UM Ath. Dept Paid for Skywriting on Saturday
http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2013/09/university_of_michi…
Seems to be some varying stories on whether the "Go Blue" over East Lansing was supposed to be a target or not.
September 19th, 2013 at 4:01 PM ^
I fired off an email and Brandon responded (twice). It was not a form response, because he quoted back to me some of the language I used in my email. (/Tin foil hat medals: Maybe we have some really smart email bots at Michigan. Hmmmm.)
Anyhow, allegedly less than $5K spent on 50 sky messages to be spread across the state of Michigan. E.L. was allegedly not directed to be a target. I'm personally no longer bothered about the amount spent (i.e., $100 on the E.L. "GO BLUE"), but remain a bit bothered about the class aspect. Assuming that they were spread across Michigan, I'll bet that it was cool to see something like this in Muskegon, Jasckson, Flint, Battle Creek, etc. Would have been much cooler to see this in NYC/CT this weekend.
September 19th, 2013 at 2:16 PM ^
I e-mailed Brandon about advertising in Michigan stadium (post "noodle") and got a very hostile, condescending response from DB.
I sent the same e-mail to Brian Townsend and got a really nice response.
September 19th, 2013 at 2:32 PM ^
OR we could double up and fly over every big game and just etch "Go Blue" everywhere. Like those people who carry around the WSU flag at every Gameday. Tell me it wouldn't be slightly hilarious for ABC to pan out to the stadium at Alabama-TAMU and see "Go Blue" in the sky?
But yes, definitely worth the price increase on soda and water to troll MSU.
September 19th, 2013 at 12:39 PM ^
September 19th, 2013 at 12:40 PM ^
This bush league psyche-out stuff!!
September 19th, 2013 at 1:10 PM ^
I don't fucking care.
September 19th, 2013 at 4:02 PM ^
I think it's bush league of the company to disclose who paid for it!
September 19th, 2013 at 12:42 PM ^
(And that gaseous area closer to the Earth.)
September 19th, 2013 at 12:45 PM ^
DAVE BRANDON DELIVERS THE WOW EXPERIENCE
September 19th, 2013 at 1:21 PM ^
If it was hashtag #goblue twitter deal then I would blame Brandon immediately but just plain old skywriting? With no multi-media synergy?
Maybe Brandon is slipping???
September 19th, 2013 at 5:47 PM ^
drawn right above my house in ann arbor (although after reading up on that email DB sent, I guess it coulda been miles away from my house...).
September 19th, 2013 at 12:45 PM ^
Interesting. So this is probably why DB hiked up the football ticket prices again. Glad to see that profit is being put to good use.
Seriously, though, we'd better back up this trolling on the field, otherwise we're just going to look like a bunch of jackasses. As if MSU didn't need any more motivation for their upcoming Super Bowl.
September 19th, 2013 at 12:46 PM ^
David Brandon sux post ad nauseum.
September 19th, 2013 at 12:46 PM ^
Ugh. I love rivalry and I love rivals jabbing at each other on non-rival-game weeks (the billboards needling OSU a couple of years ago were great) but from the official Athletic Department? Cheesy. It should be beneath them.
This is embarrassing.
September 19th, 2013 at 12:55 PM ^
It is also a good way to assure you never get any more business from someone when you talk to the media about your client's affairs.
September 19th, 2013 at 1:40 PM ^
Great point. LOL about that bonehead move by the skywriting company!
September 19th, 2013 at 12:46 PM ^
We can't fund the band going to Dallas for the Bama game (yes, I know it was probably a ploy that worked)? But come on.
September 19th, 2013 at 12:47 PM ^
I mean...he really squished the O in there between the G and B.
When he can do “This is Michigan,for God’s sakes!"....I'll be impressed
September 19th, 2013 at 12:58 PM ^
Maybe someone in the AD is an Arrested Development fan and its supposed to be GOB Bluth and the skywriter screwed up
September 19th, 2013 at 12:59 PM ^
Squishy "O" = REFUND!
September 19th, 2013 at 1:33 PM ^
fergodsakes
September 19th, 2013 at 12:48 PM ^
September 19th, 2013 at 12:49 PM ^
Who cares about the east lansing aspect of it? The "Hoke" over Michigan Stadium was sweet.
September 19th, 2013 at 2:39 PM ^
It looks like a lot of people care about it, wouldn't you say?
September 19th, 2013 at 12:52 PM ^
This is literally the most 'Little Brother' thing i've ever seen....
Pretty embarassing, actually....
September 19th, 2013 at 12:53 PM ^
September 19th, 2013 at 12:52 PM ^
It would have been funny if it were a random Michigan fan/alum, but for the AD to do it? When the teams aren't even playing each other? Not good. Weak. Etc.
September 19th, 2013 at 12:53 PM ^
The Athletic Department is going to hire a bunch of kids in Ohio to toilet paper Urban Meyer's house! It'll be hilarious!!
(As others have noted, this skywriting business is really embarrassing. With luck a well-heeled donor will strongly suggest that we not engage in this sort of bush-league behavior in the future.)
September 19th, 2013 at 1:01 PM ^
Hoke, Mattison, Borges and Brandon should recreate that scene from Billy Madison where they light a bag of shit on fire on Meyer's porch.
September 19th, 2013 at 1:42 PM ^
Paging all you GIF creators!!!!!!
September 19th, 2013 at 12:53 PM ^
September 19th, 2013 at 12:54 PM ^
This is pathetic. If some fan did it or commished it, that's a bit funny and a bit silly, but the AD doing it is just petty.
September 19th, 2013 at 12:56 PM ^
September 19th, 2013 at 1:14 PM ^
September 19th, 2013 at 6:35 PM ^
September 19th, 2013 at 3:17 PM ^
September 19th, 2013 at 12:57 PM ^
Hypothetically speaking, can I donate $3000 to the Athletic Dept and designate that it can only be used to hire a skywriter to do this for the MSU-ND game?
September 19th, 2013 at 12:58 PM ^
I love the trolling but leave it to the alums and/or fans. Coming from the AD is pretty weak. I mean I would atleast with limitless pockets that you'd have a fire works show to accompany it.
September 19th, 2013 at 1:05 PM ^
bawk bawk bawk bkaaw..bawk bawk bawk
September 19th, 2013 at 1:44 PM ^
ND is 100% right and a perfect example of the reaction that everyone is going to have (including a bunch of Michigan fan/alum). It was a stupid idea.
September 19th, 2013 at 2:02 PM ^
This made me laugh.
September 19th, 2013 at 10:52 PM ^
Nice come back.
*yawn.
September 19th, 2013 at 1:00 PM ^
September 19th, 2013 at 1:01 PM ^
Very embarrassing for Michigan, and with MSU turning this into a cancer fundraiser it makes us look even more petty. Very rarely do they ever take the moral high-ground, but they win 1000x over on this. I think someone should get fired in the athletic department for this.
I was really hoping it was Stephen Ross' great grandson's expenditure with his first allowance check, or something.
September 19th, 2013 at 2:13 PM ^
Yeah, like David "Multimedia" Brandon. This + the fraudulent season ticket sales should light a fire under his ass. I wrote a letter, but since I don't donate $10,000+ a year, I doubt he gives a shit. All about the benjamins, right Brandon? This guy is a piece of work. He manages to NOT FUCK UP the hiring process of a head coach of Michigan and expects to be sitting free and clear for the next decade? The guy is scummy beyond belief. I can't wait for MORE ads to be in the Big House. Maybe he'll put the macaroni statue on the field next time.
September 19th, 2013 at 1:03 PM ^
""It's a multi-thousand-dollar job," Asbury-Oliver said. "First, it's $2 per mile for how far we have to take the plane, then the lightweight oil we use (to skywrite) is expensive, and we use about a gallon and a quart each letter. Then for these kinds of jobs you have to throw in hotels and all that."
Yeah, if the athletic department paid for this and East Lansing was the target, then I can't help but be a little embarrassed by it sadly. Hopefully, we make up for it and take up Scott Westerman's challenge to our Alumni Association and beat the MSU donations to the Michigan Ovarian Cancer Alliance. That is a great use of the rivalry, in my opinion.
September 19th, 2013 at 4:52 PM ^
Even if it were 2500 miles, we're talking about $5k or about 4.5 cents per ticket per game.
September 19th, 2013 at 1:03 PM ^
I would guess that Ablauf is telling the truth when he says East Lansing wasn't specifically targeted. It's funny that it was, but these skywriters are from the West Coast - the department probably just said "southeast Michigan" and the writers figured they'd hit all the football stadiums, because football fans are football fans, right? It's at least plausible that people from Oregon would have no concept of either the rivalry or what "southeast Michigan" means.
That said, if the department has money to spend on this, THEY HAVE WAY TOO MUCH OF IT and I'd rather they stopped pushing the limits of what fans will accept in terms of hiked-up ticket prices and advertising and noodles and Arby's and stuff.
September 19th, 2013 at 1:07 PM ^
I don't think it's plausible. First, they're pilots -- they better have an idea of what SE MI is. Second, the Civil War in Oregon is huge -- they are more likely than not football fans and given the years of Pac 10-Big 10 alliances, I would think they'd have some idea of that UM-MSU don't like each other.
September 19th, 2013 at 1:18 PM ^
Except they're not from Oregon, they're from Arizona—and they're not sports fans.
Asbury-Oliver said she noticed from media reports the uproar it caused among Spartan fans, although she had no premonition of that beforehand as she's not from Michigan and didn't understand the nature of the MSU-UM rivalry. . . .
"My husband and I, we're not sports fans. We didn't know what it all was about," said Asbury-Oliver, who lives in Tucson, Ariz.