Michigan
Root for a rival? Michigan fans in a quandary as Ohio State, Notre Dame clash
Last season, Michigan football fans were cheering for the Wolverines in the national championship. This year, they’ll have to choose between two of their rivals.
It’s an unfortunate position, but some Michigan fans see a silver lining when Ohio State faces Notre Dame in Monday night’s championship game.
What almost all of them seem to agree on is which school they’d rather see win. A poll this writer posted on social media this week asking that question received more than 1,000 votes. More than 95 percent of people chose Notre Dame.
“I have never, never wanted Ohio State to win any game, no matter who they’re up against,” said Joe Fowler, who held Michigan football season tickets for more than 50 years.
It’s a sentiment shared by nearly all Michigan fans, several of whom claimed (in replies to the poll) that no self-respecting Wolverine devotee could ever pull for Ohio State. The Buckeyes are, unquestionably, Michigan’s top rival. Michigan State is next, at least currently, followed by Notre Dame.
Michigan and Notre Dame last played each other in 2019, a 45-14 Michigan win in Ann Arbor. That same day, Michigan announced the series would return with matchups in 2033 and 2034. The lack of recent games between the programs has only cooled a rivalry that already trailed Michigan-Ohio State in intensity.
As one Michigan fan wrote: “We dislike Notre Dame but hate Ohio (State).”
Don Svenson, an usher at various Michigan sporting events, doesn’t care for either team and may stick with a previous engagement instead of watching the game. He’ll be rooting for the Fighting Irish.
“Their football program is as storied as Michigan’s,” he said. “Also the more that I learn about Marcus Freeman, I see that he is more of a class act as opposed to Ryan Day.”
Several fans mentioned their preference for Freeman, Notre Dame’s third-year coach, over Day, who’s bothered Michigan fans with his comments and behavior since becoming Ohio State’s coach in 2019.
Many fans said they wished both teams could lose, with one saying it was like choosing between moldy cheese and rotten meat.
Notre Dame overcame a stunning loss to Northern Illinois to qualify for the inaugural 12-team playoff. Ohio State lost two regular-season games, including as a 20-point favorite at home against Michigan. Notre Dame and Ohio State each won three playoff games to reach the championship. Michigan went 15-0 last season to capture the trophy in what was the final season of the four-team playoff.
“The good news about (Monday’s) game is that no matter who wins, Michigan still has its national championship and a head-to-head win over the team in their previous meeting,” Michigan super fan Don Thomas said.
“And no matter who loses you get to laugh at ‘em. If Notre Dame loses, you can say they haven’t won (a national championship) since before the fall of the Berlin Wall. And if Ohio State loses, it’s, ‘All that (NIL) money and you couldn’t win a natty.’ Honestly, it’s the best of both worlds.”
For some Michigan fans, their rooting interest on Monday could be affected by where they live or the fandom of their friends or family. Generally speaking, Notre Dame is considered “the lesser of two evils,” as one Michigan fan put it.
Michigan’s 13-10 win over Ohio State on Nov. 30, the Wolverines’ fourth straight win in the series, naturally looms large for Michigan fans.
One such fan was clever to reference certain t-shirts and posters and other commemorative items that will be produced for the national champion.
“I don’t like the possibility of an OSU win,” he wrote, “but the idea that they’ll print the season schedule that ends with a natty but has to still show that UGLY loss to Michigan makes me smile.”
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Michigan mother of three talks about how she broke her kratom addiction
Melanie Clark, 35, of Kincheloe in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, has fought a four-year-long addiction to kratom, the so-called “gas station heroin.”
Michigan lawmakers are debating a complete ban on the sale of kratom products in the state, citing cases of addiction and instances of death from people consuming the herbal supplement known as the “gas station heroin.”
Here is what to know about this unregulated herbal substance commonly sold in convenience stores, gas stations and tobacco shops across Michigan:
What is kratom?
Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia whose leaves contain compounds that can produce stimulant effects at low doses and opioid-like effects at higher doses. It is manufactured and sold in different forms: liquid tonics, tablets, gummies, powders and capsules.
What is kratom used for?
Kratom is marketed as a herbal supplement for energy, mood, pain relief or opioid withdrawal, though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved any of those uses. Some kratom users take it to get off heroin or fentanyl, according to University of Michigan researchers.
How is kratom pronounced?
Kratom is pronounced KRA-tum. The letter “a” takes a short “a” sound, as in crab or crack.
What is 7-OH?
7-hydroxymitragynin, or 7-OH, is an alkaloid found in kratom leaves. It is manufactured in a synthetic form to produce an opioid-like sensation of pain relief or sedation. It is more potent than pure leaf kratom and sometimes referred to as the hard liquor version of kratom (if pure leaf kratom were considered beer, which typically has a much lower percentage of alcohol by volume compared with distilled liquor).
Is kratom an opioid or addictive?
Kratom users, substance abuse counselors and doctors report symptoms of dependence and withdrawal from the substance, particularly when users exceed the recommended serving size.
The Drug Enforcement Agency has warned that kratom has “sedative effects” that “can lead to addiction.”
On July 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration moved to declare certain 7-hydroxymitragynine synthetic kratom products a Schedule I controlled substance, the same class of drugs as heroin, ecstasy and peyote. As of April 9, the substance had not yet been formally added to the list of Schedule I drugs, which would effectively ban 7-OH nationwide.
Does kratom have side effects?
The FDA has warned that kratom use can lead to liver toxicity, seizures or substance use disorder.
Withdrawal from the substance can lead to increased anxiety, insomnia and psychiatric episodes, according to University of Michigan researchers.
Dr. Eliza Hutchinson, a family physician based in Ann Arbor who is a clinical instructor at UM, said her substance abuse patients describe withdrawal from kratom as “the worst influenza of your life — times 10.”
CARE Southeastern Michigan, a recovery advocacy group, has reported some individuals experiencing psychotic episodes after taking 7-OH, the synthetic form of kratom.
The FDA has also said kratom is “not appropriate for use as a dietary supplement” and unsafe as an additive to food. The powder and liquid forms of kratom are sometimes marketed as an additive to shakes and smoothies.
Does kratom show up on a drug test?
Yes, if it’s part of a specialized screening of narcotics and other substances that looks for active ingredients in kratom products.
Some substance abuse clinics in Michigan are starting to test for it, said Madison Lauder, a counselor at The Guidance Center in Southgate.
“We see you so often, we have added into our (drug test) panel,” Lauder said.
Is there any age restriction on buying kratom in Michigan?
No, Michigan has no laws governing the sale of kratom and related synthetics, such as 7-OH.
But retailers set their own rules. Some stores won’t sell to anyone under age 21.
Some of the 7-OH kratom products on the shelves of stores are labeled “21+.”
But there’s no law on the books in Michigan requiring buyers to show a photo ID when buying kratom, as is required to purchase alcohol, tobacco or marijuana.
Which states have bans on selling kratom?
Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin have outright bans on the sale of kratom.
In December, Ohio’s Board of Pharmacy used the state’s controlled substance laws to ban the retail sale, distribution and possession of 7-OH and other synthetic forms of kratom, board spokesman Cameron McNamee said.
The Ohio Board of Pharmacy has a separate proposal to ban natural kratom products that remains in the rulemaking process, McNamee said.
Some cities and counties across the country have imposed varying local sales bans, including Anaheim, Calif., Spokane, Wash., and the New York City suburbs of Nassau County on Long Island, according to published reports.
What’s the status of legislation to ban kratom in Michigan?
On March 18, the Republican-controlled Michigan House voted 56-48 on legislation that would completely ban the sale of kratom products in Michigan. All 46 Democrats and two Republicans opposed the legislation.
Democrats cited a lack of any committee hearings on the legislation.
“There is no question of the growing concern around this product, and no one is saying, with this vote or otherwise, that the concern isn’t justified,” the House Democratic caucus said in a statement. “What we are saying is an outright ban, without any testimony or dialogue, is not the solution.”
The bill moved to the Democratic-controlled Senate, where Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, assigned it to her Government Operations Committee.
Some kratom industry interests and individual users have advocated for a ban on just the 7-OH synthetic form of kratom.
Sen. Kevin Hertel, the St. Clair Shores Democrat who chairs the Senate Health Policy Committee, said the House’s passage of a total ban on kratom has changed the debate toward prohibition, which he favors until the FDA can further study the substance and its impact on the human body.
clivengood@detroitnews.com
Staff Writers Anne Snabes and Beth LeBlanc contributed.
For much of April, showers and melting snow has swamped Michigan, flooding homes, businesses, cottages, roadways; threatening and destroying infrastructure, including dams, and forcing what is likely hundreds of Michiganders to evacuate.
The unusual weather put the entire state under a flood watch.
It’s not over.
To help, the state’s Emergency Operations Center — which was activated on April 10, along with the governor’s state of emergency declaration — created a digital map identifying shelters and damaged areas.
There also is a livestream of the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex.
As of Monday morning, the water level at the dam had dropped slightly, and was less than 8 inches below the top, which is still a threat to both the community in the event of a spillover — or structural failure.
The map, which the emergency center is calling a dashboard, shows warming and cooling centers and where people can get food. It tracks where the tornadoes touched down, and the roadways that are under water, were eroded away and are completely washed out.
The emergency center also is providing more information on its website on how to ask for help, what state and federal assistance might be available, and how to get emergency email alerts from the State Police.
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com
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