Unverified Voracity Yells Something
That sounds good! Oh. This tweet has a very Ben Mason twist in it:
UM players say Ben Mason comes off the ball SCREAMING. Cesar Ruiz: "I only went against Ben maybe once or twice, but I remember the reps vividly because there was so much yelling and grunting and I almost didn’t believe it. I was like, 'He’s really yelling at me right now.'" lol
— angelique (@chengelis) March 30, 2019
Literally screaming at people is probably not as good as having an explosive first step. Mason's dalliance at three-tech is a wee bit alarming since he's listed at 254 on the roster. While that's not updated, there's no way he's able to get to reasonable DT weight in a year. It's going to be a rough year at DT.
Harbaugh's having a presser right now in which he's detailing various position groups, and there's an open practice Saturday.
This actually sounds good. Gattis offering glimpses into Michigan practices and his approach to routes:
Some times in order to teach you must show! If you know me you must master the details on 2nd level releases!
— Josh Gattis (@Coach_Gattis) April 1, 2019
Head/eyes/hips ✔️
Inside foot stays in the ground✔️
Re-stem snap the head pin the shoulder on the out✔️#Crafting101
ft: young @MikeSainristil pic.twitter.com/IA92zbJKVL
At the very least he should be a top-tier WR coach, and the idea of a guy who cut his teeth under Joe Moorhead getting Patterson, Black, Collins, and DPJ… could be good.
There's a real easy explanation. Insane article from Dennis Dodd in which a suit working at Virginia Tech looks at college football's attendance problem and concludes that facepaint is the solution:
"I wasn't an athlete. For me, at least, the fundamental [way] how you run an event is the way KISS runs a show."
Wurthman went to describe the anticipation built by the band's introduction hype video on the jumbotron -- KISS walking from dressing room to stage -- and the same old songs that are the foundation of classic rock radio.
Yeah, they rock the house. They could also lead a morning athletic department staff meeting.
"It is," Wurthman concluded, "quintessential sports marketing."
The article is full of people dancing around the real issue, because they are prohibited from realizing what the real issue is. USF's AD:
"The reality is that the national attendance numbers are going to continue to go down," Bulls AD Mike Kelly said, "mainly due to the comparative social and leisure experiences that can now be had outside the football stadium even if those experiences still center around the game itself."
Read that again. This is USF's athletic director saying attendance is going to go down because the in-stadium experience sucks. That's the problem. If a KISS concert had six commercial breaks in its first half hour, people would stop going to KISS concerts.
[After THE JUMP: NBA draft items]
The latest from Draft Express. They've updated their draft risers and fallers. Both Poole and Iggy draw mention. Poole's ranked 64th:
…intriguing long-term projection, but he showed why he's still far away from being able to help an NBA team [against Texas Tech]. His decision-making often leaves much to be desired. He's contact-averse and could stand to add more ways to impact the game when his shot isn't falling. …could use another year of high-level experience at Michigan to maximize his draft stock.
Should Poole opt to enter the draft he without question will garner workout interest and would likely hear his name called, but one more year of seasoning at Michigan would serve him well. -- Schmitz
Iggy is barely inside their 100 at 88:
…could certainly hear his name called in the back end of the second round with a strong pre-draft process, but questions still remain about how the 20-year-old Brazdekis moves the needle on an NBA floor. His confidence, aggressiveness and ambidexterity as a straight-line driver are certainly positives, but he'll need to become a much more consistent shooter (career 32.2 percent from 3 on 410 attempts) and more adept passer to make up for his lack of length (6-8 wingspan) and foot speed on the defensive end of the floor. -- Schmitz
Those numbers from three apparently include high school attempts, which were much more likely to be bad off the dribble shots than his threes at Michigan. DX may be underrating Iggy a bit based on that.
So it's status quo: draft folks think both should return if they want to maximize their draft stock. If either wants to go they may go in the second round. There is of course a chance of that.
Matthews is 67th, so they project that he'll get drafted if a reasonable number of underclassmen in front of him return to school.
Speaking of that chance. Uh. Not great when random assholes are drawing this kind of response:
The decision here may not be based entirely on draft status.
Related to said chance. Jeff Goodman's transfer tracker has a few grad transfers mentioning Michigan as a possible destination. They are:
- Daniel Utomi, wing, Akron. 6'6", 22% usage, Just A Shooter profile. Hit 37% from 3 on 232 attempts.
- Dazon Ingram, guard, Alabama. 6'5", 20% usage, 22 assist rate, 26 TO rate, shooting 48/38. Big FT rate.
- Justin Pierce, wing, William & Mary. 6'7", 25% usage, 24 assist rate, shot 55/33.
- Jahaad Proctor, guard, High Point. 28% usage, 22 assist rate, low TO rate, shot 53/33.
None of these guys are particularly exciting. That Michigan has reached out to a number of grad transfers says at least a little something about the roster's stability, or lack thereof.
Michigan hockey… summer? Will Lockwood will return:
#Canucks F prospect Will Lockwood has informed the club that he will be returning to the University of Michigan pic.twitter.com/tASVTcG2bV
— Nucks News (@nucksnews) March 31, 2019
That's a big deal for a team that struggled to score. Lockwood led Michigan forwards with 31 points in 36 games. He was also +8, which led all forwards. Michigan is still waiting on Luke Martin, Josh Norris, and Nick Pastujov. It is a good sign that none of the three have already signed. Frequently you'll see teams sign guys and stick them in the AHL immediately. Norris's injury does mean that his failure to sign yet is less encouraging than the other two guys.
Etc.: Remembering Charles Matthews. Strangely fascinating article about illegal sports streaming. Pomeroy on yelling at people in public. One time I went to the Old Country Buffet in town because my girlfriend insisted and we saw one of our professors there with a woman who seemed uncomfortably like a mail-order bride anyway buffets aren't really a thing much anymore.
I see attendance dropping for a couple of reasons beyond what I believe is Brian's concern, the number and length of TV timeouts. Costs have gotten too high for many people along with many games where the competition just plain sucks.
Then there is the HDTV at-home experience which, on a lousy weather day, can be very nice.
Costs are the number 1 reason.
Don't forget that going to a game, can easily turn into a 6+ hour event. I know I typically use weekends for family time and catching up on errands as I'm often gone from the house 12 hours a day on weekdays.
Being able to watch the game from home frees up the rest of my morning/evening.
I agree with the cost being the #1. Also, it doesn't help that non-conf home games are almost always garbage (Youngstown St, Army, etc). Any good non-conf game are at Jerry Jones dome. Gers, Illinois and Maryland don't help the schedule either.
It all went to shit with the introduction of seat licenses.
What a way to drive up the cost. To pay for the right to maintain the seats that you had for years.
One of my clients was a charter member of the victors club, his ticket costs skyrocketed. He simply got priced out of the market.
Army is not garbage - they might be a top 20 team when we play them.
I'm with you on cost being the main driver. Between the ticket, the parking, and any food, it's insanely expensive. I can afford to go myself, but I can't really justify bringing my family of four. So, as a father you end up having to miss some games because you can't just leave your family constantly. So then, they end up kind of losing me as a hard core fan and definitely losing my kids for the future.
This. Granted, the people in suits lack the ability to have the longterm view, but they're currently pricing out a generation of future fans. For a ton of kids these days (mine included), going to a game is an rare luxury, not the sort of routine, communal experience that leads to lifelong fandom. My kid might very well end up viewing Michigan football in the same way he views Disney World, or Cedar Point or whatever, as a place that's fun to go to every couple of years. The Big House won't be a place where the smell of the concessions and the stadium on a crisp fall day remind him of the memories of games past. He'll just feel like a consumer passing through, waiting in line for Space Mountain.
You speak truth, Stretch.
Going to games with extended family/family friends was an integral part of my AA upbringing.
I imagine 4-6 ppl used to go for the cost of 1 these days!
And yet... sweep nd, msu, osu this year and so many costs & inconveniences of gameday attendance will be swept aside. Happy days will be here again & glory returned to the kingdom!!!
" My kid might very well end up viewing Michigan football in the same way he views Disney World, or Cedar Point or whatever, as a place that's fun to go to every couple of years. "
I live on the outskirts of Ann Arbor, and that is exactly how my kids (17 and 14) see it.
I can get admission, parking, and an unlimited drink wristband at Cedar Point for $40 per person.
This is such a weird perspective? Like many (probably the majority) of UM fans, I grew up 100+ miles from Ann Arbor. I believe I got to go to about 4 UM games before I went to college. But we religiously listened to the games on the radio (or watched TV if they were on, or both at the same time if it was a game with terrible TV announcers). Then from 1988 through 2003 I had season tickets.
If going to the games regularly as a child was what it took to make fans, we'd already be sunk...
Good point. I grew up outside Flint. I'd basically go to one game a year with my dad. But I'd always watch the game and was a big fan growing up because of the rest of my family as well.
I took my son to the PSU game this year (our fourth game together). The tickets cost $200+. Lunch before the game was $30. A jersey at MDen was $50 or $60 I want to say. Other out of pockets there ran around $30. parking was around $10. Two nights at the hotel in Brighton (we could have gotten away with one night I suppose) were another $280. Gas and other miscellaneous for my wife and daughter were another $200. So about $800.
Not cheap, but not a bank buster. That said, it's not something I could afford to do more than once a year. And I am a middle class professional.
I disagree on cost being the biggest issue. People pay for good entertainment, always have, always will. But the value of sporting events is falling behind, due to the TV issues Brian harps on (too many timeouts, gametime not set until 12 days in advance, night games, etc.), competition sucking as you point out, plus the in-home experience becoming relatively attractive compared to in-stadium.
Student tickets are free at most schools, and heavily discounted at all others, yet we still see that students don't want to go to games.
I think the issue is cultural. People do not like doing big, community, tentpole events like they used to. There are a lot of examples - sporting events, church, parades, political rallys, and many other examples. The trend pre-dates social media. But I think people are less willing to go out to a huge event for the sake of being there and being social. I always thought that it has to be a habit to plan your week around a football game, and once people start considering it less "must-do" and just one of many weekend options, of course attendance and engagement will go down. I don't think pyrotechnics and mascots and wifi are going to change that.
I think that is a good analysis for students. But speaking as the most plainly middle-class sports-loving father of 2 boys you will find, the primary issue is cost. Michigan Stadium is a sight to behold and my kids will take to a game or two, but I cannot justify a regular $400-$500 round trip expense when I have great high school football being played at 100 schools around me every Friday night for $20 with a hotdog and popcorn. It costs a family of four the cost of a mid-size household appliance to go to a Michigan game, all costs included. That isn't reasonable.
That is exactly my thinking. I can either buy a new fridge, or take my family to a basketball game. In the 70's and 80's, that was not the case.
Ding, ding. The cost of attending a live game relative to other, normal people purchases is vastly higher than it used to be.
This is also true for higher education in general. I went to college in the 80s. The boorish members of my parents' generation told us stories of paying for college with a summer job and part time work during the school year, and no help from their parents or the school/the government. That was manifestly impossible even in my day. For my kids, a summer job, if they can find one, will pay for... textbooks.
used textbooks.
People pay for good entertainment, always have, always will.
But the thing is, this isn't like a concert where you can't experience it if you're not in person. You have the option to watch the game on TV, your phone, whatever. That's where I think cost is a factor, because it acts as a disincentive to going.
People do want to go to the big games still. Where we see attendance issues is with the minor games, which now are clearly overpriced.
people will indeed pay for good entertainment. which is precisely the point - the entertainment value of the in-stadium experience has degraded, for all the reasons already listed (i'd also add the insanely loud music that gets played at every opportunity, instead of allowing the greatest marching band ever to actually play).
it's a pretty simple choice - is it worth it to spend (conservatively) $200 for me and my partner to go to a game, a game that will have at least a dozen LONG tv timeouts, ear-splitting bump music, against middle tennessee state / army / indiana? $400, if i go to a marquee game? i do it once a year, but that's about it. the juice just isn't worth the squeeze.
Looking to go back to AA this year for a game and to catch up with old friends...preliminary budget (airfare/lodging/Ubers/Bar tabs, etc) is looking like $1,500+....for 1 person and 2 days. The idea of taking my young kids back and having that number go up to $3,000+ for a football game is just not realistic. So many other things that money would be better spent on that I just can't justify it. I'll go to see my friends but my kids will only see campus on non-football weekends.
It's true that the gameday experience is bloated, expensive, sometimes a major hassle, and in general, probably just not as great as it once was due to the screaming need to monetize the fuck out of everything.
However, the picture is even bigger than that. Look around at various hobby activities. Sailing. Hunting. Bowling. Skiing. All have people sitting around fretting that participation is down and wondering what to do about it. Golf and fishing have recently gone upwards, but are still busy reversing a long declining trend.
I think game-day attendance is just one of many activities caught up in a larger overall trend. And it's hard to say this without sounding like I'm yelling at a cloud, but I think people are losing the attention span necessary to do more than just dabble in various activities. Now we have screens to keep us from getting bored. There's Netflix, Hulu, Prime, streaming sports, YouTube, and God knows what else that I haven't caught up with lately. Why should I spend the time trying to get good at something, and develop a deep interest in it, when there's so much sitting there that I haven't binge-watched yet? It's time-consuming, it's expensive, and I can't even wait in line for five minutes at Subway without whipping out my phone after ten seconds, let alone devote a lot of boring repetitive hours doing something that takes that much time out of my day. (Not me, personally. Seriously - I stand in a line of like nine people at the work caf, and I'll be the only one not craning my neck downward at a screen.)
The outreach I see from all the different hobby groups is incredible these days. People recognize that there are perceived barriers to entry in these hobbies and are putting in yeoman's work trying to get people interested. But that wasn't necessary when we could only choose from channel 2, 4, 7, and 62. I think going to games is just another hobby that used to be big for people, and now they don't have time or money, and little interest even if they did.
I can't speak to most of the things you listed but I moved to Colorado 20 years ago and day of lift ticket was $80 for the most expensive hills....today it's around $200....a day. And the equipment is no joke either - nicer coats will run $700+, etc. It's ridiculous and just one more thing that has grown much faster than wages.
This is peripheral to this discussion, but those lift prices are also clearly tied to Vail Resort's attempt to keep skiers at their mountains via the Epic Pass. If you ski more than 4 days at any Vail owned resort, it makes more sense to buy the season pass than daily tickets.
Absolutely....and there are cheaper mountains to go to if all you want is a week of skiing. But for us, we drop around $4,000 every year for tickets and that number grows by about 10% a year. It's getting out of hand. The real reason is because of the international component. If you go to any Vail Resorts mountain in Colorado (especially Vail and Beaver Creek) you are surrounded by the elite of the elite of other countries who don't really care what it costs to be there because it's a nominal amount for them.
Same issue with college admissions. USC is 30% international now....maybe that explains why tuition never drops and why kids feel the need to bribe their way in. If you're competing with not only every kid in the US but not a HUGE chunk of international kids that pay 100% tuition without blinking.....that's a lot of pressure.
This is USF's athletic director saying attendance is going to go down because the in-stadium experience sucks. That's the problem. If a KISS concert had six commercial breaks in its first half hour, people would stop going to KISS concerts.
This is so true. Of course, most AD's (particularly P5 conference AD's) don't want to piss off the TV people, so they can't say anything about the elephant in the room.
Going to Michigan @ Northwestern this year was PAINFUL. Sure, the game had it's challenges, but the complete and utter lack of flow due to all the commercial breaks was what really killed the experience for me. I'd be all in favor of a longer halftime (maybe 10 minutes) if it meant we lose one commercial break per quarter (or a couple per half).
EDIT:
In response to bluebyyou's comment on cost, this is also a true thing, but it applies to practically every major leisure activity. Magic Kindgom for a family of 4? That'll be close to $500 just to get in. One day lift tickets at Breckenridge for a family of 4? Prepare to shell out $700. Want to take the family to watch a musical? Okay, $300+ please.
Even going to look at the Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver would've cost us over $100 USD. No thank you. We went to the free Lynn Canyon suspension bridge instead.
Are there still KISS concerts?
That was my reaction.
Cedar Point for a family of four: $160
Breckenridge for a family of four: $588 or less ($147 per ticket for single day) - and I can afford to go there about once every two years.
Musicals? Sweeney Todd at Power Center this month: $92 ($34 ea x2 adults, $12 ea x2 students)
Sweeny Todd? Try going to see Hamilton.
U of M football - U of M students playing football.
Sweeney Todd - U of M students putting on a musical.
People should not attack our players on Twitter or any other public forum. And those who do should be made to sit in a small room and listen to extremely loud bagpipes for 24 consecutive hours.
Or extremely loud particularly bad dubstep. Or Baby Shark.
The more worrying part about the tweet is that Poole's dad is blaming the offensive system for his struggles. If he feels he's just being told to stand in the corner that says not great things
I don't think there is any question that Poole and Beilein need to have a chat. Neither seemed comfortable with the other this year. Beilein looked constantly frustrated with Poole and Poole did not look like he was having much fun out there. My gut feeling is that if Poole believes it reasonably likely that he will be drafted he will declare. I am pretty close to certain he will do the declare-don't hire agent thing. I think that is a given.
Bingo. Lost in the kerfuffle about this toolbag & Jordan's dad were the comments Mr Poole made regarding Jordan's role in the offense. THAT was a far bigger deal to me than any jackwagon Michigan fan running his mouth behind the annonimity of twitter.
I will be shocked if Poole returns. I think we're gonna lose three-Poole, Iggy & Mathews to be honest.
Yup, because we can't have nice things. Izzo takes 5-star talent; misuses it, and that only convinces his players to stick around for five years to finally get a chance to shine. Meanwhile, Beilein develops 3-stars into solid bench players who transfer to another school just as they are in line for starter minutes at Michigan. Or, he gets guys with NBA potential just to the point of being draftable, and they're out the door.
Gee, I wonder what about playing for MSU instead of turning pro could be appealing to their players?.../s/
Even if you think you might go to the draft next year but have no intention of staying in this year's I think you're nuts if you DON'T take advantage of the declare/no agent thing and go through the process. Additional feedback from potential employers is good information!
That's the concerning part of that exchange to me too. Even if it was just an emotional twitter reaction (which, I can't really blame him for), there is obviously some frustration with Beilein/ the system.
I really hope Poole sticks it out at Michigan though. The kid has tons of talent, and I love the way he plays when he is on. it is just a matter of consistency with him and playing within himself and the offense. I still believe Beilein would help him make a huge leap next year, which would be very beneficial for him longer term.
Beneficial IF he'll listen!
There were stories from practice that they had guys standing outside the 3-pt line pushing JP in the back if he tried to shoot more than a step outside the arc.
Is THAT a common practice? If it is it never became public about any previous player, to my knowledge.
Here is my .02 cents on Poole and the program itself. I dont think players learn to really appreciate JB until they are gone from Michigan. I liken a JB practice to a gruesome basketball camp of which you cant wait to end and where you learn or relearn fundamentals and then it's over and you go back to high school and you use that stuff. Except with JB, it never stops until they leave. Its constant structure and a desire for perfection all of the time. Freshman rarely play major minutes here, unless they have a unique skillset. Most players who can go pro will go by 2 years. We aren't Carolina or Mich St where players say 3-4 years for whatever reason, despite their readiness for the NBA.
Poole, for one, was entering his first full season and it has shown that players need 2 seasons at least to master the O. Poole also, by personality, is full of life. It was exciting for fans when he was bench mob and came in for sniper shots, no so much when he was a starter. No doubt Poole and JB prob frustrate one another. The free lancer vs the structured tactician. This offense also bogged down quite a bit this year due to weird personnel groupings and JB didnt have an answer for it, thus creating frustration on both sides. When Michigan is really lethal is when they are executing fast breaks and taking shots and moving the ball, not half court stagnant ball. I think its going to be a critical offseason and these two def need to sit down and talk about stuff. This team could come back and be lethal or 2-4 could leave and it be back to the drawing board.
0.02 cents is not very many cents.
But anyway, I too have wondered if the fact that freshman don't get much playing time here because of the offensive system has hurt us in recruiting.
i hear dogs like to shit on ian vedder's lawn.
Well them dogs will need to wait in line!
My general feeling is people shouldn't talk to college athletes at all on social media unless they know them. I sometimes see people on Twitter posting just asshole things at rival players and I'm left wondering how hollow of a person you must be to think that yelling at a 19-year-old on social media is worth it.
Man, fuck that Ian Vedder guy.
Jordan is a good kid and doesn't deserve that crap. People act like they want to win games more than the players and coaches, when that is simply not true.
I love buffets. I'm of the Ron Swanson school: quantity over quality.
You can have both quantity and quality! If anyone is ever in Houston, Hugo's offers an authentic mexican Sunday brunch buffet that is quite the culinary experience. Highly recommend it.
If it's also cheap, you have the trifecta buffet unicorn--buffoonicorn?--of quantity, quality, and cheap.
I would not mind a grad transfer Just A Shooter type guy at all
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