Possible actions to be taken if Michigan-OSU game is moved
Since it seems like the powers that be in the Big Ten and the athletic departments at Michigan and Ohio State have absolutely lost their minds, as fans and hopefully as alumni, we need to be prepared to move quickly to stop this terrible idea.
Collegiate athletics exist today as a business that requires a massive amount of support from alumni and fans to be successful. David Brandon, Jim Delany, Gene Smith, Jim Tressell, Rich Rod are accountable to alumni who give and fans who buy the t-shirts, the hats, the jerseys, the season tickets, and most importantly the precious uber-expensive luxury boxes.
I'd like to begin to solicit ideas as to how to unify Wolverines and Buckeyes in a coordinated effort to severely punish both schools and their athletic departments should they move this game. If they're too stupid to see that their little benefit and serious drawbacks, then we might need to show them in a more forceful way. Michigan alum has tons of money, influence, skills, and combined with the large alumni bodies at both schools, and former players (some of whom actually still care about the school), we can flex our muscles and save one of the greatest traditions in all of sports.
Discuss away.
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:21 PM ^
that there is no way we want The Game moved, it appears its gonna happen man. You just have to accept it. It'll grow on us (man I can't believe I'm saying that). One positive, if you like night games, is with the game being earlier in the year, I would think you can expect to see this game maybe being a night game on a yearly basis.
August 24th, 2010 at 1:28 AM ^
Why do we have to accept it? We're the customers. We buy the tickets and watch games on TV. They can't just do whatever the hell they want. I don't believe that Brandon and Smith really want the Game to be moved. They've just allowed themselves to be duped and/or cowed by the league office. If we make it clear that a critical mass of us is adamantly opposed, it just might give them cover to tell Delany to rethink this idea.
Texas has given us the example we need. They've thrown their weight around in their conference. Well, when combined with OSU, we have about the same amount of clout in the Big Ten. The conference simply has no right to slap its two most important fanbases in the face.
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:24 PM ^
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:26 PM ^
Updated and changed. Anger got the better of me.
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:57 PM ^
There should be a script that automatically replaces DickRod - it'd make things so much better.
August 24th, 2010 at 1:32 AM ^
I'd make a regexp joke, but I don't know javascript. Or perl. or whatever this server uses.
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:27 PM ^
Grassroots campaign to save "the Game" as the last week. Emails, petitions, and what-not
It's not the damn same if it's not on the last fucking week and I don't know why the higher-ups in the B10 and schools are so adamant in changing history. This is fucking history, this is the last game of the season. You don't fucking mess with this shit and move it back.
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:34 PM ^
Does anyone have relevant contact information for various athletic departments and the Big Ten head office?
I'm pretty sure this was posted somewhere, but I can't seem to remember where.
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:25 PM ^
I'm sorry if this has already been asked/discussed, but assuming The Game is moved, which is the first possible year for it to be done?
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:27 PM ^
this would happen right away man...like 2010 would be the last time its the end of the season
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:29 PM ^
You've got to be shitting me. I've been looking forward to my last football game as a student to be OSU for years (I'm a Junior now). I'm going to be so angry.
August 24th, 2010 at 1:32 AM ^
And that just makes it even worse. We don't even get one more time to take it in, as a finale, at the Big House. 2009 was the final time we'll ever finish our regular season at home against the Bucks if these fuckwads get their way.
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:26 PM ^
Drink. A lot.
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:27 PM ^
to that.
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:32 PM ^
In Brandon or Mary Sue's office.
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:35 PM ^
If I mail you a plaster mold of my ass, will you take it with you to the sit in for me?
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:35 PM ^
Do admins not realize they would be ruining the ESPN voted "Greatest Sports Rivalry of All Time"? I hope this is all rumor. I don't want this to be just another Paul Bunyan Trophy game.
Also - Michigan and OSU can't really do much more than put pressure on the Big Ten. Its not like they'll threaten to leave. They have little to no leverage from my point of view. It just has to be communicated and taken into account for tradition purposes.
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:42 PM ^
There is really nothing we can do. This isn't a TV series that can be saved because execs look at an online petition and say "OK. A lot of people do watch this show. We can bring it back."
The 'Shoe, The Big House will be sold out regardless of when the game is. They could move it to July and it'd still sell out.
Money is what this is all about. The idea that seperating Michigan and Ohio State could lead to a Big 10 Championship Game re-match and also to television executives, conference presidents, and athletic director Scrooge McDuckin-it with the revenue from that game.
Sign the petition. Write letters to the schools. At the end, it won't matter.
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:42 PM ^
You could become an MSU fan. Good luck with that.
August 24th, 2010 at 12:10 AM ^
and one of his less than politcally correct statements.
August 24th, 2010 at 12:17 AM ^
get over yourselves. It's a game you like, played by kids who go to your (chosen) school. Fuck your girlfriend, hug your kids, go watch the lions lose - do omething real. You're not the AD or the coach or the team. You are simply interested but not vested beyond a seat license. Embrace change or sell your stake to someone else. Either way, untwist your panties. Compared to real life - mortgages and colonscopies and babies and choosing between a Boss 302 and an SS, this is closer to zero than infinity.
August 24th, 2010 at 1:01 AM ^
Thats the whole point, Motrtgages, colonoscopies and babies - thats real life. Michigan football is an escape from that bullshit. The only three hours a week you are not hip deep in real life and the most important out of those games, Michigan - Ohio State at least for me is the one that keeps your mind out of real life for basicly a whole week! You can't understand why people are a little upset about that being messed with?
Either way, maybe you should twist your panties and show some passion for the biggest rivalry game in all of sports, because I fear it may not have the same impact if something is not done.
P.S. what is a colonscopy?
August 24th, 2010 at 1:12 AM ^
Cosigned eleventy billion times, if possible.
August 24th, 2010 at 12:31 AM ^
August 24th, 2010 at 1:15 AM ^
"You people"?
August 24th, 2010 at 2:24 AM ^
What do YOU mean "You People?"
August 24th, 2010 at 1:44 AM ^
Spare us the made-for-TV speech.
It's possible to do volunteer work, play with the kids, spend time with parents and still email people. It took me literally two minutes to email our athletic department. I'm willing to do that little act if it will preserve the rivalry game I enjoy. At least I'm trying.
August 24th, 2010 at 1:14 AM ^
both teams should request a bye week, the week after the game.
I see the Big 10 trying to adapt a schedule similar to the SEC where most of the BIG matchups happen early in the year.
I would like M-OSU no earlier than mid october, around the 15th would be nice with all the leaves and such.
PS It may just be the M-OSU game happens the weekend before thanksgiving, in which case its just not THE last game of the Big 10 season. I'd be fine with that.
August 24th, 2010 at 3:01 PM ^
From a Big Ten perspective, having two of your tops teams going into a game where one will lose there last game before bowl season is not ideal.
Also, Texas OU play in October, then the loser has plenty of time to crawl back up the rankings.
August 24th, 2010 at 1:19 AM ^
Look, we're all really sad about this. But you shouldn't be all that surprised. The whole world has just been getting worse and worse since day 1. This is a logical progression.
But you know, I just thought of something.
Become a big-shot lawyer and make it your life's quest to have the tax-exempt status of the NCAA and B10 conference revoked, due to their no longer existing to serve the fans but to maximize cash inflows like any other business. That just might put enough of a dent in their income statments to get them to change their minds. Go!
August 24th, 2010 at 1:54 AM ^
For the negative types who say it's too late: how can that be when it hasn't even been announced? We're just getting leaks right now. The point of the leaks seems to be to gauge public reaction. If that's correct, then it would make no sense not to complain if you don't like this idea.
August 24th, 2010 at 2:30 AM ^
Yes. Six months ago, it was a "done deal" that the NCAA tournament was going to expand to 96 teams. Everyone complained, and the NCAA backed down. The TV People are not unstoppable.
Please don't make the MSU game the last game of the season. To me, that's the most depressing part of the whole thing.
August 24th, 2010 at 9:08 AM ^
Because people want to feel like they have a purpose. Like they are the reason THE GAME didn't get changed. Just like when somebody misses a free throw. It was because of them.
August 24th, 2010 at 8:38 AM ^
What if we looked at it this way....
When did The Game become The Game? (and then become THE GAME?)
IMO, the reason why UM/OSU is such a big deal is because it was the big 2 and little 8. The UM/OSU was the de facto conference championship game. Which ever team won, won the conference and went to the Rose Bowl. Loser stayed home.
Now we are going to have an ACTUAL conference championship game. UM could beat OSU or vice versa - and we'll be watching Iowa vs. PSU play in December for BCS rights, for example.
My point is - is the THE GAME still THE GAME if the winner of UM/OSU doesn't determine the conference championship? What difference does the outcome of the regular season game mean if there is going to then be a conference championship game that DOES matter?
Wouldn't it be better to have an epic October showdown, with the loser be able to recover - and THEN meet up in the championship game? Isn't that better than the possibility of meeting in back-to-back weeks?
I think everyone involved realizes that UM/OSU has to happen every year - no question about that. I think the real question is whether or not you would like to see them possibly play in back-to-back weeks - and I would imagine that the powers that be (admin, television, etc.) would decidedly say no.
IMO, moving The Game from the end of the year would preserve the meaning of the regular season match-up, as well as send the anticipation for a championship game battle through the roof.
August 24th, 2010 at 11:58 AM ^
Let the Buckeyes recover? You're missing one big point of THE GAME. Part of the satisfaction is the ability to RUIN the other team's season.
August 24th, 2010 at 8:31 AM ^
but it's not something we can do, dave brandon would have to be involved.
Michigan would leave to go to the SEC or some other conference. Let's not pretend like people care about Indiana, if Michigan or Ohio State would start looking around things could happen.
Before it happens, obviously Dave Brandon has to appear supportive so that it is less likely to completely tank.
August 24th, 2010 at 9:31 AM ^
Ok, so I'm probably going to get neg-banged back to the stoneage for this, but I think some poeple are over-reacting a bit. Has Ohio State been the last game of the season since I was born 32 years ago? Yes. It's always fun (or dreadful, depending) to look forward to. Heck, I live in the middle of Columbus, so I understand how important it is to some folks.
Will moving the game earlier in the year affect its importance on the national stage? Probably not. Texas and Oklahoma play in the middle of the year and it's HUGE. USC and Notre Dame move around on their schedules. The Egg Bowl. The Cocktail Party. All these huge rivalries that people love maintain their importance regardless of when they are played.
We wanted expansion. This was always a possible outcome of that expansion. We knew going in it was possible, and even likely, but we wanted expansion. So now we have it.
The time of year isn't important people. The quality of the games on the field is. And honestly, that is of more concern to me than when any game is played.
Traditions sometimes change, even against the popular desire of the fans. I think in this case, though, it will be just fine in the end.
August 24th, 2010 at 5:17 PM ^
All of the rivalries you mentioned, save ND-USC, are between two teams in the same division. Under the proposal that's being floated, UM and OSU would be in different divisions. That is a very, very important difference. Divisional games are more important than cross-division games. When you play a team in your division, you're competing against them both on the field and in the standings. Texas-OU has gained importance since the inception of the Big 12, precisely because the two are now in the same division, so their win has repercussions for the division title. Same for the Cocktail Party, the Iron Bowl and many other rivalries.
When you play a cross-division game, it's not the same. It becomes entirely meaningless in the standings if the loser takes care of business in its own division. We'll find out very soon that games against teams in the other Big Ten division will be less important than ones in our own division. Right now it's all hypothetical, and a lot of fans don't understand the difference - but it will quickly become obvious.
August 25th, 2010 at 5:10 PM ^
Games like the Iron Bowl and the Cocktail Party and OU/Texas are now on TV and cared about so much because there are enough outlets to actually show them across the country. Regardless of division, there are enough people around the country who care about them that they would be huge anyway.
I don't think this is a causal relationship at all. I think both occurrences (television outlets taking off and divisional alignments) are more coincidental.
August 24th, 2010 at 10:37 AM ^
did people jump off buildings or did the world stop spinning when UM played at Hawaii after the Ohio State game in 1986? who did people email then? what messages boards exploded the year after the second place big ten team was allowed to go to a bowl, thus the loser of 'the game' did not stay home?
this does sadden me, but so does the fact that i always have a phone in my pocket and train travel is no longer the most elegant form of travel. adjust, adapt, move on, even if its not for the better.
August 24th, 2010 at 5:21 PM ^
For the record, both of our games against Hawaii (the only two times in the last 75 years we haven't finished the regular season with OSU) were very controversial with the fanbase.
August 24th, 2010 at 11:34 AM ^
If they move The Game from the end of the regular season I will be royally pissed. In that event I suggest withholding your annual donations since it's all about money.
August 24th, 2010 at 12:33 PM ^
I don't want to create a beige ball here, but before I send this, I'd like to know if anyone sees any big problems with this:
To Mr. Brandon,
I am writing out of concern over comments of yours that recently appeared in the Detroit News. I have no doubt that you understand better than I the position you are in and that some people will be upset regardless of what steps are taken to form divisions in the Big Ten and hold a conference championship game. Things are going to change, and it is up to you to figure out what matters most to Michigan and to find a way to protect it. I am writing to assert that playing The Game at the end of the regular season is what matters most.
In the public discourse, some people have suggested that The Game will always be The Game, without giving thought to how it came to be what it is. What they fail to see is that our proud history is the product of great teams and great coaches in exceptional circumstances. By playing The Game at the end of the season, it becomes the apex of the season narrative. The finality of the result of The Game is central to how it got to be the great rivalry it is. If it were not at the last game, there would be no upsetting of perfect seasons, no chance to play the role of spoiler. The imperative to win would certainly be understood to those of us with an appreciation for our history, but it would no longer be intrinsically impressed upon new generations of Wolverines by the circumstances.
I understand the challenging position you are in and that sacrifices with have to be made. However, if you consider what has happened to other great rivalries and approach the current situation with an eye looking to the distant future, I think it is clear the timing of The Game is the one thing that Michigan cannot compromise on.
Thank you for your time,
August 24th, 2010 at 1:10 PM ^
One typo that I saw ("sacrifices will have to be made), but for the most part well thought out and well worded.
August 24th, 2010 at 4:10 PM ^
Michigan and Ohio State should threaten to leave the conference. I suspect that virtually every conference would jump at the opportunity to take the teams and the B10 Network would have kittens. If Michigan and Ohio State are actively advocating this change, then there are a lot of folks who should be summarily fired. There are petitions out there; folks should sign them. As noted earlier, things allegedly written in stone have been changed with enough of an outcry.
August 25th, 2010 at 8:49 PM ^
This game is not to be touched