The Great Ohio State Experiment
“O-H!”
Do you feel a strong urge to yell “I-O” at your computer?
The older I get and the more places I travel, the more I realize the fact that Ohioans and adopted Ohioans in the form of Ohio State students, alumni and fans are everywhere. It always impresses me when I go on vacation to see the number of Ohio State t-shirts and sweatshirts that I see. Even when traveling overseas to England and Ireland I could see them.
The last vacation I took included a short Royal Caribbean cruise. Were there Buckeyes? Oh yes, dozens.
Every time I’m out of state and in a theater, it seems before the show an emcee stands on stage and asks, “How many people are here from __________?” It doesn’t matter where I am, Chicago, Miami, wherever; when they get to “Anybody from Ohio?” there are always plenty of us. And honestly, I don’t bring them all with me.
This desire to travel extends strongly into the realm of Ohio State students, alumni and fans. This is one of the reasons it is so beneficial to the hosting city when OSU winds up playing in a bowl game there. The folks in Texas and Arizona can attest to the fact that Buckeyes–we travel well, we support our team–we bring money. Wherever our Buckeyes go–football, basketball, hockey, whatever–OSU fans go in such numbers that we literally wash the hosting city in scarlet and gray.
So anyway, sometimes when I’m out of town and in a group of strangers I get the urge to just yell “O-H” into the crowd and see who responds. Honestly, I’m getting sillier as I get older, so one day soon I will probably just start doing it.
So one day, when you find yourself in a crowded elevator in Vegas, and a voice from the back calls out “O-H,” don’t fight the urge. Answer back proudly.
And if people just look at me like I’m crazy I’ll just smile and say, “I’m part of the Great Ohio State Experiment.”
Leave a Reply