37 Anti-Fandom On Twitter Around Michigan Football’s Cheating Scandal

College football in North America draws one of the largest active sports audiences in the world. Schools like Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan State, and the University of Michigan host some of the biggest fandoms, bringing in over 100,000 fans per game. The University of Michigan has one of the most dedicated and active audiences, as they are one of the most successful NCAA football schools of all time, having won 11 national championships. Michigan’s football team in particular has a large anti-fandom that boasts animosity towards the team, coaches, and players. The anti-fandom surrounding Michigan football has recently exploded, following a scandal that gained popularity in early November as the university’s coaches and staff were caught cheating, by stealing signs from opposing teams. Therefore, in this paper, I am arguing that the anti-fandom on social media platforms like X (Twitter) surrounding the University of Michigan is significant and should be analyzed, as the negative backlash from anti-fans is irritating Michigan’s fans. Additionally, the anti-fandom negatively impacts the NCAA as it tarnishes their reputation, and impacts the idolization of football in particular across college sports, thus impacting the larger society.

Background Information

The University of Michigan and its football team, the Wolverines, are not new to controversy. Earlier this year, the Wolverines’ head coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended for violating the NCAA recruitment rules, and more recently in early November, he was suspended again for a sign-stealing system conducted by staff members for the Wolverines (Braziller, 2023). Wolverines’ staff were caught purchasing tickets to over 35 games and recording signs and playbook strategies of teams that Michigan would either play later in the season or possibly in the Playoffs (Braziller, 2023). Sign-stealing has been around since the creation of sports, as teams have always tried to find advantages in order to win. In the NCAA, sign-stealing itself is not actually against the rules, but the use of technology to do so is (Treacy, 2023). In addition, teams cannot scout by sending staff or coaches to games in which future opponents are playing, as this can result in teams having a significant advantage in the future (Treacy, 2023). The Wolverines violated these NCAA rules as Connor Stalions, the staff member behind this sign-stealing system bought tickets and transferred them to associates who he would have record plays, and take photos with him of opposing teams (Thomas, 2023). The method of sign-stealing, created by Stalions and his associates, allowed them to review videos and photos in order to create the best plan of attack for Michigan against their opponents. The sign-stealing system was then shut down when Stalions was photographed behind the sidelines of an opposing team, which resulted in him quitting his job at Michigan as facial recognition proved that the photos were of him (Thomas, 2023). The discovery of the sign-stealing scandal in Michigan resulted in an NCAA investigation, ending with Jim Harbaugh, the head coach of the Wolverines, agreeing to a suspension (Cohen, 2023). The suspension would last the rest of the regular season, allowing him to return to the playoffs, but crucially making sure that their head coach would be absent in the big games against Penn State, Maryland, and Ohio State (Cohen, 2023).

The Wolverines’ football organization and their cheating scandal have resulted in negative backlash on social media platforms like Twitter. Fans of opposing teams have been quick to make negative comments about Michigan, while NCAA members were left to wonder if there was enough punishment, and some Wolverine fans feel the reputation surrounding the team they idolize has been tarnished. Furthermore, the anti-fandom around the Wolverines’ cheating scandal continues to be upset, as Michigan continues to paint the narrative that they are underdogs being punished by the league. Additionally, they have shown no remorse despite the significant amount of evidence that proves they have been cheating (Pantuosco, 2023). Michigan’s lack of response to their misconduct has resulted in anti-fans taking to Twitter and expressing their opinions that the Wolverines’ punishment should have been more severe and that the team needed to take this situation seriously. The Wolverines’ fandom also plays a role in the creation of this anti-fandom and why they are so upset. As mentioned, there are Wolverine fans who feel as if the team’s reputation has been tarnished, but the vast majority have been embracing the cheating scandal to the displeasure of the anti-fans.

Audience’s Online Activity

The large anti-fandom attacking the Wolverines for their cheating scandal consists of numerous anti-fans who are either college football fans, or Wolverine critics. These anti-fans “negatively affect the brand image through malicious smearing and attacks… [perhaps] based on emotion-related social media behavior” (Chin, Huang, 2023, p.2). An example of anti-fans participating in these malicious attacks on the Wolverines can be found all over platforms like Twitter. One user, who goes by TWB, participated by tweeting “Enjoy this #MichiganFootball Y’all cheated****Enjoy this ride because it’s all getting wiped from the record books” (TWB, 2023). This anti-fan is attempting to smear and discredit any accomplishments that the Michigan Wolverines have accomplished this season by conveying their opinion that they should be wiped from the record books. Similar to many of the anti-fans on Twitter, they do not recognize any of the Wolverines accomplishments, as they believe that their season is illegitimate. Another user going by Trojan Football adds on to this argument, saying “Everyone knows Michigan cheated for the past 2 years, yet Michigan is allowed to compete for a championship this year?” (Trojan Football, 2023). This tweet further attacks Michigan’s image while also questioning whether they should be eligible for the Big Ten Championship, or the college football playoffs in its entirety. Social media platforms are just one of the many ways Anti-fans, on behalf of anti-fandoms communicate their displeasure for the regular fandom, which in this case would be Michigan Wolverine fans.

The anti-fans that are so against the Wolverines are also fighting external battles against the NCAA, making the league look bad. Fan-tagonism is described by Derek Johnson as “competitive struggles between both internal factions and external institutions to discursively codify the fan-text-producer relationship” (Scott, 2018, p.144). In simpler terms, fan-tagonism is fans fighting back against other groups, who usually are institutions (ex. NCAA). Fans have been taking to Twitter complaining the league has not done enough to punish the Wolverines and that they should not be allowed to continue to fight for a national championship. The main concerns by fans are that the rest of the coaching staff has not faced punishment yet, suspensions should be longer, and that it is unknown how much information Michigan obtained and if it is still benefiting them. One Twitter user expressed their concerns by saying, “Michigan football, a team that got caught cheating. They should be punished. I mean more than just the coach. Why are they even still in the conversation? @NCAA” (AMERICA THE BLUETIFUL, 2023). This fan’s online activity shows that they believe that there should be a bigger punishment for the team, calling for the NCAA to step up and deliver a bigger punishment to set an example for the league. Additionally, other fans are attempting to remind these anti-fans that the investigation is still ongoing and that Michigan may face further punishment.

These interactions between fan groups and the league also have led to trolling; defined as “trigger and exacerbate conflict for the purposes of their own amusement” (Scott, 2018, p.144). Trolling and fan-tagonism are closely related, in the case of the Wolverines cheating scandal both sides have been trolling with the goal of antagonizing the opposition. Twitter user NinjaTrex says “Michigan football cheated! Stop playing the pathetic victim. They put themselves through everything this year” (NinjaTrex, 2023). This is an example of a Wolverine anti-fan participating in trolling, as this tweet also included a photo depicting all Michigan fans as old white men, who are overweight, and crybabies (see Appendix A). This anti-fans Twitter post is targeted toward the fans of Michigan and their characters, but trolling can also attack the team, as these fans are often so committed to their teams that insults towards the team are just as effective. Spartan18770 does this very well in his Twitter post saying “What is the more concerning issue in the cheating allegations by Michigan football.  The fact that Harbaugh may have committed violations, or the fact that he cheated and still couldn’t win a bowl game” (Spartan18770, 2023). This anti-fan conducts their attack by highlighting Michigan’s disappointing playoff loss in early 2023 knowing this will draw reactions as they claim that even with cheating Michigan could not win a playoff game. Additionally, adding insult to injury by posting a photo along with his tweet that happened moments after Michigan’s playoff loss (see Appendix B).

A common trend in sports entertainment is watching games of other teams as fans want to see their rivals lose, this in relation to anti-fandom is called hate-watching. Hate-watching is when a viewer or in this case fan “feels as though he or she must watch” and where “we just want to feel, even if that feeling is anger, annoyance, or dislike” (Guha, 2022, p.872). Using the Wolverines as an example, those who watch because their favorite teams are rivals with Michigan often watch out of dislike for the team. While those who watch because of the cheating scandal are likely acting out of anger or annoyance. These fans who hate-watch games can be observed on Twitter as they actively cheer for Michigan’s downfall, as they do not want to see potential cheaters win the national championship. These fans have been cheering for Penn State, Maryland, Ohio State, and now Iowa as they want to see them get eliminated. Twitter user Ultra614 is an example of an anti-fan who participates in hate-watching, on Twitter they say “You watch Michigan because you are a fan of them, I watch Michigan because I want to see them lose. We are not the same” (Ultra, 2022). In this example, the audience watches the Wolverines out of pure dislike for the team, their goal as a viewer is to see them lose, while also irritating Michigan’s fans as he directs their message to them.

These online audiences who participate in hate-watching often cheer for teams that are not their own. User Gruff in 2023 tweet is an example of this as they posted “Ok Iowa, go get ‘em” with a GIF attached to the tweet (See appendix C)(Gruff in 2023, 2023). The GIF in this tweet shows how Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan State fans are coming together to support Iowa, as all these schools have historic rivalries with Michigan. Additionally, this also shows how these different fandoms have come together to form an anti-fandom around the Wolverines after the cheating scandal was discovered.

While the anti-fandom around Michigan consists mostly of non-Michigan fans, there are passionate fans who criticize their favorite team, and these fans are considered a snark-fandom. Snark fandom in Sarah Harmans article discusses it as “ironic, even guilty fandom, in which readers and viewers bemoan the series’ flaws, while enjoying (sometimes furtively) the texts” (Harman, Jones, 2013, p.951). These fans are different as while they may support Michigan and watch their games and follow their team, they are not afraid to express their discontent. Their discontent could be about how the Wolverines played or how they participated in what could be the biggest cheating scandal in college sports. Mike Jones, a Michigan Wolverine fan, is an example of a snark fan saying this on Twitter. “ImaMichiganfan and this s*** sucks, its awesome that were great this year but the stallions thing just looms over everything. If they win a national championship people are always going to bring up the stallions thing and discredit it.  The whole situation sucks.” (Mike Jones, 2023). This user’s online activity shows how even some Michigan fans are a part of the anti-fandom surrounding their team. This fan is disappointed in the fact that even if Michigan wins the national championship Connor Stalions’ use of technology and his presence at opponents’ games is always going to put an asterisk on their accomplishments during the season. Relating to how this scandal tarnishes Michigan’s history. Additionally, these snark fans are also not all appreciative of how some Michigan fans have represented themselves in this cheating scandal. Another Twitter user going by Thomas Ringwald says “Believe we need to stay humble and let’s try classy as well, act like you’ve been there before” (thomas ringwald, 2023). This fan’s online activity was responding to a Michigan fan who was participating in fan-tagonism towards Ohio State. This shows that Michigan fans can fall between the fandom for the Wolverines and the anti-fandom against them.

The reason the strong majority of Wolverine fans are not snark fans can be explained with concepts like non-fan, casual fans, and tribal fans. Non-fans are very simple as they are not a fan within the fandom, meaning they do not watch or participate with the text. “Causal fans are characterized mainly by low perceptions of all seven dimensions, particularly regarding membership and geographical sense of community, as well as the commitment to the team” (Wang, 2019, p.338). While tribal fans “seek opportunities and engage in certain behaviors in order to be socially recognizable by fans of the team, rival fans and society in general… [and]  are more likely to connect with other tribal fans of the team, which reinforces feelings of being a member of the team’s fan group” (Wang, 2019, p.330-331). In simpler terms, casual fans are those who may follow the games, and attend a few games every season, but do not look to be part of a community or be as invested as tribal fans. Tribal fans are the most passionate fans and need to be a part of the team’s community.

This is significant when observing Michigan fans and why they are typically not in the Anti-fandom surrounding the Wolverines’ cheating scandal. This is because a large majority of NCAA and college football fans are tribal fans themselves, especially schools like the University of Michigan and their fans. Tribal fans are so committed to their teams that even the biggest scandals, they will often overlook. Examples of Michigan tribal fans on Twitter include Sidelines Michigan, “Where’s your favorite tailgate sport before Michigan games? I love tailgating on the golf course” (Sidelines Michigan, 2021). Another example is Hayward Crawford and his tailgating experience he posted on Twitter “Tailgating at U of M Vs Ohio State game, ready to brave the 30 degrees and below temperatures like any native Michigan would #GoBlue” (Hayward Crawford, 2023). Tailgating is one of the best examples of tribal fans, as they come together as a community to express their fandom for Michigan. In Sideline Michigan’s Twitter post, they posted a photo from one of the tailgates they attended (see Appendix D). In this photo it shows how these tribal fans build a sense of community all around their interest in their favorite team, these fans are so dedicated that they will often overlook these scandals.

The cheating scandal, the lack of proper punishment to this point by the NCAA, and Wolverine fan attitudes have given anti-fans a rallying point. Renee Barnes explained the concept “politics of against” as “hatred or dislike is the rallying point for activism and enthusiasm rather than being “for” a particular cause” (Barnes, Middlemost, 2022, p.1126). In the case of the anti-fandom around Michigan, the hatred or dislike is clearly caused by the sign-stealing process created by Connor Stalions. The scandal involving Connor Stalions and other Michigan staff attending games and illegally recording other teams’ information, upset numerous fan bases, many of which already had a dislike for the team due to previously established rivalries. The dislike turned to hatred for many fandoms, as Michigan and its fans continued to lack sympathy for the cheating that took place, allowing their rivals, haters, and those who disliked the team to rally together as one. On Twitter examples of haters rallying together can be seen, a previous example discussed in this paper is the photo posted by Gruff (Appendix C). As previously mentioned, this example shows Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan State coming together to support Iowa. While there is no particular cause that these fans are rallying together for, their combined enthusiasm in cheering for Michigan’s downfall is also creating discussion around possible changes in the NCAA.

Their hatred and dislike for Michigan is a rallying point to create change in the league as the idolization of football, in particular across college sports, has been impacted. Twitter user Steve Hamilton posted a tweet that is similar to many opinions collectively shared by Michigan anti-fans. Their tweet says “Big10 and NCAA will take a couple years if not more to penalize Michigan… NCAA needs to change the antiquated investigation and punishment systems” (Steve Hamilton, 2023). This tweet is important as many fans feel as if the NCAA’s punishment systems are not good enough as there are not enough punishments for teams during the time that rules have been broken. The impact this has on fans is that they feel like the integrity in college sports is losing value, as teams will face punishment too late, too little, or none at all. Additionally, this will have long-lasting impacts on the league, as the idolization of college football is almost entirely based on the fact that fans admire the true competitiveness of the league.

Conclusion

To summarize this paper, the Michigan Wolverines cheating scandal conducted by Connor Stalions and other members of the University of Michigan’s staff resulted in an NCAA league-wide controversy. This controversy that is still ongoing is very prevalent on social media platforms like Twitter as anti-fans who dislike or hate the Wolverines continue to express their displeasure with the team, and the NCAA for their lackluster punishment. In this paper, the anti-fandom and their online activity were analyzed by the use of many key concepts. The first concept was Anti-fans themselves and how they participate in online attacks that target brand images. The brand image that they targeted in this paper was the Wolverines’ reputation by Tweeting that their accomplishments this season are meaningless since they cheated by using technology and in-person scouting. The smearing of Michigan’s reputation is one of the concepts that aim to irritate Wolverine fans as they are attacking their team and by extension their fandom.

The second concept discussed was fan-tagonism, and how it is the anti-fans fighting back against the NCAA by using Twitter. In these users’ Twitter posts, they complain that the NCAA is not doing enough to punish the Wolverines for their sign-stealing. This fan-tagonism is negatively impacting the NCAA as it is tarnishing their reputation as a league, as a large portion of their fans are upset with how the situation is being handled.

The Third concept is trolling, which is when fandoms aim to trigger and cause conflicts with other fan groups for amusement. Anti-fans troll Wolverine fans by posting hateful comments meant to irritate or insulting memes like the photo in Appendix C. These memes or GIFs are examples of trolling as they attack Wolverine fans, characters, and their favorite team, purposely attempting to iterate Michigan’s fans.

The Fourth concept of hate-watching is when a viewer, in this case Michigan’s anti-fans, feels like they need to watch, out of anger, annoyance, or dislike. These hate-watchers watch just to see the Wolverines lose, even if their favorite team is not even playing. Examples found on Twitter of hate-watchers included Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan State fans all cheering for Iowa as their fan bases all want Michigan to lose.

The Fifth concept is snark fans, who may be fans of the Wolverines but are not afraid to express disappointment with their favorite teams online. Examples of this include Michigan fans who argue that Connor Stalions’ use of technology and his presence at opponents’ games is always going to put an asterisk on their accomplishments during the season. The concept of tribal fans was also addressed as they explain why online activity lacks these snark fans, and this is because Michigan fans are usually very tribal and have that sense of community that they cannot break.

The last concept, politics of against, explains why these anti-fans have all come together amidst this scandal. These anti-fans and their dislike or hatred for Michigan makes rallying together easier to express their discontent with how the league is handling the situation. As they feel like cheating has negatively impacted them, the league, and their teams since cheating scandals are going nearly unpunished.

In conclusion, anti-fans, fan-tagonism, trolling, hate-watching, snark fans, and politics of against all play important roles in creating negative backlash, with the intent to irritate Michigan fans. While additionally negatively impacting the NCAA’s reputation and their impacts on the idolization of football in particular across college sports, thus impacting the larger society.