Whether crossing out every “M” on campus, or calling Ohio State Head Coach Ryan Day “ soft ,” the late-November runup to The Game has long been a time for fans on both sides of the Michigan/Ohio State college football rivalry to express contempt for their opponent.

This year, Ohio State has taken the unusual step of whining to refs off the field, lodging an objection with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office over the name of a beer that celebrates the Wolverines’ four-year winning streak by inviting fans to drink “Buckeye Tears.” But using trademark law to censor speech that makes fun of you is not only unsportsmanlike, it likely violates the Constitution.

The Brown Jug , a popular bar in Ann Arbor, tapped its first keg of Buckeye Tears in August 2024 and then sought to regist

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