Michigan coach John Beilein a St. Louis Cardinals fan
By Danielle
I didn’t know this until I saw a tweet from Fox Sports writer Jon Morosi that Michigan Wolverines basketball coach John Beilein is a member of Cardinal Nation.
After seeing that tweet, I decided to do some research of my own.
I found this Sports Illustrated article by Michael Rosenberg.
"They adopted his teams, and not just the ones he coaches. The kids are all Buffalo Bills fans like their father. John listened to St. Louis Cardinals games on KMOX radio as a boy and got hooked. All of his kids are Cardinals fans. They have never lived near St. Louis. And think about this: John never had a favorite NBA team, and so Patrick, a basketball junkie who is now the head coach at West Virginia Wesleyan, has never had a favorite NBA team."
Then there was this article in the University of Michigan campus newspaper, The Michigan Daily, that goes into detail about Beilein’s friendship with Cardinals skipper Mike Matheny.
Apr 7, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach John Beilein during a press conference the day before the championship game of the 2013 Final Four of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the Georgia Dome. Image Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
As a Kentucky Wildcats fan, I obviously will not cross the street to root for the Louisville Cardinals. It goes against every bone in my body. Rooting for Louisville is like rooting for the Chicago Cubs. There’s no way in hell that I would ever root for them. The ONLY exceptions that are to be made in rooting for the Chicago Cubs are in the month of September if it helps the Cardinals clinch a berth in the postseason. That should be the only exception…period!
Reading that the Michigan coach is a member of Cardinal Nation only makes me feel better with my decision to root for the Wolverines in Monday night’s championship.
Matheny is also a graduate of Michigan so it’s only fitting that the two of them are friends.