Schadenfreude is a useful word that describes a common, albeit not very atttractive, emotion. Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language defines schadenfreude as “satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else’s misfortune.”
Schadenfreude is an emotion that is well known to any fan of a sports team that has a bitter rival. When you beat your most important foe, when your arch-rival experiences a bad season or a tough loss, you remember the bitter defeats to that rival and you feel a bit of guilty pleasure at their current failure.
So it is with Ohio State and Michigan. I am confident that Michigan fans reveled in their domination of the rivalry during the 1990s, and Ohio State fans are reveling in their dominance now. For those of you interested in wallowing in a bit of schadenfreude, we offer some links to Michigan football blogs.
We know their pain, because we experienced that pain in the 1990s. A big part of schadenfreude is that we are just glad that we are not on the receiving end of the pain now.
Webner House 