The week of The Game is upon us, and that means you're likely seeing a lot less of the letter "M" if you live in Columbus or follow a bunch of Ohio State University fans on social media.

That's because it has become an annual tradition for OSU fans and the Columbus community to collectively replace the letter "M" with a red "X" wherever they see it as a jab at the team up north, or ❌ichigan, ahead of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry game.

The rivalry between Ohio State and the University of Michigan, one of the most storied in college football history, began the very first time the teams went head-to-head in 1897. OSU fans have since added their creative flair to it, with local businesses, city government officials and even Columbus police joining students in striking out the letter.

It's unclear how or when the tradition started, but it has become more prevalent throughout the past decade, with fans taking it to social media and former Ohio Governor John Kasich even crossing out Ms in an official proclamation back in 2016.

The Buckeyes travel to Ann Arbor Saturday to play the Wolverines at noon ET.

@Colebehr_report

Cbehrens@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Why are people crossing out the letter M on social media, other places?