# THE Ohio State University...what's with 'The'?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ohio-state-university-whats-with-the/282510>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 1, 2005, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ohio-state-university-whats-with-the/282510 "2005-01-01T02:18:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![The\_Big\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@The\_Big\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Big_Cheese)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ohio-state-university-whats-with-the/282510/1 "2005-01-01T02:18:48Z")

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I’ve never noticed this before this year, but it seems whenever someone mentions Ohio State University they always precede it with the word **‘The’**. _The_ Ohio State University… Football players naming their schools in their intro’s, people who have graduated from there, etc…are doing it now. I don’t notice any other schools doing this.

What gives?

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**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ohio-state-university-whats-with-the/282510/2 "2005-01-01T02:24:05Z")

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Recent thread:  
[“THE” Ohio State University](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=275486)

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**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ohio-state-university-whats-with-the/282510/3 "2005-01-01T05:16:55Z")

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As with so many things in life, it’s not what you say, it’s the way you say it. I don’t have a problem with a player saying “Roy Williams, The University of Oklahoma”. But these Buckeyes are just plain annoying, “Marvin Jawcrusher, _ **THE** _ ohio state university.”

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**Author:** ![The\_Big\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@The\_Big\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Big_Cheese)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ohio-state-university-whats-with-the/282510/4 "2005-01-01T12:00:54Z")

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so i’m not the only one to have wondered this.  
grazie.

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**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ohio-state-university-whats-with-the/282510/5 "2005-01-01T16:27:25Z")

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The school takes their diploma more seriously than the others.

When it has a phrase like “rights, privileges and responsibilities appertaining thereto”, they mean it! The right to use THE, the privilege to use THE and the responsibility to use THE, . . . appertaining thereto.😃