Dominate 1 sport or be really good at many?
What would you prefer?
Bc right now it seems like Michigan is the jack of all trades in the team sports but not quite at the peak of any of them.
Secondly, which program has the most potential moving forward? (Softball, basketball, baseball, football, hockey)
Basketball probably has the highest ceiling of all of them given who we hired imo.
Hockey seems to be recruiting well. The football program is in a “put up or shut up” kind of season given last year’s results and this year’s gauntlet of a schedule.
I serves to please
Great run by the baseball team but this is the 6th time this decade Michigan has played in a national title game/series/match and come up short:
2011- Hockey
2013 - Basketball*
2015 - Softball
2018 - Basketball
2019 - Women’s Tennis - doubles and Baseball
Just a little frustrating that one of these teams could not figure out a way to win it all.
Plus 1 for asterisk
Sports is supposed to be fun. Watching excellent teams play in big games and championship environments is a blast.
We get to do that more frequently than just about anyone, in multiple sports.
We're fortunate to support Michigan teams that usually win, and often compete at the highest level.
350 Division 1 basketball, 300 baseball, 130 football and 60 hockey schools. It's unreasonable to expect to "dominate" any sport with so many teams.
Sure, schools do manage to dominate a sport for awhile - 'bama football's had a strong run - but very few schools are fortunate to frequently field championship caliber teams at multiple sports. Michigan is one.
So, to answer the questions:
- I'll take Michigan's tradition of success at many sports.
- I'll take football. Shortest path to a championship, and IMO we have the program, coaches, recruiting and talent to make it happen. Hockey is second choice - field of potential champions is smallest of any major sport, and I believe in Mel.
I like being really good at many things. Think about how long this past academic year was relevant - August 2018 to practically July 2019. How fun is that if you really love all things Michigan?!
It is so difficult to win a national title unless you're Alabama in football (who doesn't even have to win its half of the conference). And the four we've recently lost on the men's side, all were to better rosters (argue if you want about Hookers-and-blow-ville, but that was a very good college basketball team, even though we were a clean block from a closer ballgame). Hunwick stood on his head. Nova was the best team in the country and abandoned their offense to beat us. Vandy's MLB talent and draft picks relative to ours? Let's be honest.
Does it mean we'll see some bridesmaid finishes? Yep, but it beats not being there. I've lived through 4 in basketball alone since my fandom began (the Fab 5's count). But our coaching staffs are proving to be national title caliber and, at some point, we'll win a couple.
Great at all of them! Ps you suck with your false dichotomy and negative attitude.
The Michigan relay:
Football hands off the baton to
Basketball and Hockey hands off the baton to
Softball and Baseball.
That keeps Michigan's name on people's lips for almost the entire year. Good PR like that benefits the entire athletic department and university as a whole.
I’m too far entrenched into all of the other sports to “trade” their success for Football success so no, I would not trade.
You can do both.
But if you would’ve told me MICHIGAN BASEBALL would make it to the College World Series and ended that drought before Football ended their drought......woof what an indictment on the football program.
I would like Michigan to be dominant in football and basketball and really good at the rest.
Boner
How about we just rest tonight.
Be really good at many. It's more fun this way.
My fandom and I prefer that UM dominate all sports.
Michigan Athletics...always the bridesmaid never the Bride
True.
But we've had some great hookups while we were there.
For the U of M athletic department, the athletes and the coaches this is a rhetorical question. Sadly, the fans of even such an elite institution manage to truly believe that somehow their feelings should be given special consideration in these regards. I know this is not a popular position for the masses but for those of us for whom playing and coaching has been a deeply meaningful part of our lives...all we can do is sigh. Why the hell can't the fans just enjoy and appreciate the effort and skill that is displayed??? The criticism of Bakich in the aftermath of the last two games is exhibit A of this mind-numbing fan behavior. I guarantee you that everyone who is directly involved with this baseball team will carry fond memories of this season to their grave. Clearly it is too much to ask the fans to get a perspective but...hope springs eternal.
I think the masses to whom you refer are actually only the vocal minority. I believe that your view is actually "inside the box". So, user name does not check out.
Exactly - fuck the fans and their meaningless opinions and their ticket and apparel purchases. Lowest of the low.
As a Michigan Parent, but not an alumnus, I think that these might be some admirable goals:
(1) Frequently finishing second to Stanford in the Learfield IMG College Directors Cup standings and never finishing out of the top five, while narrowing the gap between Michigan and Stanford and every once in a while (a) coming out on top in those standings, and (b) winning a national championship in one of what are considered the major sports that draw the most media attention (football, basketball, baseball, softball).
(2) Always remaining among the top universities in the world and having leaders in state, national and world governments and winners of some of the "EGOT" awards and Nobel Prizes.
This is a really stupid and pathetic take
Really good at multiple sports is the most fun as a fan and adds more to school prestige. Puts us closer to Stanford than Alabama, which is a good thing imo.
I'm sure I will get blasted for this, but at some point, Michigan's gotta get over the hump. Getting to national title games is incredibly difficult, in any sport and I can appreciate the hard work making it to that point.
I can also appreciate being really good in multiple sports; other schools cannot say the same. But whether it's running into Luke Hancock/Trey Burke block, or a ridiculous dominant softball pitcher (Florida, softball), or having some guy like DiVinenco score 90 points and not missing a shot, or being one game away (this year), Michigan's gotta rise above it and get it done.
I feel for ya.
I was lucky enough to see Michigan win 4 major National Championships in the span of only 10 years: 1989 Basketball, 1997 Football, 1996 and 1998 Hockey.
So all of these other National Championship game appearances that came later that fell just short are gravy. I don't have the "We can't win the big one" perspective.
I know it's not much consolation if your fandom started in the 2000's, but Michigan can do it.
I was four when Michigan won hoops, so sadly I do not have any memories of it (1989).
I do remember football, but being 12 at the time, I still don't think I understood what it was like to be a fan and have legit passion for a program.
I think the WORST I've ever felt was the TJ Duckett/Spartan Bob TD. And the best was probably... I would say the Trey Burke shot against Kansas?
So I for sure have experienced those peaks and valleys. I just think it's been much too long for this brand to have not won a championship in a major collegiate sport.
Our ingredient for winning those National Championships was not some unheralded player coming from out of nowhere and playing out of his mind.
It was this: Our best players played their best game of the season when it counted most.
Rice in '89. Woodson in '97. Morrison in '96.
That to me has been the difference in our recent shortfalls. Our best players have kind of faded in the NC spotlight. Not quite sure why.
dominate all the sports
I assume this is how these choices are being defined:
"Dominate one sport" means multiple championships in a condensed timeframe in either basketball or football, let's say like Clemson or Bama football. And meanwhile, all other sports, including basketball, languish in mediocrity or worse with "success" being occasionally making the postseason and flaming out.
"Good at many" means you're good to great in basketball, football, and then other sports that people actually might watch like hockey, women's basketball, lacrosse, baseball, softball, and soccer. However, none of these result in a title.
With that being the choice, if I had to make a choice for all time, the rest of my life, I'd take good at many. But if I could choose "Dominate one sport" for a ten year period with the decade ending in three titles before reverting back to whatever naturally occurs, I'd take that. I want the title.
Maybe it's unpopular, but I would enthusiastically sacrifice other sports to be elite in just 1 or 2.
If you told me of football, basketball, hockey, baseball, and softball for examples that you can either have all 5 be top 15ish programs or you could have three be mediocre and one or two would win national titles in the next decade, I would happily take the latter.
Would trade all national titles in all other sports combined (past and present) for a national title in football this year.
If this was not an option, then yes, I'd rather be a really good all other sports rather than win a Natty in one but suck at the others.
If there's a ceiling, rest assured Michigan will bump its head on it.
Ehh I’d rather be really good at a lot of stuff with semi-occasional chances at national championships vs. being dominant at only one thing.
You think about the juggernauts out there. Clemson/OSU/Bama football. Besides those sports, what does each school really have going for it athletically? OSU basketball is good but until proven otherwise it’s not what it used to be. Clemson and Bama have absolutely nothing other than football. Maybe a few first round March Madness tourney exits. So the minute those football programs take any kind of downturn, what else does the school have to show for itself?
I guess it’s a little like investing. Do you go balls to the wall and invest in the one highly volatile stock that could make you rich overnight (or cause you to go broke), or do you mitigate your risk, invest in a several stable stocks and mutual funds that don’t often have the big payoffs, but if one goes in the tank you’ve still got plenty to fall back on and be happy about.
There’s arguments for both, but I know what I’d pick.
It's not a zero sum game. It's not like Michigan is hurting for money and having to choose which sport to invest in. The limiting factors are NCAA rules and geography, which is not like you can redistribute between sports.
To be honest, success in sports like baseball and softball and to some extent even hockey goes basically unnoticed beyond the superfans.
For the overall population a single win over OSU would generate more attention than a national championship in any of the secondary sports.
One school to rule them all.
Ask Vanderbilt.