Should MGoblog attend summer practice?
I've already posted on this subject on the mgoboard, so I apologize in advance for the redundancy since I’ve already posted on this subject on the mgoboard.
Anyhoo, The Wolverine folks over on rivals.com are claiming to have access to every other upcoming summer practice. Of the hundred or so changes in regime we’ve all been anticipating as positive, the increased media access (to assistant coaches, practices, etc.) is among those I’ve looked forward to the most. Eff the sketchy "whispers". Bring on a 48 hour news cycle of legitimate observations and analysis.
Oh how the time between 8/4 and 8/30 would fly if we could get practice reports every other day. Since Brian was able to muscle his way into the Big 10 meetings, I was curious if he had any designs on summer practice as well. Turns out, there may be an invitation.
Question is, should he take it? IMO this is a no-brainer. Of course he should. But what if they put some conditions on this access, such as... I don’t even know what.
Who here thinks it’s still a good idea? What sort of restrictions can you envision that they would request which you could live with?
If UM said Brian could attend every other practice so long as for the duration he a) stopped posting content using any of the 7 dirty words, and b) refrained from personally posting or linking to any R-rated material, then I would say "Yes" he should go.
Looking even further down the line, they issued MGoblog credentials for the big 10 meetings. They’re considering some level of access for summer practice. Lets say hypothetically, there’s a chance Brian could become our own embedded beat reporter with the team. We would take that and live with whatever stylistic consequences arose (UFR goes nowhere of course)? Or is it not worth the risk?
Maybe, just maybe, with the increase in media access across the board, the MSM will rise to the challenge and take the opportunity to provide much more substantive reporting on the on-field product. If this were to happen, Mgoblog could keep the role we’ve all come to know and love. I just don’t have a lot of faith.
I'm also checking the site way too often, which is why the potential invitation to observe practice/attend pressers, etc., is so intriguing to me. The blogger v. MSM deliniation and debate from mgoblog's perspective has been fascinating, and now comes the chance to participate in MSM type activities.
With it comes the opportunity to examine why I am obsessed with the site as my #1 stop for UM football. The answer is the humor and candor, followed very closely by the analysis and information. Yet, in the end, I would be willing to potentially sacrifice an unknown quantity of that humor and candor for a quantum leap ahead in information and analysis. I guess Brian must be pondering if he himself, and other readers, feel the same way.
Or maybe I am just way too over thinking this fucking thing and should get back to work.
My wife can say bad things about me (which I might not like) but I know it is because she loves me and cares deeply about what I do. I assume Brian would approach increased access in the same way. Candid and truthful but always with a love of the program and concern for its reputation and future. This can require calling a spade a spade. If a SID cannot tolerate that, it is not worth the increased access. The loss of an occasional dirty word or link would probably be a reasonable sacrifice.
The difference with MSM types is that they either have to write fluff or lose access or they are a Drew Sharp/AA News type who would rather write garbage and disparage the program just to sell papers. Unlike my wife, or Brian, they do not care deeply about the topic/person/program under discussion.
Brian should visit if possible so he can speak to the way Coach Rod might or might not handle his practices. He's get the information first hand and then have a knowledge of the new practice regiment. It couldn't hurt in the big picture.
2) Brian should be himself and change nothing about MgoBlog,
3) Brian will inevitably get thrown out, because of 2),
4) Brian is back to where he was, no worse off, with a brief but good experience.
5) What the hell.
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