Hit the jump for a few good looking ladies.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Detroit News: Michigan players understand fan ire but ask for support
Personally, I find it very frustrating that Michigan "fans" are reacting so negatively by staging protests, promoting boycotts, avoiding games, booing, etc. Now the players have been reduced to pleading for support (LINK).
Hit the jump for a few good looking ladies.
Hit the jump for a few good looking ladies.
The sad part is, some students/fans still think it's all about them. That because they go there and watch games, they somehow deserve to have an influence on how things are run.
ReplyDeleteI agree, though. The ammount of negativity, planned protests, booing and overall mob mentality is sickening and imo far more damaging to the program then DB, or Hoke have been. And I'm not saying Hoke should stay after this year, but unless it's a home run hire I really don't see the point.
In my perfect world, we would hire Les Miles and find a way to possibly get Hoke to take a demotion and coach the d-line. I know people want him gone, but the d-line hasn't been terrible. And we might be able to keep this recruiting class together, as well as keep Mattison.
-JL13-
They fans pay the salaries of the people running the program. The fans pay for the tuition of the players. The whole operation exists for fan entertainment. Currently there is nothing entertaining about this team, and little evidence the guys in charge can change that. Protesting and selectively boycotting and booing to make clear that they place most of the blame on BH and DB is far better treatment than they'd get in SEC country. I'm rather proud of Michigan student and fan reaction so far, and am pretty confident it will effectuate the change needed. DB turned Michigan football into a money grab, with the full support of the administration. Time the students and fans sent the message that enough is enough.
Delete@MOJO
DeleteNo they don't. No it doesn't. No.
Michigan is fortunate enough to have a self-sufficient athletic department, but that's not how most departments operate. Sports were not thought of as revenue sources when they were created. They were there for the betterment of student-athletes, their fellow students, and alumni. In other words, the teams are there, whether they generate money or not, to support the University.
It's ironic that you're calling out Brandon for treating Michigan like a business when your argument basically reinforces that it should be viewed as "entertainment".
Nothing is "made clear" by a boycott at all. It is shooting a shotgun at a mosquito.
You sound like a brat. "Entertain me".
You don't want to go, don't go, but don't act self-righteous about not supporting Michigan Athletics.
@Lanknows,
DeleteAre you kidding me? Do you even know why Maryland joinded the B1G and why the B1G accepted Maryland? Do you think it was for the benefit of the student athlete independent of whether it generated money or not? Don't be absurd. It shows anyone with sense how little appetite a major university has in financially supporting its athletic complex. Without fan revenue, the idea that UM would happily backfill a $100m budget in a state that can't even bail out it's flagship city is is idiotic.
If Michigan fans stop going to games, stop buying $4 water, stop buying jerseys, stop paying PSLs, stop watching games so that Nielsen ratings drop for UM matchups, do you really think for a minute that the University is going to fill the revenue void with general fund money? Before you answer, just remember that the new president made it pretty clear that the mission of the university is academic, not athletics.
So yes, the fans do pay the salaries of the coaches, and the tuition of the players. And yes, the job of the guy who is paid 40x the average salary of the people who are actually employed by the university to fulfill the true mission of the university is to entertain me, because football sure as hell doesn't cure cancer, or fill in the understanding of the origins of the universe, or plumb the depths of the creativy of man, or have anything remotely connected to what makes the university truly great. He oversees a team who provides a couple hourse of tribal bonding time on a Saturday, and right now, the tribe is pissed. A boycott of the first half of a prime time televised game definitely sends a message. It says don't take for granted the hand that feeds you.
If I'm a self-righteous brat, you sir are a sanctimonious idiot.
Dave Brandon has made everything more corporate. He is a big supply and demand guy, well demand is declining. When you take something people love and coldly turn it into a product, people start to treat it as a product
DeleteAsking with no ill intent: As a casual fan (and assuming that Hoke and his crew have to go) what is the best way to effect change? (Do you believe there _is_ a way?)
ReplyDeleteViewing Brandon from afar (from a point where I haven't done an honest evaluation of his work), I must admit that the idea of a boycott amuses me. I like to see those types have to work extra hard to do their C-level spinning.
You'd think that Dave Brandon slashed their tires and kicked their dog. He has done pretty much what he was hired to do- make money to support numerous sports programs at Michigan. Other than the football team, most every other sport has made great strides. The Regents know what is going on. I personally think that boycotting games is a ridiculous idea, and hurts the program more than it hurts Dave Brandon.
ReplyDeleteThis statement is simply unsupported by the facts. Michigan has consistently underperformed in the directos's cup rankings under Brandon from where it was under Martin.
DeleteThis team is taking on the new "narcissistic" viewpoint of today as well as "well, the kids played hard" mentality... Please cheer for us? Stand up for us? What? Like these silver spooned kids deserve it and don't have to earn it?
ReplyDeleteGimme a break..
Brady hoke is a great guy and everyone loves him.. That doesn't mean he is a great coach, all that says is he would make a good neighbor or camp counselor...
A great coach gets the most out of your players and sometimes has to be a lil on the hard side... It reminds me of a sales job I had 10 years ago.. One of the other divisions had this manager that didn't do anything nor require much from his team.. They laughed, had a grea time, and his reps loved him.. the problem was, none of them grew or developed as a better sales person.. they always joked that my mgr was a drill sargeant but at the end of the day i am a better sales peron because of him and have had a successful career because of his high expectations while the other sales team floundered when cuts came..
summary: its the sales guys job to earn the sale not just ask for it...
likewise, its a bigboy world at UofM, and earn the applause, dont ask for it.. the problem is, brady hoke claps for everythingl
Is it true that David Brandon is tied to the donation that Michigan got from Steve Ross?? I had a lengthy discussion with some friends after last weekends loss and this topic came up. From what I heard he was directly tied to the money and he won't be going anywhere until Michigan gets all of it. If that is true, there is no way that Michigan is going to fire Brandon before they get all of the donation. Just curious if anyone else has heard this rumor.
ReplyDeleteAnother topic is the rumor or Jabrill transferring out...apparently he's benched because he got mouthy with Mattison and they are disciplining him?
These rumors are flying around like no other and all I want is for Michigan to finish the season strong and get some wins...as always GO BLUE!
Some of these comments are too much. Don't criticize the students. Boycotting may be a stupid idea, but we don't live in an ideal world. And Athletic Department is not a business. If we want true value, we should stop all ads, selling jerseys, tickets, tvs etc. That is not going to happen. Fans pay and they want good product. Some students want more seats (don't tell me they don't show up, look at the product on the field), less price, less stupid gimmicks, some frigging honesty from AD and not be so cocky. Most of all, with stupid hires. If no one says anything, nothing will change.
ReplyDeleteIf there is a better way to do it, post ideas. People want to influence change and they are doing what they think is right. Many things happened in this country because of students. So, cut them some slack, whether their motives and actions meet your idealistic, moralistic standards.
Having said that, let us fill the stadium and send home Franklin with a big a L and F U. Go Blue!