There are certain unwritten rules in college football fandom. Don’t praise the rival or wear their colors. And if you’re an Ohio State QB turned national TV voice, don’t enjoy a tour of Wrigley Field without getting accused of bonding with the enemy. That’s what Kirk Herbstreit woke up to on May 6. 

It was just an innocent update, at least for Kirk Herbstreit. He was at Wrigley Field watching his beloved Cincinnati Reds take another painful loss to the Chicago Cubs. The Reds blew a 7-6 extra-innings game, their sixth straight defeat, but the OSU alum still came away impressed by the atmosphere, and he posted about it. 

“Another tough loss for our RedLegs but had an amazing time at Wrigley!” he wrote on X. “Huge thank you to the @Cubs organization for the tour of the stadium and the incredible hospitality. FIRST CLASS! Awesome setting and such diehard fans! Can’t wait to come back.”

He’s just giving credit for the hospitality, but some fans apparently didn’t see it that way. 

“Just curious, did you ever hobnob with the Michigan football people to get a tour of their stadium?” one user called him out in the comments section. “Patronizing the enemy is not okay.”

And that’s when Herbstreit decided he had time to let everybody know he really doesn’t care about these imaginary loyalty tests anymore. He quote-posted the comment in a follow-up post.

“Whatever dude. Had a blast. Epic atmosphere and elite fans! Absolutely honored to see it person.”

At first glance, it looked like just another social media back-and-forth. But for people who’ve watched the evolution of Kirk Herbstreit’s relationship with Michigan over the last couple years, the “honored” part stood out. That’s because he has slowly become more comfortable publicly acknowledging positive experiences connected to rivals, including Michigan.

Kirk Herbstreit grew up in Centerville, Ohio. He’s the son of an Ohio State captain, and he later became one himself in 1992. But somewhere along the line, fans stopped wanting the analyst version of him who’s not a full-time Buckeye propagandist. But he’s never been willing to do that.

That tension has only intensified since his youngest son, Chase, committed to the rival Michigan. That’s where things really became awkward for some Ohio State fans. Just last month, Kirk Herbstreit and his wife Alison attended the Wolverines’ spring game at the Big House. He wore Michigan colors, although he wore no official Wolverines gear. And then, what was he supposed to do? His son is a QB at Michigan. Of course he’s going to support him.

Remember, Ohio State never heavily pursued Chase in recruiting and didn’t give him an offer. But the team up north did. And now Kirk Herbstreit gets criticized for supporting the school that gave his son an opportunity. But that’s how the fanbase is. 

Kirk Herbstreit stopped sounding like an OSU fan

There’s no question many Ohio State fans have cooled on Kirk Herbstreit over the last couple years. Once upon a time, he was the hometown QB who became the face of ESPN College GameDay. But the Ryan Day era changed that. After Ohio State’s fourth straight loss to Michigan, he publicly criticized portions of the Buckeyes fanbase, referring to the loudest critics as a “lunatic fringe” for demanding the head coach’s firing.

That didn’t go over well. To many fans, Kirk Herbstreit crossed an invisible line. To him, he was simply being rational. On the Built 4 More podcast last March, he addressed the tension head-on when asked whether he struggles emotionally while calling Ohio State games.

“I’m not dying. It’s like I flip a switch during the game,” he explained. “If you’re just going to ask me, ‘Am I a fan?’ Oh my God. I love Ohio State. I was the captain there. My dad was a captain there… But when I call their games, they’re a team, and the other team’s a team. I’m there to give analytical viewpoints.”

That’s the distinction a lot of fans still refuse to accept. Kirk Herbstreit is not a team employee nor a booster. His job is objectivity, even if objectivity occasionally irritates the people wearing scarlet and gray.

“I know Ohio State’s fan base is probably as loud as any fan base in the country on social media, and a lot of that fraction are not fans of mine,” he admitted. “Because I am fair. Because I am, you know, objective.” 

That objectivity is why he became one of the most respected voices in football since joining ESPN in 1996. Kirk Herbstreit may always be Buckeye royalty, but after watching his son play for Michigan, he no longer sounds interested in pretending he has to hate everything connected to the Wolverines either.