"I Stopped Watching UM Football Games" Comments

telling my wife and daughter that we are going to go out and have fun on Saturday afternoons--but I am drawn like a moth to the flame. But the time is coming. . . Minnesota may be it. If we win, so what? If we lose, no real surprise. 

I still watch and will keep watching. I won't enjoy it, but I can't help myself, I can't handle fall Saturdays without the Wolverines, no matter how awful they are.

but I look forward to every game. I can't imagine not anticipating every game. It's funny that you mention the Lions because I gave up watch the Lions and all NFL games years ago, but I would never give up on my school. I'm flying in to go to the Minnesota game this weekend. Hoping that ND and Utah go undefeated and we beat the crap out of Minnesota - best case scenario, I know. That would make me feel better about going to the Rutgers game - which I will probably do even if we get blasted by Minnesota. Thinking about not coming back for the Penn State game if we lose this week. Already got my flight booked for Northwestern so I really can't change my mind about that. The only thing I feel bad about is taking my wife to all these games. I can't count the number of games I've taken her to that turned out to be disasters: Alabama, South Carolina (at least we competed), Connecticut (which really felt like a loss), Penn State (2010), MSU (2010) and at ND this year. We've been to some good games  Ohio (2011) and ND at home last year, but man, there have just been too many bad ones lately.

ND game was the worst. I thought being in Dallas for the Alabama game was pretty bad, but I've never left a game before the 4th quarter ever. I was just numb. I told my wife that if we didn't score in the third quarter, we were leaving. She didn't believe me. But we left at the very end of the third quarter. 

Not sure why, but I find myself wearing my block M gear now more than ever. Proud of my school, proud of these kids. Hoping they turn it around, but if they can't I know we will bring in the right people who will. I could be wrong, but I have the belief that Dave Brandon and Brady Hoke will stick around as long as the team wins, not whether or not I keep spending money on tickets. Am I naive?

I'm always excited and engaged at the beginning of the season because hope springs eternal and it's fascinating seeing what we got for Christmas each fall in terms of player development. I read everything and watch everything. Then I kind of make an assessment based on what I see through the first five games or so and decide how much of a life investment I'm going to make for the rest of the season. Like 2011, I was glued to the TV for every game and was all over MGoBlog and other sites. Last season, I pretty much checked out after Penn State--I still watched most of the games, but with little emotion and just logged into MGoBlog for a few minutes in the aftermath to bitch about the futility. 

I'll never not watch, you have to tough it out.  Being down sucks but there's nothing better than that feeling of getting back on top after you've been down.  That's why you stay with it through thick or thin.

I didn't see the Utah game live, but I watched the torrent on mgovideo after see the final score and MGoBlog's subsequent meltdown. I care, even if I've been warned ahead of time.

Now will I give Dave Brandon's athletic department another dime of my money? Hell no. He did a fine job of convincing me that the in-stadium experience isn't worth season-ticket prices. And the 3 games I went to were convincing wins (CMU, Notre Dame, and Minnesota).

I want to football games during the Dark Ages in the 80s. I was a big NU basketball fan also.

I'm a Cubs fan..... Fergodsakes.

You spoiled Nancies know nothing - except 0-16, but that's funny to me ;)

I will always watch the michigan football games. And I will bitch and moan when we are terrible and unwatchable but I will continue to watch. I just can't think of ever stopping

as long as I can afford it. It will be a family activity once my son is old enough to attend. I can't imagine a better way to spend a fall Saturday, win or lose. Go Blue!!!

I will continue to watch Michigan football and attend the home games if only out of loyalty, and the hope that having one more person in the crowd cheering as loud as they can might help to inspire the team to make some tough plays. I have to say, however, that home games are becoming less fun and more painful to watch.

Life is short.  I try to do things that I enjoy.  I don't enjoy watching Michigan continually lose to inferior teams, therefore, I will no longer watch.

But I may be drinking a little more than usual before, during, and after the games

There's no doubt, I've quit on Michigan football, at least live. FTR, I DVR the games, and watch until things get out of hand. I have done this for a while now.

I don't put the blame on Michigan football directly. It's totally due to me, taking the games wayyyyy too seriously for years and years before some point last year when I finally broke. Snapped. Couldn't do it any more. Can't watch the carnage, the lack of player development, the lack of a cogent gameplan on offense. I got through 2008 and after all right, because even though 3-9 happened, I knew the team had little talent. But this? We recruit well, at least by the numbers, and then the players wither on the vine. Gameplans? Terrible. Sense of urgency? Terrible. Fire in the belly? Nonexistent. We castigated Gerg for his stuffed beaver, and Hoke is no better with his fucking clap clap rah rah bullshit. Players are allowed to be soft, by this culture. Bo is rolling over in his grave, trying to grab someone, anyone, by a facemask.

Whew, I feel better. Anyway, maybe it's the curse of watching every minute of the '97 dream season and thinking that that is the standard (shouldn't it be? Of course it should!) in a football world with more parity. Maybe it's connecting my happiness in the fall way too closely with the Maize and Blue. All I know is I need to be done for a while, at least live. I took Utah +5, and I should have taken them S/U, because I felt we'd be in over our heads.

I say blow it up, start again.....then maybe 2017 might be close to 1997. Otherwise, we're a MAC team.

Fuck. 

I will forever watch and follow M cuz it is my favorite team and college football is my favorite sport. There have been specific games, however, that I stopped watching far before they were over, those being 2014 ND, 2013 MSU, 2008 OSU, 2010 OSU, and 2007 Oregon.

That way I only need to devote 90 minutes instead of an entire morning (I am in the Pacific Time Zone); I used to just FF thru commercials, half-time, etc., but with the last game I have taken to even FFing thru plays.

I watch every game regardless. But not watching because I will break the TV does not make me a bad fan. Just fed up. That's all. When I keep hearing that the coach doesn't owe us anything, that is another hard thing to digest. I will cheer them on, but will not make excuses if a good plan comes along. Hoke and DB have made this a tough team to watch. DB commercialized so much that he doesn't care about ardent fans. So I won't judge if someone doesn't want to watch. I understand.

to that

I went to my first Lions game in 1956 when I was a tot. I was a big fan for a very long time. I no longer watch any Lions games, and haven't for about six or seven years. I found that not being disappointed constantly was better for my mental health.

I'm happy when I hear they win, but I'm no longer upset when they lose. I wish them the best.

I'm starting to feel that way about Michigan football. It's soul-crushing to wait every year for Michigan football with great excitement and anticipation, and then see what we're seeing. This may be the first year I don't attend a live game.

I guess I just don't enjoy a good dong punch any more.

 

I think we need another change, but if we for some reason don't make it, I will still go to the games. I'll continue to renew my 4 tickets as long as I can afford to do so. I've been going to games since I was 3 (39 now) and being there always makes me think of my dad (he actually dropped his tickets this year after being a season ticket holder for over 40 years). I love that place and although I haven't enjoyed the games nearly as much the last several years, I enjoy taking my kids to the games. My boys love going which makes it worth it to me ... They're not quite old enough to understand that we stink! My girls on the other hand are forced to go once a year to spend time with their old man. I'm confident that somebody there will realize something needs to be done and some day, some way, we'll be back. Trying to keep the faith...go blue.

If Brady and Brandon are back for 2015, I won't be in protest. I won't even buy tickets off the secondary market. I refuse to even support the current administration. It pains me as a michigan alum and lifelong fan. I have already dropped my season tickets and transferred my donations to my academic program. 

I'll watch. I'll always watch. I'm just less excited about the season now than I was four weeks ago.

It's been very very hard.  I won't stop watching, but I have to start caring a little less.  I tell you what, the close losses last season were not nearly as hard to take as the last 3 games we've lost to K State, ND, and Utah.  These 3 might even be worse than the MSU game last year, against MSU I just felt like we were overmatched physically, against KSU, ND, and Utah I feel like not only were we beaten physically we just didn't really care.

This last loss was the worst because it took away all doubt in my mind that this team is going nowhere with this staff.  This season feels lost and the comments from Hoke about still winning the B1G are laughable.  We're a mile behind where MSU is as a program and a team right now and we're light years behind where we want to be.  The wheels have come off the bus.

"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."

It's not fun and I'd rather take the pulse of the MGoCommunity - much more entertaining than anything I could find on TV. I learn the result the same time the watchers do.

I'll continue watching every game. Hell, in '08 I drove 1,000 miles to watch Michigan lose to Toledo but still watched every game I could for the remainder of the '08 season. This season is eerily similar to that '08 season. But I'll keep watching.

I told the wife I wouldn't watch last Saturday's game, well, I did. I'll continue to watch but I

just don't like to have to start drinking that early in the day.

I will never read or watch anything about Michigan football. I did see that Brandon is about to be termed. #bs

Have yet to stop watching, although I have come to the point of acceptance, which has afforded me the ability to watch devoid of emotion. 

After they hired Hoke. I knew this was going to be a train wreck and have protested ever since. Waiting on Sumlin, Miles or Wheatley to take the reigns.

But I don't always finish. Take from that what you will. I'm too into it, and I get too emotional. I don't want to be a grumpy arse to my wife and kids for the rest of the day because I am grumpy and frustrated if  I hear them getting murdered out there. So sometimes I give myself a Time Out. When it became obvious after the rain interruption that the team wasn't going to stage a rally, I turned it off.

I'm surprised the OP has time to watch football with all of the threads he starts.  There is no way he has a job.  No way.

Watching the lions during that period, or watching Michigan right now, is like staring at a car accident as you drive by. You don't want to look, but you do anyway.

or Brandon.  Will I continue to watch?  You bet your ass I will.  GO BLUE!!!!

wouldn't we be more like the Cowboys? National brand, success in the 90's sort of a lost cause lately with a questionable qb situation and poor play and occasionally make the post season. Lions are just full fail like NW.

Michigan football used to be appointment television.  Now it's different.

I have 2 days off or 48 hours of time I'm not working for The Man.  I own my home so there's always something needing done.  I'm married so that adds honeydo and quality time with her.  I have 2 kids so subtract more time from that 48 hours for their activities.  And the list goes on...

I don't make an effort not to watch but I no longer blow 4 hours getting dong punched if I have something else happening.

For as long as ESPN/ABC (and NBC on the years when they played the Domers in South Bend) has made Michigan football accessible, the games have ALWAYS been the centerpiece of my Saturday afternoon/evenings, if not the entire weekend itself.  Anything that I needed to do was scheduled around gametime.  Regardless of where I was, I would have the game on a TV in front of me.  Visiting my dad?  Gotta drive up early, it's a noon start.  Going out for dinner?  Gotta make it late, ABC screwed us with a 3:30 kickoff this time.  Big Ten Network?  Crap, we don't get that channel...gotta find a sports bar that does.

And it was like that whether I was single, seeing someone, or married.  It was like that before and since having children.

And this includes the 3-9 year.  Just the visual of seeing Michigan lined up in spread formation was worth watching, because there was a promise (that proved unfortunately too slow to fulfill).  The Season of Tate.  All of the Denard years.  You couldn't NOT watch Denard, after all.

But somewhere from Penn State last year and this past weekend, something changed.  The urgency wasn't there anymore.  Austerity measures dictate that we don't have the same satellite package we've had since moving to the new house, and if the game isn't on one of the few sports channels we still get, maybe I use my brother-in-law's DirecTV access code to watch online, maybe not.  I can't be bothered to make the drive to the sports bar anymore (although admittedly making that kind of trip with toddler/infant aged kids is the sort of pain in the ass I will always prefer to avoid if I can), and if I've got other things to do that may get in the way of "enjoying" an afternoon of Michigan football, well...I do them.

Last Saturday I didn't watch a minute of the game.  I spent the afternoon at JapanFest with my oldest while my wife took the toddler and the baby to her BFF's youngest's first birthday party.  I didn't even check the score until we got back home and the storm delay had already begun.  I wasn't surprised, let alone mad.  In my market they never put the game back onto a channel included in our subscription package, so I checked back periodically until it was over and came to MGoBlog to check the fall-out.

I will never consciously NOT watch Michigan if they're on.  I still like football, even though it's becoming just as unwatachable at the college level as it is in the NFL.  And Michigan has always been my first love when it comes to the college game.  I gaze longingly and lustfully at Oregon and TEMPOTEMPOTEMPOTEMPO and admire their ability to reload their talent consistently at a level that keeps them highly ranked year in and year out while playing a game that is fun to watch.  But if I've got other things to do instead of watching Oregon, I do those things.

This weekend, I have nothing planned with the family, no household chores requiring immediate attention.  Michigan will be on a channel that I get, and I plan to not only watchthe game, but also to drink.  This will be a good game to drink to, because I truly believe that anything can happen.  Michigan would win by 50 or lose by 3.  Nothing surprises me anymore except the place in my life where I now find myself, a place where a game played by young men who, in some cases have fathers younger than me, no longer captures my imagination and demands my undivided attention.  It has become just "something to do on a Saturday afternoon".

F*** you, Dave Brandon.