeah, they needed to block it because if they would have made it they would have won. So it was pretty sweet. Oh, that was Wow.
Speaker 2:That is wild, because if they would have made it, it would like they would have won. So it was pretty sweet. Oh, that was wow. That is. I remember that, probably one of the times that, uh, ohio state fans were super annoying, but it was yes like rub the, rub the faces of it, like you know michigan just coming off of a really great season.
Speaker 2:Then starting like just that way and then I think they went on to lose at least a couple more that year. It was not a good year for yeah, but this, all this like.
Speaker 5:I think all this feeds into the why. Like it's like there's just like it's cool to be for me as an Ohio State fan, but I think because I enjoy doing this with other things that I love, as just you know. Listening last week to your wife talk about Harry Potter, I was like I love this. You know, this is super cool, yeah, yeah. So being able to do this and be like, oh yeah. I remember in 07 and we're like dude, that was 18 years ago and we're like we're still talking about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah it was still awesome, yeah I mean bailey, you've you have talked about a lot of specifics in different games. I'm impressed that you remember these really like specific games. This. This brings up a question that ben had written down. But if you could go back and be physically at one game, which one would it be and why?
Speaker 5:Yeah, this is so. This is really difficult and I'm so excited. My, my son is 12, uh, almost 13. He'll he'll be excited to hear what I say here, because we watch, we rewatch games all the time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's one of the things's one of the reasons I had you on, because I don't know many people who rewatch games but Camden and I we'll both be like, hey, what do you want to do?
Speaker 4:Do you want Clemson 19? We'll do all these.
Speaker 5:Yeah, we love doing that because I think we also just enjoy kind of watching the way also that from 2002 to 2006 to 2019 to last year, how fun, like, how the different ways that we've won. And then for me also, like I love getting to know the, like getting to know, uh, cause I don't know them, know them, but I love like the, the personality behind it. That's why, like you know, maybe you'll have me back on for LeBron James. If I'm good enough, I would love to come back for LeBron James.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, we'll write that down.
Speaker 5:I, I, I love personalities. I enjoy that. I love learning about these uh, which really, now that I'm 42, like these kids lives, right, uh, and and we don't treat them like kids anymore and all that, and we don't pay them like kids anymore either. So that's a whole other thing. But, all that said, like I love watching, re-watching games, and so I had a lot of different things like come to mind Because, like I'll just quickly say, like 2011, russell Wilson, almost two-time Super Bowl winning, russell Wilson like came to the shoe with Wisconsin. They're like ranked 15th or something like that, and 2011 is the only um losing season ohio state has had in over 25 years. Oh, wow, yes, and that was the year after tress got booted because of tattoo gate and you can look up all these things if you need to tattoo gate yeah
Speaker 2:gate.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I forgot about that honestly, it was a losing season. That year, six and seven, oh wow. We could have not played the bowl game against Florida, which we would have ended. Six and six. We chose to play that game. Not only lost, but then in 2012, we had a bowl ban. And had we not had the bowl ban, we probably play notre dame for the national championships instead of alabama, because we were undefeated in 2012. But we did had a bowl ban, because back then, just for selling like your own memorabilia for tattoos, got all of your wins vacated. But when a team cheats and then there's three years of evidence of cheating and you just have to pay 20 million dollars and some other, weird stuff oh my gosh, do we want it no we
Speaker 2:won't go down that road. Yeah, well, you did just get like what a 10-year ban. Right, was that the yeah?
Speaker 5:harbaugh's not coming back to the college game anyways, but yeah, why super wild?
Speaker 2:michigan's coach, by the way, their old coach he's not coming back anyways, but so like Well, he left, he knew it was coming down Big time.
Speaker 5:But in 2011, like number 15, wisconsin comes in Like they had Monte Ball like, who played in the NFL as running back. They had James White won two Super Bowls with the Patriots Like they came in ready to do some damage and a true freshman, braxton Miller, throws a bomb with 25 seconds left to end up winning that game by two points or three points.
Speaker 4:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 5:That was a pretty cool one, but that was just my that was my other one, but the one I want to talk about is a number two Penn state visiting number six Ohio state in 2017.
Speaker 5:And we had only lost one game and I was at that game. We lost Oklahoma. My dad is a longtime Sooner fan, a stepdad, but dad and uh, we, we got like we were so pumped to go to that Oklahoma game and and I was happy for him that they won, like that Oklahoma one. I was happy for him that they won like that Oklahoma won. I was happy for him that they had. Obviously, I wanted Ohio State to win, but he did say he was very impressed with Buckeye fans, the way that he was treated as a Sooner fan, so that was pretty cool.
Speaker 5:So, we only lost one game. Penn State only lost one game number two versus number six. They have Saquon Barkley. I don't know if you've ever heard of him, but yeah, uh and Saquon actually. Uh, I think he ended the game with like 45 rushing yards, but he had like 50 some in the first half.
Speaker 4:Oh wow, she had negative yards in the second half.
Speaker 5:Um, but they were out to um. I did I should have done my actual homework on this. I think they were up by 16 points or 17 points in the fourth quarter and jt barrett, who I wore jt barrett's jersey watchers yes, on purpose for this, this part of the the episode actually nice he completed like 18 of his last 19 passes, and they go on an absolute scoring spree and end up winning by one point, I think it was 39, I think it was 39 to 38.
Speaker 5:That is crazy. Um, and it ended in it. Yeah, it ended with um. You know some pretty uh. Sam hubbard okay actually there was a play after we scored to take our lead. There's a play, if you should go look it up. It's like on first or second down. Um uh, I forget their quarterback at the time, moxie.
Speaker 4:I can't remember his name.
Speaker 5:But he goes and he's like, he's like going to hand it off. Maybe hand it off to Saquon, and Sam Hubbard tackles both of them Literally just tackled both Saquon and the quarterback. But that's one of my favorite games.
Speaker 2:I'm just impressed that you have that much recall.
Speaker 5:I know how many times do you feel you've watched it. Probably four or five times actually, and actually it was such a big deal to me that I had I sent a thing out to like some guys at our church, I was like hey, tomorrow night, sunday night, after the game, like hey, I'm, we're gonna re-watch the game in and I put together a devotional at oh my god, you should never, give up.
Speaker 2:I I'm just saying like I'll bring.
Speaker 4:Jesus into anything, even the Buckeye Games, if I have to.
Speaker 5:But yeah, that's. That's one. I wish I could have actually been there because watching it in the moment was really cool, but it was that was a really cool one to be at, or would have been a really cool one to be at.
Speaker 1:Yeah, wow, that's. That's a great answer to your question. A quick follow-up question.
Speaker 3:In general, Do you prefer watching in person or at home or in a group with other people? You know?
Speaker 5:I do think I enjoy watching at home more because I am—. You see a lot more, for sure, right there is that piece to it, and there is nothing like going to the shoe. Even my wife, who does not really care about sports, I feel like she's adopted it, especially now that both of our kids really enjoy the buckeyes yeah, uh, in sports in general, because she's watched so many bangles games since camden became a huge bangles fan.
Speaker 5:But, um, you're welcome. Yes, my child is a bangles fan because ben came over to watch one night football.
Speaker 3:Wow, okay.
Speaker 5:Football.
Speaker 3:Seven or eight years ago it was against the Steelers.
Speaker 5:If there's one thing we can all get around is we hate the Steelers.
Speaker 3:We all should have said that Nick is a Steelers fan.
Speaker 1:Nick's like yeah, we don't actually.
Speaker 2:It's all good.
Speaker 5:He's a Bengals fan because of Ben.
Speaker 3:That's hilarious.
Speaker 5:I know it's so great Ever since then're. That was when they were bad like that's pre joe burrow. This is like andy dalton, andy dalton, aj green, though like I mean pretty good combo, yes, but not making the playoffs yeah um, but yeah, I, there's something cool, not only about being able to see more things, but just like it is cool to be in the stadium. There's nothing like hearing OHIO around that.
Speaker 5:Like there there's something a hundred thousand people and you hear it coming around, there's an energy, um, but you just can't see very much. I actually went to my first rivalry game last year. I won the tickets, sarah and I sat second row. Oh my gosh, everything about it was awesome, except we lost, and I don't want to talk about that because it's honestly one of the more.
Speaker 2:We won the title game, though that's what matters, we did win the championship.
Speaker 5:But there is something about being there that is really cool. But I do love being with my whole family having friends over throwing the football at halftime, like I just I love. There's a family, community aspect to that that I just really love.
Speaker 2:I don't know what I'd say either, because being at the games is a lot of fun for sure. Yeah, 100,000 people is crazy. Being around that many people in general is crazy.
Speaker 5:It was also like 17 degrees at that game.
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 5:And I was like this is the worst, like we're, we're losing and I can't feel like my feet at all.
Speaker 2:Well, I went to the the uh blue jackets guy. I know this isn't about the blue jackets, but the blue jackets game at the shoe and it was, oh yeah for sure free single but that was it was, it was wild, that was a, that was a fun time too. It's kind of part of the reason I wanted to go is because it was like this is a hockey game that has five times as many people as what it normally has inside of the stadium, and there's something special about that there's something that's crazy.
Speaker 5:I think everybody likes something to like where they feel like they belong and it's like and then when you feel like you belong along with like 100,000 other people, it's kind of just like something you's. For a lot of people it's a once in a lifetime experience.
Speaker 2:Well, so you know, what's interesting is that I was I've heard some people talk about this previously and this kind of goes like not just to Ohio State football or anything like that, but like just sports in general, kind of centered around the NFL or college whatever, but like the, it's kind of the last institution that we have in this country and in the world. Really, people are all watching the same thing. So, it's basically this idea is that now kind of like, this is a show about fandoms?
Speaker 2:right Like certain people aren't into these things. Like that, not everybody's watching this particular show. There's very rarely anything that's on TV that, like everyone's watching at the same time. So, like this is one of the only just institutions that exists where you've got that kind of like relationship where people are all watching this at the same time and then the next day or the next week or whatever, you're seeing somebody afterwards like hey, did you catch the game? Like yeah, and then you can talk about it and relate with it. Yeah, and that's something that doesn't really exist overall in any other facet. When you think about it like it's yeah, think about like the rise of streaming right yeah, how many people are watching again?
Speaker 3:yeah, especially live, live events, for sure.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I do think sports in general. Just do that for you, because whether it's Olympics or the Super Bowl, there's something special about sports that helps bring people together. It's kind of the same way that music does. But yeah, that's definitely one of the reasons I love it. But that's one of the reasons I love watching at home too. Just from that aspect.
Speaker 1:Well, that brings up a question. Actually, you mentioned being with your family and friends watching it. Do you guys have like a game day tradition with family and friends? Is there anything specific you guys do on game day? We have like some quirky things.
Speaker 5:So we love to collect the Buckeyes, uh, and we always have, um, we always have extra, whether it's in a bowl or when people come in the door. We we give this to, we give them a lucky Buckeye. Uh and uh, and we're going to keep I'm. I'm saying this it's still family appropriate. When we score, we, we like click nuts, I don't know I don't know why we're laughing.
Speaker 1:That's like, yeah, uh, yeah, that's, that'd be a great band name.
Speaker 5:Click nuts yeah, yeah, and it's just this idea, cut that click.
Speaker 2:That just sounds funny.
Speaker 5:Yeah, right, yeah, yeah but people are like whoa, it's like no, no, like it's a buckeye. I don't know what you want me.
Speaker 1:We click nuts.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I'll never forget in like 21 and 21 actually funny enough like CJ Stroud, who now is like a top 10 quarterback right and to me, the best quarterback ever in Ohio State history personally but in 21 like he got hurt Against the or in the Oregon game, so he sat the Akron game and we went to that game. I was super bummed. We got to watch Kyle McCord play in that game. We won that game like 63-7, like something wild. Every single time I went with three of my other buddies and we had some older people like 60s, probably 60s, 70s, and so they kept seeing us do this. I actually I had I had my necklace on, so so I was actually like putting my necklace up and then these, these people behind us were like we're in.
Speaker 5:So every time like they wanted us to turn around to them and like yeah, click, nuts.
Speaker 2:It was really great. We're going to start something here.
Speaker 4:That's the first that I've heard, so that's hilarious.
Speaker 2:The click nut movement.
Speaker 3:Yeah the click nut movement.
Speaker 5:Hashtag yeah. And. I mean is it weird, going back to your wife and be like me and this 67-year-old woman were clicking nuts, Like I mean, but she was like, yeah, it sounds like an Ohio State game.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly game.
Speaker 3:So yeah, exactly, oh man that was good. Yeah, well, before before we get into our next segment, I gotta ask how do you feel in general about the, the mascot for ohio state being right?
Speaker 5:since we are, kenley and I had this discussion a couple years ago because she was like wait, our mascot is a literal nut yes, and I was like, yeah it yeah, I know on the outside it's like, well, that's not very scary Eat one.
Speaker 5:And you tell me how you feel so yeah, but what's funny is the dichotomy in that, too, is like we were talking like, but we make. You know, people make the Buckeyes also. These chocolate, peanut butter things are like yeah, well then, they're not that dangerous like that. I'm just throwing it out there.
Speaker 2:I'd rather be something unique and fun anyways than there's a million jungle cats or whatever tigers, so hey you know, what we got. Something that's like this is us. We can get behind this. It is truly unique.
Speaker 5:Any Penn State fans right now are like yeah, we're the Nittany Lions. What is a Nittany Lion?
Speaker 3:Exactly. Thank you, we know what that is no, it's a ragdoll lion, that's what it is, you're not winning the championship this year.
Speaker 1:by the way, you shouldn't be ranked second. This is going to be our most controversial episode. Out of all the topics, this is the most controversial, drew.
Speaker 5:Aller, you could have come to Ohio State. You picked Penn State. You're a loser. Go home.
Speaker 3:Man, we're talking trash here. All right, michael, I think you have a question to ask uh well, no, that's a good transition point.
Speaker 1:So, bailey, on the show we like to talk about um starter packs so you know someone who's maybe new to the fandom or they want to get into it. Um, you know what is the entry point? How do you get into being an osu buckeye fan?
Speaker 5:well, I I think, the best way I can think, because I, I, I did this with my kids like we, uh, and now, now that you have one like this, is your option.
Speaker 4:This is your opportunity, for your starter pack.
Speaker 5:We actually we bought a bunch of different children's books, uh, and one of them was like like, uh, the littlest Buckeye like game day or whatever, and it's just like a rhyming book that kind of takes you through like in the morning and go into the game and here in the band and all these things. Yeah, all the things that we like we love about being a fan of Ohio state football. But I do think there's something fun about just like you know, if you're starting especially, I think of like family wise, but even with some friends, and just be like find a friend who knows some stuff about Buckeye football and be like, hey, I bought this shirt, like can we hang out? You know, like that's our thing If you live in Ohio, you don't have to go too far, really, yeah.
Speaker 1:You'll make a friend.
Speaker 5:Yeah, Not only that and then you can go make as many friends as you want you'll be like OH we're best friends that is true.
Speaker 3:I think that this is OSU might be one of the biggest fandoms where you don't really need a lot of prior knowledge, or anything. I feel like they're overwhelmingly accepting. Yeah.
Speaker 5:I think it's okay too to be like, for people to be like, because even if you are in those like oh member, oh seven, or remember that sales 17 penn state game, be like. Actually I'm kind of new and they will love to tell you yeah, yeah, sit down that's funny.
Speaker 2:You mentioned that I've never known, because some of the some of the times you get in some fandoms where people will gate, keep it and stuff but you're right I've not known that to be the the case in ohio state. Everybody's like man, we're just, we're just excited to have you along for the ride and like be able to talk about it. For sure I didn't. That's kind of cool to think about.
Speaker 5:Actually it is because there aren't like we've all. Maybe you've had like that band, you know that band. You're like well, I've, you know you talk. People like oh okay, like you're only into our new stuff, but like I've been all in and I do feel like, cause I've done that to people who are like okay, like, but you should go back and listen to their like early stuff that sort of thing, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5:I feel like it's not that way with Ohio state. It's more of like and I'm sure like every any team is the same way where there's like yeah, just jump on, like we were.
Speaker 2:we're super stoked. You know you probably have other people call you a bandwagon fan that are outside of the Ohio State. Agreed, but like if people were coming on board, even though we, you know, just want a title game, it's not the Buckeyes that are going to give you any problems about like, oh yeah, we were just a bandwagon because we just won.
Speaker 5:Like, no, man, get on board, we're here. We're here for like you know, because you know for my wife, like she was, like, oh, we're all going to love this. Well then, I get to buy a new shirt, or something you know like something festive and stuff like that.
Speaker 5:And so now I feel like her fandom like started with like attire. You know like yeah, I can wear this cute hat or whatever. Where now she's like? I think she just she loves getting up for game days and getting the kids you know being excited with the kids and that sort of thing. But I think the other thing for starters, like especially if you live in Columbus not so, this is just Ohio state fandom in general you can go to a men's volleyball game for free, you can go to like oh, that's cool.
Speaker 5:There's a bunch of different, like men's baseball is not not very expensive women's volleyball is expensive, uh, but it's worth it. Yeah, it is expensive, uh. Their tickets are highly sought after, um, but go to a basketball game go to a hockey.
Speaker 2:I went to a couple hockey games they're pretty cheap to go to. Yeah, yeah, super fun, and so it is all because we haven't been good at it and you know a while.
Speaker 5:Yes, yeah, we haven't, yeah, made the tournament this year. Uh but, um yeah. So I do think I think just like going because you're like there's kind of a natural thing about just being in the environment of other people and just supporting something. It's fun to be able to root on people.
Speaker 2:So sure, that's a good starter pack for me. Yeah, that's, that's perfect. Wow, well, you kind of hit on like the elevator pitch there too.
Speaker 1:Yeah you did.
Speaker 2:Just kind of why should people get on board? So I love that I always go back to community.
Speaker 5:That's why I think, like being in a band, or like being a part of a church or being a part of, like you know, loving a sport, I just think it's all about community.
Speaker 2:There's something that a belonging, that is cool there. Well, let's, uh, what do you guys think? You think it's a good time to take a little break, then come back here, yeah sounds better up the discussion. We'll jump into fandom culture a little bit and then keep it going, but let's take a quick break oh my gosh honestly keep it wait are we recording? Yeah, we are.
Speaker 1:All right, let's review that, and we're back. All right, we are back from our break Good start.
Speaker 2:I love that.
Speaker 1:We'll probably keep that. Yeah, we have to. I think we'll keep that.
Speaker 2:We're going to jump into a quick game of Would you Rather? I got some questions here, just kind of a rapid fire See what you think here. So would you rather watch ohio state win the national championship in the stadium or from your couch, with unlimited snacks and no lines? We kind of hit on this a little bit I know we did, but I like.
Speaker 5:The thing that comes to my mind is I had a chance to go to the 2014 national championship. Uh, some of my friends from texas were like hey, we're going to dallas, all you have to do is get here. We got you and I was like, dude, I, I there's, there's just like no way. And sarah even I think sarah was like like we can make a way, like you should do it whatever. I was like no, and I'm gonna go there and they're gonna lose and then they did and I was like, oh, shoot a goal.
Speaker 5:but I but watching this last national championship with like championship against Notre Dame, with my family and another close family friend, it was super cool. So I know that I wouldn't be watching by myself, I think I'd take at home with the family and friends.
Speaker 1:Unlimited snacks.
Speaker 2:Also unlimited snacks. Whatever you want, that's nice. Would you rather have front row seats to the game or a full day hanging out with the team behind the scenes?
Speaker 5:dang, that's a good one it is a good one and I will say going back to. So I went to the game for the first time last year. I sat in the second row so you've already done it, I guess yeah, and the day before uh, I have like and I will say like I wouldn't call a friendship. It's like a connection with cam babb, who was the uh, the blocko recipient um in 2021.
Speaker 5:I believe um and look up cam babb story super cool but we connected and he took our family the day before the game on friday and did like a whole stadium tour where we actually got to go, like my children put on a Mecca's helmet, like we didn't like when you do a stadium tour you get to go about like six feet into the locker room. We got to go, we got to like touch stuff like it was super cool. I have video of my son throwing like a 20 yard pass to cam bab in the stadium both of these experiences I know I have.
Speaker 4:I have which one's better, I guess?
Speaker 5:there was some again like I think I just go, but I just love community. There was something beautiful about like man. If the if the team would have been there, like if for my son would have been over, I would have been over the moon, but he would have been over the moon. So I think I'd take that one hang with the team for sure.
Speaker 2:Uh, would you rather have brutus photobomb every picture you take for a year, or or have the osu marching band follow you around playing your theme song well, okay, well, what is?
Speaker 5:it we gotta answer that question first uh, I feel like my theme song um would be oh man, what would my theme song be? I don't even know. The first thing that came to my mind was like John Mayer, who'd you Think I?
Speaker 4:Was Nice. That doesn't make sense lyrically, but it's a killer guitar line and that kind of would be cool hearing like the.
Speaker 5:I'd like to hear the band play that, so I'll do that.
Speaker 2:My wife cares about pictures too much to let Brus photobomb every single one.
Speaker 5:Yeah, yeah, exactly would you rather see michigan lose every game or see ohio state win every game? Well, we got to experience this last year, uh, and it's the first time. It's the first time in this rivalry that we had this happen, where we lost that game and then end up going to win the national championship, and so I think I would take us winning every game as much as.
Speaker 5:I do enjoy watching them lose, and I can hear, I can just hear any of these fans be like, oh, three years in a row or four years in a row, it's going to be fine All those things. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh man yeah.
Speaker 5:Don't forget, from 2000 to 2020, which they, they had COVID that year.
Speaker 4:I'm just saying listen, say what you want. They won three of those games.
Speaker 5:Okay, so it's not like it, you know you have a ways to go to kind of flip this thing back all the way around, um but I think I would take us winning, because that's way more fun at the end of the day, it's way more fun to win like even those that year.
Speaker 2:You know the years when michigan wasn't doing so well and I was like, all right, this is fun, like this, is it's enjoyable to watch I was like. You know what I don't really like? It's after a while.
Speaker 4:I was like you know what I don't want to see us win.
Speaker 2:I don't care what Michigan's doing. They can do their own thing.
Speaker 5:There was a while I was like this is not a rivalry when you're winning nine games in a row, which we did so that's not a rivalry. Yeah, that makes sense it is a rivalry.
Speaker 3:I'm excited for this last question, Nick.
Speaker 2:Yes. Would you rather wear maize and blue for a week or give up wearing the excuse me, give up watching the buckeyes for an entire season?
Speaker 1:our non-youtube listeners bailey's face is like mortified yeah, I, I only.
Speaker 5:I mean, my face was over the first part, but then I was just shocked beyond belief. I, I just care too well. Well, I also rewatch games all the time, so I think I would just have to take the colors for a week, make it a week.
Speaker 3:you're on vacation and no one has to see you.
Speaker 5:He also said the colors, not the emblem.
Speaker 4:But either way.
Speaker 5:I think I would take it for a week, just so I could get my Buckeyes through for the season.
Speaker 1:But the thing is though, even if you went on vacation, we already established that there are Buckeyes everywhere.
Speaker 3:But they wouldn't know that he's a. Buckeye fan necessarily, unless he goes around like yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker 5:I would be like OH, I know, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2:Well, let's jump into. We've talked a lot about culture already, but we do have a specific section where we talk about the fandom culture. Yeah, um. So really, in this section, we're trying to focus on things like outside of the games themselves. Um, you know other content and things like that that you enjoy, uh, outside of just like those saturday games. So what, what kind of stands out to you as being pieces of content? Ohio state related that you enjoy.
Speaker 5:I love listening to podcasts. I enjoy and I can just, I just hear my wife's voice in the back of my head because she's like just the word, saying so sorry. I enjoy keeping up with recruiting and she's like so you enjoy watching these 17-year-old children and figuring out that they might go to your school? I was like, yes, I am excited about that.
Speaker 5:I do, I enjoy. I enjoy podcasts. I like to hear, like Austin and berm like that's a podcast, or buck nuts Like they. They're there, they get to watch, especially like during like camp season. They get to watch these things. They get to tell you about them and kind of get you excited about you know what's happening on the offensive line, or you know is. Caleb Downs going to play some nickel, so he's close to the line. Maybe We'll see Berm told me so.
Speaker 5:So I do love that. And then I do think like re-watching games gets me just jacked, like Cam and I were watching, like some of the Texas games from 05 and 06, back-to-back games where we played them back then. So just to kind of get you excited during the week as well. But those are some of the main ways that I like during the week kind of getting ready for game day.
Speaker 2:So I've been enjoying. I don't know, do you follow the Ohio State Marching Band and like watch some of the content they put out there? So it's, I don't know. I followed them like I don't even know why I got so hooked on these videos because they pretty much they post like the same one where they're like doing you know they've got the giant ramp coming down into the stadium and so they like post the the videos of them rehearsing their ramp entrance, because it kind of like it's kind of tough honestly like when you watch it, there's a lot that kind of has to happen that they have really perfectly like got it just in this perfect order and so they'll put it up there, kind of again and again.
Speaker 2:You I don't know why I I watched so many of those stupid videos they're amazing, they're not stupid.
Speaker 3:They're not stupid, yeah, but marching band is cool.
Speaker 2:Now it is cool, but like I don't know like they're not, they weren't doing anything Like it was the same and I kept on watching the ramp entrance videos. That's funny.
Speaker 5:They're cool. I like them. They are cool. Yeah, I mean, that's kind of like a subculture thing is to.
Speaker 4:Biddle right, I mean like the best dang band in the land right, keep it family friendly.
Speaker 5:But like watching them do script ohio, when they pass they have to have. You know, a trumpet player, a trombone player has to put their instrument up or down because they're crossing like it is amazing the timing and precision yeah, and to see from over top, like to see what they're able to create on the field when they do their halftime shows and stuff like that.
Speaker 5:I get why it's like a subculture of just ohio state fandom. Uh, because they're definitely like. I've seen people in the stands that are there. Like you know, a lot of people are getting up getting their soda and whatever at halftime and these people are like finally, the show is. I gotta tell a funny story about this.
Speaker 2:I took my wife to her first game. This was several years ago. Um, we got, you know, tickets for free from somebody that my dad knew, uh, and you know we're just really excited. I was excited to bring my wife to the first game ever and it was it wasn't a big team, it might have been northwestern, so somebody that we were going to end up like blowing out pretty bad um, and that was what was happening.
Speaker 2:Like we got to the halftime and, uh, you know, the weather was kind of getting kind of rough, uh, and Tori was ready to go. Like she's like, all right, I just want to go, and I'm like man, we got to stick around for like the halftime show, for the band to play, you know, kind of stick it out, but that one show just was not. I felt bad because I made her stick it out to stay there and it was super cold, freezing, raining, all this stuff, and it wasn't their best show. Like they put on a lot of good shows, it just was not one that was memorable and like I don't I I forget what it was, but it was. They've done so many just crazy, crazy good ones and it was not one of them well, I mean for them to do a different show.
Speaker 3:Every game is crazy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely so I have a friend from church uh, shout out, earnest zach erwin and he he was in the osu marching man for five years and he did trombone and I mean he's a world-class musician like he's isn't and you have to be really to get, I mean to be accepted, and you know I don't, and I went and watched his tryouts one time and it was really cool to see that.
Speaker 5:Um, but yeah, I mean these guys they're pros, I mean they're basically pros, you know well and I heard that they have to do like they have to. They'll do when they're conditioning, just like. Just like ohio state's doing these conditioning oh yeah they're. They'll like walk the stairs with their instrument. You know pink.
Speaker 3:Those flute players are like praise god as a former marching band member yeah, summers of like holding an instrument up for 10 minutes, 10, 50 minutes is a lot.
Speaker 5:That's a lot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, for sure, yeah, they're amazing, yeah, they're amazing well, anything else stand out to you as being like, content wise or other things outside of football that maybe yeah, I mean, I just I enjoy, I like.
Speaker 5:I think I follow a lot of different Instagram, especially pages, twitter or X, whatever has become just like an abyss of grossness.
Speaker 4:So I just stay off there a lot.
Speaker 5:Fair enough. But I enjoy following women's and men's volleyball. Volleyball is something that my wife and my daughter both enjoy, so I keep up with both those and men's basketball I do love as well.
Speaker 2:I do too. I'm just waiting on a good year. Yeah, it's coming, it's coming.
Speaker 5:But you know, so I do think Instagram is another like fun one that just you know. It's always in my feed and I follow a lot of players you know, former, and some who aren't even on the team yet.
Speaker 1:So that's funny, just saying oh, I'm sorry, go ahead.
Speaker 2:I was just going to ask you do you have like a person that stands out to you as being your favorite Ohio State player of all time?
Speaker 5:Of all time. I know my answer, so I'll hold it first.
Speaker 2:I want to see if you've got the same one or not, I wouldn't say.
Speaker 5:I mean there's a recency bias. I literally Jay Zollers, you're hearing this now I said in January of 24, I was like Jeremiah Smith is going to be the best freshman wide receiver of all time and he was, he was, but that's a recency bias. Cj Stroud is my guy. I do. He was, uh, but that's a recency bias. Cj stroud is my is my guy. I do. I love the way he carries himself, the way that he is up front and outspoken about his faith and the way that he just he leads. He really is the leader by example.
Speaker 2:so cj stroud's, my guy, yeah, mine is ted gidden jr yes, yes from way back in the day. I loved man. Watching him play was just something else.
Speaker 5:Perhaps the fastest, fastest Buckeye ever ever.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and he had a.
Speaker 3:He had a lengthy career in the.
Speaker 2:NFL Like he was. I feel like he was never like an incredible player or anything like that in the NFL, but he played for several teams and he was in there for at least I think 10 years that he played in the NFL. He was a specialty.
Speaker 3:He did mostly special teams and was returning punts and things like that with the dolphins for a while, right like the dolphins saints, yeah, and that was really what he was known for at ohio state too like doing some of those just wild crazy things.
Speaker 2:I remember the one that stands.
Speaker 2:This is like a play, like the one that I can't remember is when, when he did this a couple different times there was one where it was I couldn't even believe the magician, like he just got thrown to him on one side of the field. He like reversed all the way around the other side to come up and run up the other sideline and score, and it still stands out to my mind. I'm like that is one of the most incredible plays that was ever done by a player ever. Maybe that one and uh what? Just this past season with uh, with Sawyer and the uh the run back there.
Speaker 5:Yeah, the stripping Sawyer, yes, that was. Yeah, that was cool. Yeah, yeah, ted Ginn is one of those that just will live in Buckeye infamy and just just for the many plays and don't forget shout out Ted Ginn, against Oklahoma State in the bowl game, played quarterback for half of that game because we didn't have a quarterback. So yeah, go look that one up wow, nice.
Speaker 1:Well, you mentioned, uh, you know, following players and yeah, and earlier in the podcast you had mentioned um. You really enjoy like the personalities of the people you know associated with um, with the buckeyes. So one of my questions I had was if you could have any former OSU coach over for dinner. Who would it be and what would you serve them?
Speaker 5:Oh fun, I man. A lot of my friends who know me will not be surprised by this answer, as much as I think the world of Jim Trestle, because I do think he was just an upstanding guy, I think it would be Ryan Day. There's a reason for Woody. He kind of started all the— I feel like he really put Ohio State on the map in the 60s and stuff and you know he punched a child from Clemson Like that's why he got fired. I mean what?
Speaker 4:a great coach, you know.
Speaker 5:Punched an opposing player. Yeah, he was kind of. Yeah, but I think it would be Ryan Day. I just like all that he has had to endure and he's really worn it on his sleeve. He talked openly last year that like there were times where his kids would not go to school because they were being ridiculed because of him coaching the team Right that is. That's insane.
Speaker 2:If we're being honest here cause I wasn't on the Ryan day hate for for the longest time there were a lot of people that were like losing to Michigan several times in a row they're like this is they were calling for his head and I kind of it looked like if what hadn't happened at the end of last season, with them winning the title, he was probably going to be on the way out.
Speaker 5:Wow, very, very possible. Yeah, yeah, it's very possible.
Speaker 2:But uh, yeah, no, that was I. I was, but, like I, I tried to keep the faith. I was like you know what it's a bad game it's unfortunate, it's frustrating, but, like I, tried to keep the faith. I was like you know what it's a bad game it's unfortunate, it's frustrating, but, like you know, you got to keep it going and so it's. I'm glad to see him kind of getting all right. I get to say I told you so a little bit we got this like won the title game.
Speaker 5:But he, just like he, I he's I think he's a great leader man. I feel like he leads like a father, like he really kind of takes like a semi-father figure role as a coach and as a leader, and I really appreciate that um about him.
Speaker 5:Uh, and then I don't know, we'd probably do like steaks and you know, I think I would say, I feel like I would surf, although, wait, he's from on I'm rethinking this he's from new england, like the new england area, okay. So like like delaware or something like that. I can't remember, but I think I would.
Speaker 1:I think maybe I'd do like clam chowder yeah, I think about it, but you'd have browns at clam chowder chowder yeah, we'd have like a wicked clam chowder that's great oh man, that's awesome.
Speaker 2:Uh, well, now we're kind of into that. That, uh, that discussion.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for sure, so we can kind of keep that that, uh, that discussion.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure, so we can kind of keep it going here. Ben, do you have a question that you wanted to?
Speaker 3:ask bailey, I mean one of the ones we were just talking a minute ago about some of your favorite players. Yeah, who's a player that I feel like this is so common? Uh, who you feel like should have made it big in the nfl but never did this, I know my answer to this one too, oh great
Speaker 5:this, this, I'm, yeah, I'm. I love hearing other people's, yeah, I love hearing those. Um, the first one that comes to mind is duane haskins. That was gonna be me really. Yeah, it was uh duane, oh yeah, steelers guy too.
Speaker 5:That's right um, so duane duane through through 50 touchdown passes his one year that he started. By the way, go back as Bengals fans like yeah, there are people who are like, oh, like, coach Meyer didn't know how to coach, like he picked Dwayne Haskins, said Gerald Burrow, if you look at 2018, when we picked Dwayne over Joe, joe ended up going to LSU. He did not have a great year with LSU. Dwayne Haskins almost won the Heisman. Like really just had we not lost to Purdue, like he probably wins Heisman Unbelievable. And then 2019, we get Justin Fields and then Joe Burrow pops off for LSU. So I think it worked out for everybody and Joe Burrow got his diploma from the Ohio State.
Speaker 4:University. So he's a Buckeye who happened to win a championship for LSU.
Speaker 5:But D he's a buckeye uh, who happened to win a championship real estate um. But duane haskins like he just there if you know his story at all, like there's videos of him touring ohio state um in his number seven buckeye jersey, as a like 12, 13 year old and he says to his dad he's like. He's like what do you think this place? He's like I'm gonna like. What do you think this place?
Speaker 4:He's like I'm going to play quarterback here one day and then fast forward.
Speaker 5:That's why that's pretty cool and he wearing number seven and does that and then, you know, gets drafted, gets drafted kind of low by the, by the commanders. It doesn't work out there. Looks like he's really going to have a cool new start with the Steelers 3. 0.
Speaker 2:That was the command, that was the year.
Speaker 5:the commanders were just not good, they were so bad Wow.
Speaker 2:He could not save them. No, nobody could save them. Exactly, it's kind of Justin. Fields in with the Bears, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 5:But, and then tragically, you know short yeah, Too soon yeah exactly. So there's kind of the sentimental value there too. It's just like him, him passing way too soon, and, um, I was able to use that talk to my son about, like, because he I he loved, came and loved duane hastings also. I was like man, just like, keep you, show me your friends, I'll show you your future. Keep good friends around you, keep you know. And for us, like, keep, keep god at the forefront of all those things, so you don't let all these other things kind of get in the way.
Speaker 2:But yeah that, yeah, that's mine. Yeah, I agree, I would have. That was exactly who I was thinking too. I don't know. I feel like that's what a lot of people probably the front of their mind, but that's yeah absolutely Unbelievable arm and yeah he would have been a, he would have been fantastic, like he was set up to be. And then the commanders, banders were just so bad.
Speaker 5:Yeah, that was the bottom line.
Speaker 2:That's a bummer, for sure that's mine. Nice, yeah, nick, do you have a question? Let me, uh, let me throw one out there. So, um, if you know, I'll go with this one. It's kind of silly and fun. If, uh, brutus buckeye could talk, what would his voice sound like?
Speaker 5:that's a good I. Oh man, that's what a scary thing to say like, yeah, the sound of a nut yeah, oh yeah, right, sound of a nut. Uh, also, I like there's uh, those who, those who are in the mascot it's men and women like you like yeah, I don't, I don't think I knew.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, I got, oh man there was a really cool reel.
Speaker 5:This female who was Brutus for a couple years, she graduated. They did a really cool video of her. You didn't know yet, but she was coming up the ramp to go out of the stadium as Brutus and doing all the crazy Brutus stuff that Brutus does and then all of a sudden did a flip or a cartwheel or something and then they did a really cool transition. It was her in her graduation stuff.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's cool and that's sweet.
Speaker 5:Really cool and you're like whoa, like, I think for me it was like I knew that there was like women in there, in there sometimes. Like dude just so cool. And you think like these people are doing crazy stuff in 90-degree weather, in 15-degree weather, like, and they're having—.
Speaker 3:And a head that probably weighs 20 pounds, I'm sure.
Speaker 5:It's really impressive. So yeah, I think maybe somewhere between, like Kermit and Ernie like somewhere in there Muppet-esque.
Speaker 4:All I have to say is it feels Muppet or maybe just Patrick Mahomes.
Speaker 1:Sorry, is that?
Speaker 3:stepping over a line. My, bad, no fans here.
Speaker 5:All I'm going to say is this better be the most listened to podcast Up to this point.
Speaker 2:I feel pretty good about it honestly. Yeah, I do too.
Speaker 1:What do you got for us, Michael? Yeah, I'll ask one. Let's see here. So if you could play on the OSU football team, what position would you want to play and why?
Speaker 5:I would like I had a decent arm growing up, but it was like a baseball arm, but I would love. I also love leadership. I love the idea behind leadership. I love investigating and in learning and trying my best to put into practice leadership. So I think I'd do quarterback uh and my and my son played quarterback, um, and enjoyed that, and I loved teaching him that because I you, you know was never that. So I think that would be the thing, especially since we're dreaming here. Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 4:But how?
Speaker 5:cool, I mean, and today, like we're actually when we're recording this, ohio State named their quarterback today Julian San, and so, with you know, like those guys are putting a lot of weight on their shoulders Again like 19 year old kids.
Speaker 3:Yes, 20 on their shoulders Again, like 19-year-old kids, 20-year-old kids. Yeah, I think he's 19. So yeah, super wild.
Speaker 5:And so, yeah, the weight of that is a wild thing to think about. But I mean, you get to command and when you win, like everybody praises you, and when you lose, everybody hates you.
Speaker 1:So it is like there's something.
Speaker 5:there's a lot of weight there, so that's what I would pick. Nice. What about you Like as a Buckeye guy?
Speaker 2:man, that's a good question too. I mean I, yeah, I feel like the the dream is to play quarterback. For sure I I enjoyed, like when I was, uh, you know, playing backyard football and all that good stuff good, because I never played organized football. But yeah, you know, tight end, wide receiver, those are like kind of the the other dream positions for sure. Like the position players, I feel like, yeah, you know there's, there's got to be, uh, I mean, some of the biggest people that you can think of too. There's also a lot of defensive players from ohio state that like huge names that you can still think of and you're like, oh yeah, that's, they were buckeyes, you know.
Speaker 2:So yeah, but I think I think I'd probably go tight end. I feel like that's cool.
Speaker 5:I feel like Ohio State's never had like a, just a maniac, tight end that like went in and did something great in the NFL or something like that in the last 20 years. Cade Stover uh like three you know, almost three years ago now is like their best tight end numbers wise yeah but look out this year because we get. We got a real one who we got a transfer from Purdue, who looks like he might be the best tight end.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's a good prediction.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, nice, well shoot. That's been one thing they've been working on. A lot is that wide receiver, tight end room and kind of developing that over the past several years. I think that's part of the success, for sure, yeah so it should be fun.
Speaker 3:no-transcript, right when this comes out yeah, and so like what? What do you feel like? The big thing is for you know this season.
Speaker 5:What I I love like hearing from the football team. You know they, the current team, like we lost 15 guys to the NFL. That is a lot, which by the way like Texas. So we lost 55% of our starters. I think it was like contributors, because Travion and like Quinshawn, one was, you know, one was technically second string.
Speaker 5:So I think it was just like guys who like was just guys who put a lot into the team. Well, texas lost 56%, yet because of Arch Manning, they've kind of put them at one. I think because of that.
Speaker 2:So he's the starting guy for Texas Big time. Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that.
Speaker 5:Yeah, that is, I forgot about that, yeah big name, but this will be his first year starting and so Julian's, you know, first year starting. So I think like but what I loved, like this year's team, even though they so they, they won the national championship, but that's like everybody's like, that was last year's team.
Speaker 4:And so the current players like we want all the like.
Speaker 5:there's obviously like some banners and stuff, but they like they wanted. They wanted all the other, like national championships, stuff around the locker room and in the Woody and stuff taken down Cause they're like that's last year's team, this year's team different.
Speaker 1:It's different.
Speaker 5:Yeah Right, that makes sense. They were like we haven't won anything. That team won something, but we haven't won anything. So there's usually like, there's usually this like let it's easy to have like a letdown, um, and team up north like they won a national champion 23. They, they only won eight games. Then, like next year, that would be an absolute failure, like from from a high state standpoint, um. And so I do think, like what's next is like okay, what do we do? How are we going to build towards another championship? And, uh, seeing how that comes about, I like how ryan day said um, we're not defending a title. A title can't be taken away from us we've won it.
Speaker 5:You can't take it from us. So now we're here fighting for the next title what has happened in the past.
Speaker 3:But yeah well yeah I mean, it should have happened in 23 but yeah, I digress, that's such an interesting thing about college sports in general is how much turnover there is from year to year for the team Like. It's not like pro sports, where you get a couple of people that will change, but half the team. Yeah, and I think yeah.
Speaker 5:And I think that's what's really. I think that's another thing that kind of draws me to enjoying college football. I love the NFL too, but I like I mean, everybody who knows me, he knows me it's like he loves Ohio state football first. You know if I'm putting things in order, uh, but I do think it is that like it is. I can't I. That's Ryan day, like any of these coaches, like it doesn't matter whether they're good or bad, like they have every single year they're having to turn these things over and learn how to now.
Speaker 5:Now with nil, with all the money, stuff like oh yeah, do we put money into incoming freshmen to get them to come here? Do we keep the guys that we had? How much is that? You know? All those things like? It's turned into a wild business yeah, it's crazy. It's really, it really is crazy. Oh my gosh, no doubt.
Speaker 2:Well let's uh, we'll kind of bring this to a close let's tease what's up next for the podcast. Obviously we're. We're going to be sad to lose Michael here for an episode or two but he'll be back before too much longer. Next episode we're going to be talking Spider-Man with a friend of the podcast here that we've mentioned several times, our good friend Uncle Joe, so that's going to be a good time.
Speaker 3:I know he'll be sad to miss you too, Michael. He will be.
Speaker 2:Hopefully they'll stop by, but we're definitely excited to talk with him. He's a fun guy that's going to have just a great time all together talking Spider-Man. And then I don't even know we're going to talk with his wife as well.
Speaker 4:More of the rings. Yeah, talk some more to the rings.
Speaker 2:So it's going to be a good time. But no, it was really nice this kind of getting to a different fandom, like when you really think I was thinking about this the other day. We've really kind of hit several different types of fandoms just over the beginning of this show right, yeah, we have between movies, books, you know, games.
Speaker 2:Now we got sports, yeah, so like we've hit several different things just in the the small lifespan of this podcast. So it's kind of cool to like just see the unique things that we're getting into. So, um, you know, now we're gonna be able to. I think joe Joe is kind of he's been big into comic books and that's kind of something that we haven't talked
Speaker 3:a lot about, and we were going to originally have him just talk all of Marvel. But just knowing how broad that can be, we're like we should just narrow it down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, but we're definitely excited for that.
Speaker 4:We are so thankful that Bailey came to hang out with us tonight, love you guys.
Speaker 2:We're going to miss. We're gonna miss the soundboard, michael. Yes, no, but it was so much fun and uh, yeah, we'll look forward to hearing. Well, hopefully we're gonna have uh bailey back on at some point maybe about lebron.
Speaker 1:That'd be a good one too. That would be an amazing one.
Speaker 5:I love that, but I have a lot of content for you.
Speaker 2:I also am a lebron fan as well. Oh dude, this is lovely Please have me back.
Speaker 3:Ah, it looks like that's about all the time we got here guys.
Speaker 4:All right, let's go ahead and cue that outro. Thanks for joining us on this episode of Fandom of Fandoms. If you had fun, be sure to follow us at fofpod, on Instagram and threads and at Fandom of Fandoms on YouTube. Make sure to leave a rating or review wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps new fans find the show. Lastly, if you've got a fandom you want us to cover, shoot us an email at fandomofpodcasts at gmailcom. Until next time, keep being passionate, keep being curious and keep being a fan.
