FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[HOPEful]

This leads me to ask the whole board a follow-up question. When Mount Union looks at a "rivalry" game, whom do we all think the players or the fans are referring to? Do different eras matter? Is it simply the last team to beat Mount? Is it a matter of story? Is there anyone the Raiders look at and think, "I don't care if them winning would help us. I hope they lose."?

Asking because it seems like every question leads to a different answer. My wife has always made me look at Ohio Northern with scorn since not only did they beat Mount during her time there, but she was in the band and remembers when the Polar Bear receiver scored, took a drumstick, and beat on a band member's drum. For someone who tends not to care about sports much, she was incensed to hear that ONU played Mount Union close last week.

Me? I think "rival" should go to the team that has risen up to play Mount Union the closest over a respectable period of time rather than just 1-offs. In-conference, that would be John Carroll and a half-nod to Baldwin Wallace (who hasn't won but usually plays well enough to make it interesting for a while). More broadly, I look at the other residents of the penthouse (UMHB, UWW, NCC) as well-and-worthy rivals.

To me, the word rival transcends an individual sport. If your student section only gets amped about playing a particular school in a particular sport, it's a tough in conference opponent, not a rival. Personal stories like your wife's are vendettas, but probably not enough to be a rival. If you're sifting down the games on the OAC website and get a little bit of joy seeing a particular school's women's lacrosse team got beat, THAT'S a rival. Ohio State and Michigan fans are excited to see the other lose, regardless the sport. Hope and Calvin fans take similar joy in the others defeats. If you only care about John Carroll or Baldwin Wallace in football, but come basketball season the only team you feel animosity toward is Marietta, I wouldn't call it a rivalry.

[WRMUalum13]

I went to Mount from 2009-2013 and at that time JCU was pretty much irrelevant so I've always viewed UWW as our #1 rival

[Dr. Acula]

This leads me to ask the whole board a follow-up question. When Mount Union looks at a "rivalry" game, whom do we all think the players or the fans are referring to? Do different eras matter? Is it simply the last team to beat Mount? Is it a matter of story? Is there anyone the Raiders look at and think, "I don't care if them winning would help us. I hope they lose."?

Asking because it seems like every question leads to a different answer. My wife has always made me look at Ohio Northern with scorn since not only did they beat Mount during her time there, but she was in the band and remembers when the Polar Bear receiver scored, took a drumstick, and beat on a band member's drum. For someone who tends not to care about sports much, she was incensed to hear that ONU played Mount Union close last week.

Me? I think "rival" should go to the team that has risen up to play Mount Union the closest over a respectable period of time rather than just 1-offs. In-conference, that would be John Carroll and a half-nod to Baldwin Wallace (who hasn't won but usually plays well enough to make it interesting for a while). More broadly, I look at the other residents of the penthouse (UMHB, UWW, NCC) as well-and-worthy rivals.

To me, the word rival transcends an individual sport. If your student section only gets amped about playing a particular school in a particular sport, it's a tough in conference opponent, not a rival. Personal stories like your wife's are vendettas, but probably not enough to be a rival. If you're sifting down the games on the OAC website and get a little bit of joy seeing a particular school's women's lacrosse team got beat, THAT'S a rival. Ohio State and Michigan fans are excited to see the other lose, regardless the sport. Hope and Calvin fans take similar joy in the others defeats. If you only care about John Carroll or Baldwin Wallace in football, but come basketball season the only team you feel animosity toward is Marietta, I wouldn't call it a rivalry.

By this definition it's BW for me.  JCU I view as secondary mainly because while there's certainly bad blood in football there otherwise JCU is their "rival" in that they're Mount's biggest competition for the All-Sports trophy.  Mount has always prided itself on being good at sports across the board. 

I can't speak for the current AD, but I know the retired AD placed a high value on winning the All-Sports trophy.  To the point that one year we were at the OAC baseball tournament at Marietta and LK had already calculated that he needed us to finish at least runner up to win the All-Sports trophy.  That fact was relayed to us as a team before we played. 

[D3fanboy]

I went to Mount from 2009-2013 and at that time JCU was pretty much irrelevant so I've always viewed UWW as our #1 rival

36-3-2 is not a rivalry and barely relevant.  It's UWW for sure

[D3fanboy]

Scratch that.  JCU is still regionally ranked.  Let's goo Streaks

Berg beats ONU
JCU beats BW
Westminster ends up at 8-2

Mount will be looking at 3, maybe 4 regionally ranked wins...LFG

[bluestreak66]

Scratch that.  JCU is still regionally ranked.  Let's goo Streaks

Berg beats ONU
JCU beats BW
Westminster ends up at 8-2

Mount will be looking at 3, maybe 4 regionally ranked wins...LFG

They all come around eventually......

[bluestreak66]

Good morning to everyone except BW!

[theaprof]

Anybody else having buffering problems with the Marietta feed?

[WRMUalum13]

Yeah just a bit... also the field is only showing up in black and white! Not sure how to adjust my monitors color setting 😂

[raider-in-law]

Yeah just a bit... also the field is only showing up in black and white! Not sure how to adjust my monitors color setting 😂

.   Maybe you could ask Ted Turner to colorize it.

[archgemini24]

I know Marietta is a bit improved, and played Mount very well in the spring, but the Raiders are looking really suspect this quarter and eating penalties out of frustration. That last part is going to cost them in a game that matters later on when teams are really hitting back, and I am surprised the coaching staff has not snuffed this out with extreme prejudice.

[D3fanboy]

Anybody else having buffering problems with the Marietta feed?

Non-stop

[D3fanboy]

Lol the yellow jackets bw'd a great season away

[archgemini24]

Lol the yellow jackets bw'd a great season away

Oh. My. Goodness...

Up 3 possessions in the 4th and lose? Ouch.

[edward de vere]

BW do what BW do.