THE GIFT OF MGOBLOG

Now that we have perhaps received the best gift of 2013 – the return of the voting system – and in the spirit of the holiday season, I wanted to share some thoughts on what I like to think of as “The Gift Of MGoBlog”.

In a way, the space in which many of us share our daily musings about the state of Michigan’s varsity sports is a gift, one provided free of charge and one provided so that a diverse group of people with one unifying interest can come and discuss their Wolverines. We may not always have our best face on while doing so, as this past football season indicated, but at no point did we really check out even if some threatened to do so. For those of us whose spouses look strangely at us when we jump out of our seats during significant plays, we get from MGoBlog the gift of people who totally understand that behavior and connect with people who share in the emotion of those moments.

Like many gifts, it is an incredibly practical one with multiple uses. Looking at it this way, I don’t know if anyone could ask for a better gift. Many of us have more than just one purpose for this blog. We get information, we get entertained and we get to know other Michigan fans and we begin to appreciate just how wide the reach of the fanbase really is. These three things combine, in my opinion, to provide what might be the best gift that MGoBlog can give to us – it makes us better Michigan fans for the knowledge, the entertainment and the sense of community. I have always believed that if we walk away from here at the end of the day having learned something about our favorite team and school, or we walk away having gotten the chance to understand a fellow fan and their insights, then the gift has been imparted.

At least in my case, I know that my three years here have made me a better, more informed fan and a more connected one. I have learned so much that I didn’t know about my alma mater, learned things about football and other sports that I didn’t know and learned that there are fans out there as obsessed as I am about Michigan and Michigan things. The chance to become a moderator in March gave me the opportunity to give back for all the site has provided me as well, and I like to think that the greatest gift we can give to the site would be positive contributions and being a responsible member of the community here.

As we trudge on through the holiday season, sliding into the final hours before Christmas, remember that here, we’ve been given a gift and one that expands and becomes more significant each day as we add our insights and personality to it. For those of us who are more than a casual fan, it is one of the most thoughtful gifts we could get as well, a place where we can have the discussions that we might not be able to have with many of those around us on a daily basis.

With that in mind, I would like to thank Brian and the MGoBlog staff for another year of great insights, informed content and allowing us to be part of this community. This fall may have been trying for many of us, but the gift of MGoBlog remains as vibrant and popular as ever (especially since voting has returned).

Have a safe and excellent holiday season!

-LSAClassOf2000