This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Columbus, Ohio • Gov. John Kasich wanted Ohioans to avoid using the dreaded letter "M" on Saturday when No. 3 Ohio State faced archrival Michigan.
Kasich declared the game day as "Scarlet Letter Saturday" in honor of Ohio State's rivalry game with the Wolverines. Ohio fans have often found other words to refer to Michigan, calling the school "That Team Up North" among other epithets and singing songs about their utter disregard for the state.
Lately, Buckeyes fans on Twitter have taken to dropping the letter M from their tweets, even from their own names.
The resolution notes that the United States Fish and Wildlife Service suggested adding the wolverine to the threatened species list under the Endangered Species Act.
Each letter 'M' in the resolution is crossed out and in red ink — scarlet and gray are Ohio State's school colors.
It closes, "We, John R. Kasich and Mary Taylor, Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the State of Ohio, do hereby recognize Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013, as SCARLET LETTER SATURDAY throughout Ohio and encourage all Ohioans to avoid using the letter 'M' when possible."
We're not sure if the resolution had any effect, but No. 3 Ohio State won 42-41 Saturday, intercepting a Michigan 2-point conversion pass with 32 seconds left.
The Associated Press