Student Government Website letter on why the boycott is a bad idea

Time will tell if the football program or the boycott has the better coaching staff!!

FWIW, I will not be a part.  I will be there as always ready for kickoff.

The reason I don't like the "fire everybody" meme is that it has Hail Mary written all over it.  Its stated without any plans for the future, leaving it to someone who could possibly care less or have less skills than those who we like to BBQ in public.  More or less its trying to luck into another situation that's better.

I dunno, I like plans.  The way this all works if there are such plans they have to be done via back channels in secrecy that won't be apparent until much much later.

Don't get confused, I'm open to other hires.  But there isn't much concensus.  Its more like a bird shot pattern (see also, Hail Mary)

I have no problem with people boycotting the boycott so to speak but a couple of counter-arguments to this letter. They made 3 points as to why it's a bad idea.

Numbers 1 and 2 are basically the same thing. And what I think some people are missing is that no one is trying to harm the players by these actions (at least I hope not). If any players read this, that's not at all the intention. I said in another thread, I want Brandon and Hoke gone for the players. They are being held back by this administration and unfortunately, until action is taken this is probably the best way to show the incredible frustration people have with them.

Regarding number 3, trust the leaders? Really? Has no one been watching what has happened to this team and department? It says they use activism to implement new policies, that's what people are trying to do. This letter just doesn't seem to agree with the course of action.

Again, to reiterate, I think most people looking at a boycott do support the team. You may disagree with their plan/methods and there's nothing wrong with that. If they're like me, they want this team to have competent leadership and will show their frustration until changes are made.

My two cents.

I mean, if you don't want to go then don't go. Nobody's forcing you to do anything. I just don't like the idea of a "principaled stand" like this when there are so many better avenues to get the point across...Fire Brandon chants, shirts, petitions, rallies, emails to president/regents, blowup into a national storyline...I mean, guys, I think they're getting the message loud and clear.

If you don't want to pay anymore money to athletics, then don't. But an organized boycott seems like something more likely to backlash than lead to real change. It makes the students look petulent in my mind, and it is further damaging the already tenuous relationship between students/alums  and  student-athletes that exists at the moment.

"BUT WHAT IF WE HURT THE PLAYERS' FEELINGS IF THEY LOOK UP IN THE FIRST 3 MINUTES OF THE GAME AND DON'T SEE ANY FANS, WHAT IF THEIR FEELINGS ARE HURT, WE CAN'T RISK HURTING THEIR FEELINGS."

Lol.

He states that it all starts with trusts.  Many of the fans (especially the students) do not trust Brandon, and seem to not trust Hoke. 

If the students do this, they are still going to be there to support the players. 

It is a shame that Dave Brandon has run the athletic department this poorly that he has marginalized and isolated his most rabid fanbase, the students.

A lot of work went into developing the largest fanbase in college football and the biggest crowd watching a football game every Saturday.  It took great missteps from the AD to reduce the trust and goodwill this quickly.  Many are saying that it is just wins and losses, but the foundation was greatly thinned over the last few years to even allow the play on the field to drop the bottom out.

It's also not like this dissatisfaction is new.  Brandon was aware of the dissastisfaction for the last few years, and he responded with more rock music, higher ticket prices, and more red tape to get into the stadium.

"Football games are a time-honored tradition?"   David Brandon has obliterated tradition and replaced it with obnoxious, intrusive incompetence.

Support the firing of David Brandon at the beginning of the game and support the players for the rest of the game.  

I have no idea what the composition of this student body is like today, but when I was on campus it was largely administrative-co-opted, resume building, Greek-life-heavy types.  The tone of this (Brandon-request-sounding) letter suggests that is still true.  If so, I am comfortable the the Daily is more representitive of the student body than this group.   

This article sucks.  If the author doesn't want to boycott,/protest/whatever that's up to him.  But don't tell ME, or anyone else, what I should and shouldn't do.

It's not a boycott if I don't want to spend hard-earned money on a sub-par product.  "Tradition" isn't a reason for me to spend money on something that doesn't provide enjoyment (at the moment).  "...So many weekend games so worthwhile" certainly doesn't explain this season, in case Bobby hasn't noticed.  

It's our right as consumers (and current/former tuition-payers) to not pay for something when we don't want to.  And if we want to walk to our seats after kick-off, we can do that too.

I've been a Michigan fan since birth, and I'll be one until death, but I'm just going to be a fan from afar for a little while, so I don't hurl myself off of a large building.

Bobby - is that cool with you?

I think everyone is missing the overall point:

Students don't show up until 10 minutes after kickoff anyway. 

 A much better argument - one that now gives me pause - is that protesting will create a bunker menality among the regents, making them less likely to make a change.  A poster said this would happen yesterday who at least claimed to be fairly familiar with the way they operate. 

I read the letter, here's how I would respond:

There really are only two reasons why one should not participate in this protest. Either

1. You believe Dave Brandon is doing a swell job as AD.

or

2. You believe that waiting until after kickoff to enter the stadium will send the wrong message.

Point 1 is pretty easy.  There aren't many people here who support Brandon at this point, his failures are well known, the only dispute is whether he is a bigger screwup than Brady Hoke.

Point 2 is a bit trickier, but I have yet to see anyone show me how fans making a point of arriving late to support their team will be misconstrued.  The controversy surrounding Brandon is well known.  And arriving late is particularly appropriate since many of the earlier changes to seating policy were meant to manipulate students into arriving earlier.

The players are big boys who can read the blogs and get the whole story.  They know many of us have a serious beef with the AD.  They know we want them to win -- and if they have any doubts about that should all be cleared up by the middle of the first quarter.  (Just to clear up any ambiguity, fans might want to make a point of cheering loudly as they enter the stadium.)

In the end this whole letter is just an appeal to tradition and authority -- "This is what we've always done and we should trust the people in charge to make things better."  But the tradition has been sold out and at least one of the bigger people in charge simply cannot be trusted.

If you are satisfied with how things are being handled, don't join in.  If you aren't satisfied, don't let the administration guilt-trip you out of making your protest.

to buy season tickets, I would still go to the games. I would be frustrated by the coaches but the student athletes look like they're trying their best. I would show up just to support our student athletes. Plus, it is nice to get out and just enjoy a college football game!