Why do Ohio State fan's cross out M's? The history of The Game tradition

The M's are beginning to disappear all over Columbus, replaced with red ❌'s.

It happens every year around rivalry week ahead of the Ohio State vs. Michigan game, better known by just two words: The Game.

But while The Game itself is a storied rivalry with years of history behind it, the crossing of the M's is less so.

Last year The Dispatch investigated when exactly the tradition started. Here's what we found:

When did Ohio State start crossing out M's?

The first time the Ohio State Buckeyes Facebook page featured the tradition was in a post on Nov. 22, 2011, showing a campus sign with crossed out letters.

The tradition received an official stamp of approval in 2013 when then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich issued a resolution declaring the day of the game "Scarlet Letter Saturday," urging Ohioans to avoid using the letter "M."

However, it wasn't until 2014 that the Ohio State Buckeyes Facebook page started using the now iconic ❌ emoji, and even then they used it only once in the lead up to that year's game.

The school used the red X a few times in 2015, and then in 2016 the self-censorship became widespread. That year, the Ohio State Football Facebook page used the ❌ frequently in its posts.

Today, just eight years later, you won't see the letter "M" anywhere on Ohio State's social media pages leading up to the game.

Submit your photos of missing letters

If you see any missing letters around Columbus, The Dispatch wants to see them. Submit them using the form below.

The No. 2 Buckeyes take on the Michigan Wolverines at noon Saturday in Ohio Stadium.

[email protected]

@NathanRHart

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State's M crossing out tradition, explained