A Southern & Jewish Buckeye Fan Makes Her Case: “Cheer With Me!”

Southern & Jewish

Southern & Jewish celebrates the stories, people, and experiences – past and present – of Jewish life in the American South. Hosted by the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, posts come from educators, students, rabbis, parents, artists, and many other “visitors-to and daily-livers-of” the Southern Jewish experience. From road trips to recipes to reflections, we’ll explore a little bit of everything – well, at least all things Southern and/or Jewish. Shalom, y’all!

In the South, college football is king. Adjusting to the world of Saturday morning tailgates (after shul, of course) and punting on fourth down is hard for some ISJL Education Fellows, but for me, it felt like being home. See, I am a Columbus, Ohio girl—born and raised on Buckeye Football. I come from the land of Woody Hayes, Archie Griffin, and scarlet and grey. This past year has been an exciting one for me. I’ve had a front row seat to the SEC—one of the most dominant leagues in the country.

Luckily for me, and probably to the chagrin of some of our readers, on New Year’s Day, my Buckeyes beat Alabama, the only SEC team in the new College Football Playoffs. As a result the SEC was knocked out of the bid for the first ever CFP Championship.

So why should my fellow Southern Jews, those normally loyal to their SEC home teams, support The Ohio State Buckeyes tonight? I humbly offer a few suggestions:

1. The Buckeyes squeaked out a victory over the Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl. Though the loss is still a sore spot, especially since this year is the first since 2005 in which no SEC team will play for the national title, the SEC looks best if the team that beat them in the playoffs wins the championship.
2. Les Wexner is an alumnus of The Ohio State University and a proud Buckeye. Wexner is a notable Jewish philanthropist and founder of the Wexner Foundation, which seeks to develop Jewish leaders and sustain Jewish heritage across the United States.
3. As Southerners and Jews, we love our traditions. The Buckeyes have tradition to spare. From the start of the game, when The Ohio State Marching Band performs “Script Ohio” to the end of every home game, when the football team joins the band to sing the alma mater, to the Mirror Lake jump, when thousands of students jump into a frozen lake on campus, tradition seeps from Buckeye pores.
4. Urban Meyer is a former SEC coach. So while the speed, offense, and defensive lines are in the Big 10, we look a whole lot like an SEC team. What’s more, six of our starters, not including injured quarterback J.T. Barrett, hail from our great 13-state region. Oregon’s roster includes only 13 Southerners, while Ohio State’s includes 17.

So, that’s my case. I love the Buckeyes and I love college football – and of course, I love my fellow Southern and Jewish football fans. Win or lose, I’m so excited that I was able to spend this season deep in SEC territory, where people love it just as much as I do.

Tonight the Bucks take on the Ducks in Dallas. I’d love it if you cheered for the Bucks along with me (but I promise to get over it if you don’t). Go Bucks!

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