By Staff
The Michigan/Notre Dame rivalry – I guess I made a few people upset with the article in last Saturday's Niles Star about the two teams. Hey, I only wrote the article, I didn't give an opinion.
From the answers that were given, one would probably think I went to Ann Arbor for this Street Talk. But the truth is those were honest answers from people walking our streets, shopping in our stores or enjoying time at the parks – those were our residents.
I knew it was going to start a feud when, by the fifth person, I had another Michigan fan ready to talk about the Wolverines. I started laughing to myself because I knew it wasn't going to be a good outcome for the Irish fans. I'll admit, I was shocked. I figured Notre Dame would have ruled this Street Talk, but I was wrong.
We just live in that kind of area. Notre Dame is in our own backyard, but Michigan is our home state, so it goes both ways. But why people feel like pointing the finger at me for everyone picking Michigan is beyond me.
While visiting our reader forum online this week, I noticed an individual was upset with the article, and even made a claim that I was labeling Niles "Michigan Wolverine territory." This person also wondered where I got my information from and said she sees a lot more Notre Dame flags and license plates than Michigan ones.
Hey, everyone is entitled to their opinions, that's what our forum is for, but there are a few things I want to clear up.
I know there are a lot of Notre Dame and Michigan fans in this area, but has anyone actually taken count to see which team has more fans? And is it really that big of a deal? What will that prove? Just because you see a lot more Notre Dame license plates and flags doesn't make them a more popular team. When the Irish and the Wolverines played last year, the amount of Michigan fans I saw overshadowed the Irish fans, but who's to say I am right or wrong, no one knows for sure.
I don't recall declaring Niles "Michigan Wolverine territory" in my article, nor would I do that. That was declared by our readers. I cannot help that people chose the Wolverines over the Fighting Irish. Street Talk is a fun way to get the opinions of our readers and residents on certain topics and what they say about certain topics is beyond my control.
In order to get these opinions, I made many different stops, including to a few of the downtown stores, parks, and a few other spots where I noticed people (not at any factories). The reason I stopped is because I noticed all of these people had beaming Michigan lights above their heads, (you know, like halos, only with a big yellow M). Ok, that was a joke, but honestly how was I supposed to know who was going to pick what team? I didn't know anyone I interviewed, as I normally don't, so how would I know who they root for?
Maybe this was kind of a wake up call that Michigan is the more popular team this year. I think a lot of people don't realize that, while Notre Dame is very popular, Michigan is right there with them and maybe they are the favorite this year. Sorry, it hurts, but sometimes you have to face reality. Michigan entered the season ranked and many didn't know how the Irish were going to look. People tend to root for a team who they know is going to do well that year, and in this case Michigan was favored to do better than Notre Dame.
Do you remember last season when the Irish were predicted to do very well. How many fans were there? A lot. Now, this year Michigan is favored to do well, so how many fans are there? A lot.
For those of you that know me, you know I like both teams. One side of my family is Notre Dame fans, the other Michigan, so I pretty much grew up with both. I try to stay out of the whole Michigan/Notre Dame mess and just tend to sit back – for obvious reasons. But when it comes down to it, I am a Notre Dame fan. Last year, when the two teams met, I proudly wore my Irish shirt. So to put a label on me saying I am trying to make this Michigan territory is far from the truth.
I don't care what kind of a season Notre Dame has, I'm still a fan. A bad season doesn't shake my opinion of them because I know there are better seasons ahead.
As for Michigan, they have a strong history of football and hopefully they turn things around and prove people wrong after the opening game.
Whether you like the Wolverines or the Irish, one things for certain, you will always live with a rivalry, so we all should get used to it. I have tried my best, but things like this almost make me want to root for another team not even from this area. Maybe teams like Georgia Tech or Appalachian State.