When you commit to the University of Michigan, you are aware that you are traveling thousands of miles away from home to receive a quality education. However, as much as the University of Michigan is recognized for its academic excellence, it is equally well known for its sports dominance.
The University of Michigan has 29 varsity sports teams across several different sports, such American football, football/soccer, hockey, and more (look at the list on the left). Some sports may have games which could be free of charge to students with M-Cards and for some games, tickets should be purchased beforehand to allow you access to the games. Also, some sports, such as American Football, Basketball, and Ice Hockey, have season tickets which could be purchased before the semester and make tickets cheaper as buying in a bundle makes it cheaper rather than individual tickets. I would suggest checking out the student athletics page when deciding which game you would like to attend and how to get tickets. This blog will cover the three main sports, American Football, Basketball, and Ice Hockey, at the University of Michigan and what you can expect at these games.
Let’s begin with American football which is undoubtedly the biggest of all sports at the University. All games happen on Saturday and if it is a home gameday, get ready to spend the whole day focusing on the event itself. A typical game will last around 3.5 hours but before the game begins students will take part in tailgating, a social gathering which can consist of drinking and a meal being served. Our American football games happen at the Michigan Stadium, also known as the Big House, which is the third biggest stadium in the world. This means during every gameday more than 100,000 people are attending and the energy inside the stadium is electrifying. You will see students vibing alongside one another to songs such as “Mr. Brightside”, “Pump It Up”, or even chant phrases such as “Let's Go Blue.” Michigan plays in a conference known as the BIG 10 and is the current defending champion from the 2021 season.
Moving on to Ice Hockey! Let me start by saying, no one says ice hockey so when you hear people on campus saying hockey, they mean ice hockey, and when they say field hockey they mean field hockey. Do not make the same mistake as I did. Anyways, just like the football games you should expect the same surroundings just with a small crowd and no tailgating. However, it is always fun seeing the players fighting against each other. Hockey games take place at the Yost Ice Arena which is also open to the public to go skating and feel like a Michigan Player when there are no ongoing games. The cost to skate is normally cheap, however you have to pay extra to rent skates, if you do not have one, which is around $3.
Finally, I will talk about basketball. Luckily enough, Basketball can not be mistaken for anything else and even better is that the Basketball audience is as enthusiastic as those at the football and hockey games. That is what we like to call the Michigan Spirit. Basketball games happen at the Crisler Center which will host events during the welcome week as well. Sadly, you can not play basketball here but you can play basketball at the campus recreational building indoor and outdoor courts. Basketball games occur frequently during the winter semester and these are usually friendlies but the main championship is March Madness. It is an elimination tournament to determine the top basketball team in the nation.
So, just like how Manchester United's biggest rival is Manchester City or even how the Big 3 compete against each other in Tennis to be the best, the University of Michigan has its own rival, namely Ohio State University, in sports that they try to always do better than. So, during any game against Ohio State expect tickets to be slightly more expensive and the crowd to be more energetic. Infact, the picture on the left is the scene from the Big House when Michigan defeated Ohio in 2021. It is also worth noting that this rivalry has turned into some sort of hatred so during any Michigan game you will hear the chant **** Ohio to try to boost the players morale. Well, that is all I have to say about Michigan sports, I hope you all enjoy your time at any sporting event that you attend and participate in what it means to be a Wolverine!
Written by Lakhvir Sohal
Summer Orientation Peer Advisor
Undergraduate Student
Kenya
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