If you were born in the state 
of Michigan, you likely en-
tered this world with desig-
nated colors: green and white 
or maize and blue. Whether 
or not you grew into these 
colors and attended the cor-
responding 
university 
is 

where intrastate enmity aris-
es. This is because the noto-
riety attached to your colors 
and logos extends beyond 
just being a fan — in-state 
collegiate allegiance produc-
es predetermined archetypes 
that are rooted in things 
deeper than football banter. 
Specifically, these archetypes 
view arrogance as a formally 
earned trait for those with an 
acceptance letter, and school 
pride as a mindless obsession 
for those without. 

With the University of Mich-
igan Athletic Department 
announcing the return of a 
college football season with 
spectators, the in-state rival-
ry between the University of 
Michigan and Michigan State 
University is bound to reig-
nite with a year’s worth of 
restrained animosity emerg-
ing beneath face masks and 
between six feet of distance. 
Regardless of your family’s 
membership in one of the 
largest living alumni bases in 
the world, adversaries locat-
ed in East Lansing demand 
clarification of one’s connec-
tion to the University, vali-
dating your logo and overall 

tolerability in the stands. 
In their terms and perhaps 
even in ours, you are either 
an “academic Wolverine” al-
lowed to exclaim “Go blue!” 
or a so-called “Walmart Wol-
verine” that is groundlessly 
affiliated.

The “academic Wolverine” is 
portrayed as an elitist, mak-
ing many think the acronym 
A² stands for “arrogant ass-
hole” in place of Ann Arbor. 
The University, in the eye of 
the “academic,” is a public 
Ivy with a beautiful campus 
situated in a bustling city, 
livened with the thrill of 
D-I athletics and Midwest 
tailgating. Such sentiment 
causes a possessive connec-
tion to Ann Arbor for the 
“academic,” making an ac-
ceptance letter an implied 
entry permit for those wish-
ing to take pictures in front 
of campus buildings or cheer 

at sports games. Academic 
Wolverines scored above the 
national average on the ACT 
test and will both implicitly 
and explicitly tell you about 
it, legitimizing their place at 
the University and cement-
ing themselves amongst the 
legacy of Victors.

Ann Arbor has once again 
been ranked the best college 
town in America and the 
University has maintained its 
place as the top public uni-
versity in the United States 
for five straight years. Is that 
elitist for us to constantly 
bring up? The University is 
no exception to statistic and 
rank-heavy marketing strat-
egies that create a sense of 
elitism within students, as 
demonstrated by the pro-
motional brochures which 
declare us “Leaders and the 
Best,” not “Leaders and the 
Humble.” 

With a 23% acceptance rate, 
the school pride that the 
“academic” feels is earned. 
However, our exclusive ad-
mission rate is the reason 
that there are not enough 
block M acceptance letters 
to go around, forcing many 
to purchase such school 
pride through season tick-
ets or branded t-shirts. This 
desire for school acceptance 
goes beyond admission into 
the Ann Arbor classroom, 
for access to a prestigious 
education is not equally dis-
tributable and attainable in 
both financial and societal 
aspects. 

Because of this, the “Walmart 
Wolverine” archetype was 
developed by Spartans and 
exacerbated by the “academ-
ic.” Often defined as a Michi-
gan fan who has no formal af-
filiation to the University, the 
“Walmart Wolverine” gener-

ally lacks a college education, 
tends to have a low-paying 
job and therefore resorts to 
buying 
affordable 
Michi-

gan gear from Walmart. The 
“Walmart Wolverine” is ded-
icated to the sports program 
and the Big House on a great-
er level than the “academic” 
and will recite historical suc-
cesses of the football team 
in extensive detail and with 
heightened enthusiasm. 

With no U-M diploma, the 
“Walmart Wolverine” is so-
cialized to be looked at solely 
as a mindless fan by Spartans 
and contrasts clearly with 
the “academic,” and has not 
earned the right to brag of 
the University’s athletic suc-
cesses and academic pres-
tige. Implying that arrogance 
is confined and acceptable 
only to those who pay U-M 
tuition is in itself arrogant. 

In the largest football sta-
dium in the country, there is 
a delineation between those 
who purchase tickets as 
alumni or current students to 
fill the stands and those who 
purchase tickets out of per-
sonal interest, with no formal 
school attachment. Remem-
ber when fans were seen 
hoisting up a banner read-
ing “Pardon our arrogance” 
in the stands throughout the 
early 2000s? Both teams re-
acted adversely. Filling seats 
and selling tickets has be-
come stigmatized by those 
wearing both green and 
white as well as maize and 
blue, creating rivalry in the 
stands. 

These 
archetypes 
should 

be dismantled, considering 
they stray from the intent of 
the University and the tenets 
upon which it was founded. 
In the words of former Uni-
versity President James B. 
Angell, Michigan was found-
ed and shaped to be “an un-
common education for the 
common man” and woman. 
“‘Have an aristocracy of birth 
if you will,” he said, “or of 
riches, if you wish, but give 
our plain boys from the log 
cabins a chance to develop 
their minds with the best 
learning and we fear nothing 
from your aristocracy.’” 

The two extremes of the 
Wolverine archetypes reveal 
a sense of bitter resentment 
that is instilled by our in-
state rivals to rid the Uni-
versity of inclusivity it has 
fiercely sought to foster. We 
cannot accept and foster this 
sentiment that diminishes 
our mission statement.

24 — Thursday, August 5, 2021
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Student Welcome Events!

Take your music to the masses, or just come check out The Ark!

316 S. Main St, Ann Arbor
316 S. Main St, Ann Arbor w TheArk.org
TheArk.org

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 8 
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 8 PM
PM
Student Open Stage

Plus

FREE

with Student ID

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 8 
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 8 PM
PM

Pardon 

our 

arrogance

JULIA VERKLAN MALONEY

Daily Opinion Writer

Design by Madison Grosvenor

100 N. Staebler Rd. 
 

Off W. Jackson Rd. (One mile west of Zeeb Rd.)

Official Sponsor of 
Warm the Children

Check our website and 
 

Facebook page for updates.

a2kiwanis.org | 734-368-9738

We’re Open!

Thrift sale Friday & Saturday 9 am – 1 pm

Drop off donations Saturday 9 am – 12 pm

Social 

Distance 
Required

Limited 
Capacity

Additional 

Safety 

Measures

Face Masks 

Required


Feet Away

Safety

