The Game

White hats versus Black Hats

                As a lifelong University of Michigan fan, living in Ohio has been an exercise in humility. I have been told that the only thing worse than being a Michigan fan in Ohio is a being a Michigan fan who was born and raised in Ohio. So, I am little bit better than pond scum in that I was born and raised in Michigan. At least I have an excuse, right?

                The bitter rivalry between OSU and TTUN (That Team Up North) is so palpable here in Ohio that you cannot help but choke on it as a Michigan fan. Like a rare Cicada hatching, a vocal Michigan fan after a Michigan win over the Buckeyes is likely to be annoying and squashed violently by the Buckeye faithful. Still, it’s a thing of beauty for me and I am enjoying the banter with tilted Buckeyes fans. Can the same be said for the rivalry between white hats and black hats?

                You could probably relate to the “The Game” anecdote, but white hat versus black hat? Did I lose you? Hear me out on this one. In the aftermath of a thorough beat down of OSU by Xichigan (not a misspelling, they actually do that crap here) there is no shortage of introspection and analysis. As I was travelling to Columbus this weekend for the opening day of deer gun season, I happened across a sports radio station. What were they talking about…you guessed it, The Game.

                As is the case with any game of this magnitude, there are many factors that play into how one team performs against another. Factors like talent, motivation, preparation, officiating, etc all play role in the final score. One pundit was talking about the Buckeyes previous win against Michigan State. For those that do not know, Michigan’s only loss this year was to instate rival MSU (unacceptable in my book). The Buckeyes destroyed MSU at the Shoe by a score of 56 to 7. The point of the radio host was this: the worst thing that could have happened for OSU was to beat MSU so bad. He was implying that OSU was overconfident and that led to the defeat.  Here is a hint, OSU was a finesse team that got smacked in the mouth at the line of the scrimmage on both side of the ball.

                You do realize, if it was one of us analyzing that factor of “The Game” we would have said “White Hats were in control.” Let’s be honest, you know this is true. We would have pontificated that somehow MSU was used to lull OSU into a false sense of security so UM could win. As if there was some backroom deal between MSU and UM to bring down the bad guys. Do you see how silly this is?

                Do you see where I am going with this? Sometimes, maybe more times than not, it is not a case of White hats versus Black hats, but just two enemies trying get their way. Quite literally, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I cannot stand MSU and regard them as a rivalry even more important than OSU, but if they helped UM beat OSU…so be it. However, I am under no delusion they are a friend and will never treat them as such.

                We are in the midst of a psychological and information war unlike any other. It is the preverbal “Game” over the minds and hearts of America. You have to know, NOT ALL the teams in this game are White Hats or Black Hats. There are some that are out there to just get what they can for themselves regardless of what side benefits (ie team Lin Wood). The forces that are trying to divide us are simply counting on us seeing everything through the myopic lens of black and white. I believe the sooner we recognize the players and that some are just in to for themselves, things will become much clearer.

                The Spartans of MSU were not doing UM any favors by losing to OSU…they just got beat. The fact that they got beat and in turn OSU was beaten badly doesn’t mean MSU did us a favor. “The Game” is still the game and the stakes of our clandestine war with the black hats is still that… a war. At times, the White Hats will have use for another team and the same is true for Black Hats (they will use other players for their purposes).

                The point of all this is: we as patriots need to stay true and grounded to our roots and values (like a Wolverine born and raised in Michigan). The enemy has not changed his colors and we must maintain our focus on them. Are there others who are helping our cause or hurting it? Sure, there are both enemies and friends, and sometimes the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Only the final score is what matters, there will be many that help us achieve the win that will never bask in its glory. We are close to the goal line folks, its time to pancake the enemy at the line of scrimmage!

Biernutz_71

12/1/2021

“I would rather die with Christ and hope in my heart than stand over the dead corpse of the republic and say, I told you so”