Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan
The sense of pride was prominent on Monday night in Crisler Center when Austin Hatch scored a stirring point. Students, fans, players, and coaches stood for the success of Austin, chills came from the sense of honor in the arena, and tears ran down the faces of some. Overcoming obstacles, such as Austin has, is not a walk in the park and it was this instance, of conquering defeat; that I realized the influence of the Michigan community.
The Melian Dialogue builds a bonding among the Melians when the Athenians threaten to take over their nation. The Melians argue back saying, “…action still preserves for us a hope that we may stand erect.” This statement is explaining that if the Melians band together, they have confidence that they will be able to fight back against the Athenians, and protect their country. The Melians have enough tenacity and pride for their country to be able to fight for it. This is comparable to Monday night at the basketball game because, as Michigan students, we were definitely feeling pride for our school because of Austin. He could have given up, but he didn’t. The Melians could have given up and let the Athenians take over, but they didn’t.
The feeling of the Michigan community after Austin Hatch scored his glorious point.
As a student body, I think we could agree that Austin Hatch is an example of the true Michigan difference. He has overcome so much in his life and he continues to push for success. People all over the world have recognized him, but on Monday night, it was a chance for his home court to take a stand and truly recognize how awe-inspiring he is. As a community of students at Michigan, we applaud Austin and will continue to support him because we #StandByBlue.
In the Melian Dialogue, the sense of community came from retaliating against another country. Often in sports, school pride is felt during matches against major opponents, as opposed to pride developed from overcoming adversity. When attending the home opener of the volleyball season against Duke, I discovered that Cliff Keen Arena is one of the best venues for school pride. The student section, known as The Zone, is nestled right behind the coaches and players of both teams, developing a breeding ground for student support.
Cliff Keen Arena during a match with Oregon in 2013
The close-knit setting in Cliff Keen Arena developed an atmosphere of support and The Zone was vocal and energetic through cheers, motions, and a smidge of friendly vulgarity. The Zone acted as an alliance to the team, creating a feeling of encouragement that contributed to the win. Similar to the volleyball game, the Melians tell the Athenians that their alliances will support them with the following statement, “what we want in power will be made up by the alliance of the Lacedaemonians, who are bound, if only for very shame, to come to the aid of their kindred. Our confidence, therefore, after all is not so utterly irrational.” This is saying that the Melians will keep their territory with the help of their friends, the Lacedaemonians, and that the Melians are logical for thinking they can fight and keep their country. As students attending the volleyball game, we supported the team and served as a coalition. The game contains more energy when there is a vibrant student section, who is ready to defend their team.
The end result of the Melians and Athenians is not comparable to the sense of community through athletics at Michigan. The Melians were completely destroyed by the Athenians, even though they had a great support group, through the citizens and their alliances. The Melians’ resources were limited and they were too small to make a difference, but the Michigan community is different. It is a force to be reckoned with because of the extensive alumni alliance network and the loyal students that continue to support athletics in good and bad times. We will keep standing, clapping, and cheering to support our athletes, no matter the end result, because This Is Michigan.
Touchdown Theory 
While I really enjoyed this article, I feel like it falls into the category of the “Myth of Uniqueness.” Granted, I think that it is great that we as fans of Michigan continuously cheer for our teams through success or failure, and rally behind people like Austin Hatch, we are not the only people to do that. So while we may love to say the Michigan community is very different, it is not necessarily. One must simply look at Mount Saint Joseph University and how they are rallying behind Lauren Hill (who has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor) to realize that we are not actually that unique. (This does not at all take away from the fact that I think what we are doing is great. I just wanted to make the point.)
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Hi rkopp,
I appreciate your comment, but I would like to point out that I was not saying that Michigan is more unique than other schools. Not once in this post did I say that Michigan is better than any other school, but I did say that we have a terrific community of support. I made sure to stay away from saying that Michigan is different because I remember during Mika’s lecture, earlier in the semester, he pointed out that Michigan is not really that unique compared to other schools. While I did quote “the Michigan difference” I was using a connotation of phrase, meaning something that we can be proud of, not the actual difference between Michigan and other universities. I agree that we are doing a great job supporting our athletes and that was the gist of the post.
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