Muggles (from a players perspective)

Until it's about you.

It seems as if a lot of posters here have a good time making detrimental jokes about the coaching staff, the AD and basically anything that they disagree with.

However, then as soon as a player posts about the bloggers being muggles, which I found funny, those posters take offense at the label.  Some even get pissed off. 

So just think about it.  Why take offense at someone exercising their right of free speech, even if it pokes a little bit of humor at you?

Very good point Mr. Smith.

First Point - Brandon's dismissal has fallen into a common trap - that of demonizing that person as a solid piece of evil dark matter from which even light can't escape. Just as it took many factors to undermine Brandon's support he wasn't all snarky arrogance. Having heard him speak on several occasions live he can be charismatic and even inspiring. For some of the members of the team, he might really be a positive factor from their point of view - he was actually a member of the team during the mythic period under Bo and now runs the whole show. So if some speak positively about Brandon remember that like any complex figure he wasn't all evil - and did a lot of positives some of which only those inside may appreciate because they were done to benefit them or others which may be more obvious. I'm certain the hotel and restaurant owners and staff appreciated the Winter Classics, Big Chill and the Soccer game because of the extra revenue it brought into town.

Second Point - The use of "muggle" marks a very important symbolic point that high members of the jock kingdom (varsity football players) acknowledge and use a term from the nerd universe! That they are using the term muggle shows an awareness of the term, awareness of the Harry Potter phenomenon and the conscious use of it in perhaps a perjorative way only highlights this point.

I'm cool with it.

In the music world, we sometimes call the non-musicians "civilians." It's simply a way to differentiate who does what.

Thanks, Vincent Smith! I love seeing a former player on this blog. Maybe, he can become more of a regular thing?! Get him on a podcast or something! 

This thread does not have enough gifs.

A word that nobody uses ever.... Except when they want to cry about how they aren't being treated like they're royal.

The bandwagon and kiss Vincent smiths ass regardless of what he said! Wooooooooo

s/

Thank you Vincent for taking the time to post your perspective.  Though this will be buried way down, I will voice my thoughts anyway.

I think the main problem with the "muggle" tweets was the timing.  I understand now this was a term you guys have used for awhile, but I did not see it really publicly stated until this Dave Brandon fiasco was in full effect.

At that juncture, we had a football team who had taken some very tough losses, and a very critical fanbase who wanted an AD and coaching change.  Then out came the former players who supported the current regime and they sparked an "us vs. them" division.   There had already been several topics on this messageboard and others where former players and fans turned on one another.

Then Elliot Mealer's muggle comment came out, essentially dividing fans and players using Harry Potter terminology.  Because of the timing involved and the high emotions due to a tough season, I think many (myself included) felt it was a swipe at the fans.

Glad to hear it's harmless, I apologize to any current and former players I offended when I responded to the muggle tweets.  Thanks for posting.

Hey Vince,

Any chance you return to UM to teach/coach the running backs?  I loved watching you play because you played at least twice your size.

...in another thread.

Props to you, Vincent, for interacting with fans in this way.  (By the way, I believe the mgoblog readership is more student/alumni heavy than other sites.)

This kind of interaction eliminates ignorance on both sides and brings everyone together.  And it's this kind of relationship building that will get all of Michigan pulling in the same direction and get rid of the faction phenomenon.

Keep up the great work!

Daniel Radcliffe , you're welcome for the pub.

All the stuff that was being said by former and current players, I never really took any of that to heart, I expected them to defend the program after Brandon resigned.  Now I did comment on an earlier thread that its probably not the wisest move on their part to tweet that stuff out ..but it is what it is.    We all want the program to do well and us fans will always support the players laying it all out there on the field. 

 

VSmith, you are the man. Keep rockin it homie.  

https://youtube.com/watch?v=NsGSbnPTifU

Muggles will be muggles

Gotta say thanks for clearing things up and your contributions to the blog. 

Hope everything's going well man. We miss you guys out there.

I am confused