Apparently I have to say this: treat recruits with respect
Brandon posted an article about 2016 recruit Teryn Savage, and this is his takeaway from his experience at MGoBlog:
https://twitter.com/TerynSavage/status/382644691738451968
So congratulations, leftrare, MGoBrewMom, JuggernautRides, and chitownblue2, and the other people in that thread who insulted the kid for no reason. Guess what: people are interested to see what people say about them on the internet, and now a potential recruit doesn't want to talk to Brandon.
If you think that 2016 is a magic land from which news cannot come, don't read it. We're going to report on kids that are being recruited.
Going forward, anything that could be interpreted as an insult to a blameless high school kid will result in a no-warning ban. Even if that interpretation is crazy. Any "pedo" references will also result in a ban.
In conclusion, guh.
September 24th, 2013 at 11:31 PM ^
I'm glad to see most of Ye MGo Olde Guarde is in agreement on this.
September 25th, 2013 at 7:06 AM ^
yep, it's a result of the growth of the blog and the transition to have more recruiting news which has probably grown the readership more than any single thing except the 1st coaching search.
Give up hope
September 24th, 2013 at 8:42 PM ^
Yeah, I'm going to have to say that what MGoBrewMom said is not harmful in anyway shape or form. I mean good lord, in Monday's recruiting post i(bottom of page) Ace says "I can't even bring myself to tag '2016 recruiting' yet and here goes a 2017 commit to LSU."
I view both of these comments in the same context; that recruiting is streching so far out that kids that are being recruited are less young adults (juniors/seniors) and more..well kids. End of story, not comparing a boy to a girl simply saying these kids are starting to look more and more like the ones still playing hide and seek on the playground.
Brian, if you feel so strongly that its the right of the blog to cover these kids (despite being a part of the problem) and implementing such a draconian and arbitrarly enforced policy then I suggest turning comments off for those posts and/or locking the treads when posted if thats not possible.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:44 PM ^
First of all, moderation is by nature arbitrary. There's no other way to do it. Second, it's not draconian. It's a very simple rule about making extra sure you're respectful to recruits. This policy really shouldn't be controversial.
September 25th, 2013 at 9:08 AM ^
I've been a member of various forums/chatrooms since I was 12 and I can tell you that you can clearly differeniate between banhammer offenses and simply removing a post.
The type of policy Dear Leader is advocating is that if he thinks a post goes to far then boom banhammer leveled. I've seen many a forum die because the Admin got way too power hungry.
Dear Leaders refusual to admit that he is part of the problem is another thing that is rubbing people the wrong way, especially after the Picture Pages treatment Dat Bull got. Simple way to solve all of this; lock Coach Browns threads, the content still gets posted and the kid still gets exposure.
September 24th, 2013 at 9:06 PM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 8:52 PM ^
absofuckinglutely
September 24th, 2013 at 9:05 PM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 9:28 PM ^
Ehh telling a 16 year old he looks 10 is mildly insulting. Something to make a big deal over? Probably not. But still mildly insulting.
September 24th, 2013 at 11:29 PM ^
You are on point, Butterfield.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:24 PM ^
than getting rid of the 'pedo' references, young Mr. Savage has performed a public service.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:47 PM ^
Wtf kind of 'pedo' references have there been? I've read this blog for a long time (only recently and rarely post) and I can't recall seeing any references to pedophilia outside that of the jerry sandusky case.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:50 PM ^
Well, on that thread alone, there's the pic of the creepy van with "Candy" written on the side.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:25 PM ^
Several of those were more concerned with third party attention on a high school sophmore for the gratuitous enjoyment of a college football fans. They said absolutely nothing to insult this young man. Agree or disagree with their position but at least represent it accurately
September 24th, 2013 at 8:38 PM ^
Come on now. The comparison to the 10-year-old girl was a little insulting.
September 24th, 2013 at 9:03 PM ^
Come on yourself. She said he looked young and said he looked as young as hers which happened to be a girl of 10. Now I know that the last thing a teenage boy wants to do is look younger but there was no malice there. Anyway, I pointed out that a few pointed out his youthful appearance and even if you deem that insulting, many of those singled out were discussing the attn on sophmores.
September 24th, 2013 at 9:13 PM ^
I don't disagree with anything you just typed.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:50 PM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 9:19 PM ^
this?
September 24th, 2013 at 8:27 PM ^
Reinforces my belief that recruiting is basically the worst.
September 25th, 2013 at 1:08 AM ^
Indeed.
September 25th, 2013 at 5:51 PM ^
I'm not 100% yet, but I'm leaning towards saying these interviews are just one step too far for this here format. It's strange, because this blog had no problems regurgitating interviews, digging up whatever bits of info possible on recruits. I'm still reading through this thread, but that's my feeling so far.
Having said that, Brian's response seems heavy handed. I reserve the right to change my mind if someone sways me otherwise by the end of this thread.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:28 PM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 10:10 PM ^
I'm an avid reader of the site, and often get a good laugh from some genuinely witty, off-the-cuff posts. But I too am incrfeasingly annoyed with the number of embarrassingly obvious and "clever' sophomoric posts. Middle-schoolers? I hope so for their sake.
What also sucks is the frequency with which good healthy threads quickly digress into off-topic bitch-fests over the stupidest things. Seinfeld threads...but not funny.
I also frequent 11W. While not a douche-free site (none are), the threads stay refreshingly on-topic.
BTW, bitching about thread content is never off-topic.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:29 PM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 9:06 PM ^
Can you provide a link to the story about him skipping a grade to play football?
September 24th, 2013 at 8:31 PM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 8:38 PM ^
If you think college football is bad, check out lacrosse & hockey.
Michigan is working on 2015, 2016, 2017 and beginning 2018s.
September 25th, 2013 at 1:11 AM ^
Hockey works on an entirely different schedule that takes into account junior and development leagues that take kids during high school. It's apples and oranges.
September 25th, 2013 at 7:51 AM ^
Thanks for informing me of something I already know.
September 25th, 2013 at 1:11 AM ^
"If you don't like the fact that college football recruiting starts earlier and earlier then don't follow it. It's that simple."
This is my strategy. I hope that the people who make part of their living by recruiting will do their jobs. It's weird to me, so I don't follow it.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:38 PM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 8:49 PM ^
I don't think there was much wrong with what you said. It could be a little insulting to a young man in high school, but there's definitely some overreaction here.
September 24th, 2013 at 10:51 PM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 8:49 PM ^
i wouldn't worry about it. there was literally NOTHING in that thread that would reasonably lead to a personal insult.
the kid looked really young, perhaps as young as your daughter, who is 10-12.
I can't believe this is even an issue.
September 24th, 2013 at 9:22 PM ^
The article says the kid is 6'-2" 180lbs and a sophomore. Granted, his picture certainly doesn't look that way.
I get that the comments about him being 10-12 were exaggerations to make a point, but those comments were making fun of him. Then it really got embarrassing with the whole creeper van thing.
Can you imagine his friends and grandmother going to read that thread? It was embarrassing to him.
September 24th, 2013 at 9:51 PM ^
wasn't the creeper van thing a meme perpetuated (if not invented) by someone who is or was paid to provide content for this site?
the comment about age was not 'making fun' of him, it's was a comment on how crazy it is for people to be interested in a 14-16 HS Soph. who may or may not be on the M football coaching staff's radar to be recruited.
Brian is passing the buck on this one.
September 26th, 2013 at 7:36 AM ^
Yes. MGoCreeperVan is one of Brian's tags and I got the photo from one of his posts. Check the URL. The van photo is hosted on this site. Funny how everything's come full circle.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:51 PM ^
Honestly, I read the exchange he posted to Twitter (the impetus for this whole thing) and I saw nothing malicious in your comment. It seems to me that even the kid might not have been crazy bothered (based on his tweet), but Brian felt it appropriate to take action for a variety of reasons.
September 24th, 2013 at 9:11 PM ^
September 25th, 2013 at 8:06 AM ^
whenever you want, if that helps. Have I told the story of how someone called me "Grandma" when I was 39?? Now that is disparaging, people.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:39 PM ^
I never understood the stereotypes about M fans until I started spending a lot of time here. Now I can honestly say, I get it. Im so glad I wasn't around for the Mlive days, it might've ruined the internet for me.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:45 PM ^
1) don't post pictures of the younger guys. The picture is what made people uneasy.
2) that thread should have been locked, and comments removed. It went embarassingly wrong.
3) reach out Teryn's parents or coach and explain people were more reacting to the thought of reporting on a sophomore and how it feels uneasy in this day and age, than making fun of Teryn.
Also, thanks gang, now Teryn's going to want to kick some butt on Thursday ...
September 24th, 2013 at 8:41 PM ^
Unbelievable. MGoBlog has become a model of what a dedicated/professional (well, when we are not losing to Akron and Connecticut..lol) fanbase looks like. It's also one hell of a recruiting tool, IMO. So if you say something stupid like that, get the fuck out. I hope you get banned and hope you never come back. It's one thing to criticize coaches for a job they are paid to do, but this is something different all together.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:56 PM ^
Out of curiousity, what do think was particularly offensive about the comments?
It sounds like the worst thing that happened was a mom comparing a high school kid to a couple of her younger daughters. That hardly warrants the kind of anger present in this thread.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:41 PM ^
Looked at the tweets and the thread, and what am I missing here? This seems like quite an over-reaction. I guess someone just wants to be Mr. Tough Guy.
Also, I dont see anything wrong with asking a 15 year old where he wants to go to college, I just don't see why anyone would want to.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:47 PM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 8:48 PM ^