Michigan Football: Fascism on the Field?

This past Saturday I found some peculiar implications hidden in the pre-game show before the football game.

 

John Uhl Uhl Get Nothing and Like It

When the marching band stormed onto the field, everyone around me stood up and started clapping. I'd never seen one of these shows before, so I wasn't quite sure how to react. Yet somehow I felt compelled to stand up with everyone else. Besides, I couldn't see around all the people standing in front of me.

Behind the mercurial charge of a flashy drum major, twirling and hurling a baton and bounding about, the marching band flooded the field in a sea of jubilant drums, euphoric euphoniums and triumphant trumpets, all molding into a majestic, mountainous block "M," the charge of "The Victors" wailing all the while. It was breathtaking! My God, all the big lights, big city Broadway snazz of the explosive musical celebration "Blast!" had invaded the field. The "M" stood before my eyes, burning its image into my brain.

As the fight song neared its chorus, I looked out over the undulation of the massive stadium crowd. Aisle after aisle of martial marching musicians and flourishing flag flailers high-stepped across the field while thousands of people, and I was one of them, cried "Hail, hail to Michigan!" vehemently thrusting our fists into the air.

Wait a minute.

Let's break this down a bit. OK, we've got aisles of parading marchers, flags, patriotic early 20th Century brass music and thousands of people thrusting their arms in the air to the cry of "hail!" Was I at a sports event or a rally for National Socialism?

The similarity between the pre-game show and Nazi propaganda films by Leni Rienfenstahl is disturbingly striking. Rienfenstahl directed documentaries like "Triumph of the Will" (a Nuremberg rally) and "Olympia" (the 1936 Berlin Olympics), inserting images of architectural might, pictures of swelling supportive crowds and animated Nazi party symbols to sway viewers. During the pre-game show, a giant block "M" walked onto the field to the cheers of thousands of people in Michigan Stadium, the grandest athletic field in all of college football. For Christ's sake, we practically seig-heiled to "The Victors," chanting "hail, hail!" while saluting. It took all my might to keep from clicking my heels together.

Coincidence, or am I just paranoid?

I'm probably just paranoid. It's unlikely that these similarities, although disturbing, were arranged on purpose. "The Victors" has been our fight song since well before WWII started and the saluting has doubtlessly been part of the ritual for nearly as long.

Moreover the pre-game activities proved to be rather effective. By the time kickoff came, I was super duper fired up. I was ready to maim or ... yes, even kill on behalf of the guys in the winged helmets.

"John, we need you to bust Randle El's leg at halftime, we're only up by 45 points. We need to hit the century mark if we're gonna have any chance of jumping Ohio State in the BCS rankings."

"Sure thing, Coach Carr. Do you need me to threaten or injure any of his family members while I'm at it? It would be my pleasure."

On one hand, it makes perfect sense for this pre-game fanfare to rouse such school pride fervor. Film students often study Rienfenstahl's documentaries for their use of subliminal editing techniques. On the other, it's sort of unnerving to think that Nazi culture might have had some influence on a popular American sporting event.

At least it's only a game.

-If you're worried that John is a Nazi, you can e-mail him at juhl@umich.edu.

DAVID KATZ/Daily

Michigan fans "hail, hail" to the football team at last week's Indiana game.