1VaBlue1

October 17th, 2016 at 11:50 AM ^

Turn off your phone.  Avoid MGoBlog.  Avoid social media.  Avoid news/sports media.

In short, pay attention to the funeral and the wake out of respect for the family and friends of the deceased.  If you can't do that, then don't go to the funeral.

Joined: 01/31/2016

MGoPoints: 127371

Brick in The Wave

October 17th, 2016 at 12:10 PM ^

Tate-I have several suggestion as I find myself in a situation similar to this on occassion.  

1. It helps if you live out of market (I do) it becomes much easier, I avoid wearing any Michigan gear so I don't have the random yokel come up to me and say something that would give away the result.

2.  I turn my phone to plane mode, this will eliminate the random text from your buddy who is either the opppsing team's fan or a neutral who wants to bust your balls.  It will also elminate the push notifications from apps that provide scores.

3.  Try to avoid my elderly father who can't help but announce scores of games no matter who he is around or where he is at.  He is very impressed with the internet and doesn't care who knows it.

Joined: 05/17/2011

MGoPoints: 2421

GoBlueInIowa

October 17th, 2016 at 1:18 PM ^

Live in Iowa and do the same things, except I don't go airplane mode, I just delete off the apps that would notify me of scores or I would accidentally hit (i.e. MGoBlog, Facebook, etc), then add them back in after I watch. Learned the hard way.

Also a must to avoid Michigan gear.

In addition, if I am out in stores, I will wear my headphones while listening to podcasts so I don't overhear anything.

Oh, can't let your kids wear Michigan gear either, that almost got me once when my daughter was wearing a Michigan sweatshirt.

When you get home, no TV watching until you are watching the game - scrolls can ruin your day. Nothing worse then avoiding a score all day to see it at the last second.

Got it down pretty well during years of youth soccer on Saturdays.



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Joined: 03/05/2011

MGoPoints: 5084

michgoblue

October 17th, 2016 at 2:34 PM ^

Those are all great suggestions.

As someone who does the DVR thing for just about every game and is completely OBSESSIVE about the media blackout (kids sports all weekend), here are a few more suggestions, to go along with those upthread:

1.  Forget airplane mode - just turn the phone off.

2.  Avoiding wearing M gear is a good start, but I would avoid all football-related sports gear.  You never know how a conversation about something unrelated could get back to Michigan.  (I warned you that I was obsessive about this)

3.  You need to plan your day to avoid places with televisions.  Kid-friendly restaurants and malls are a no go.  This sounds daunting, but there are plenty of places without screens.  Obviously, you are safe at a funeral.

4.  Be proactive about telling people that you are on blackout.  When I go to my kids sporting events, I tell the other parents who I am friends with right when I get in, "I am DVRing the Michigan game at home, so if you happen to know anything at all about the game, don't say anything at all."  Everyone I know will respect that.

Also, when you do watch it, I suggest that you hit play and then put away the remote - no fast fowrwarding at all.  The excitement between plays and time spent at the edge of your seat waiting for the commercials to end is part of the excitement.

Good luck. 

And, for the poster who has a funeral that day, I am sorry for your loss.  While spots are trivial in comparison to losing a loved one, hopefully the game will at least take your mind off of it for a period of time.

 

Joined: 11/16/2009

MGoPoints: 32178

bluesparkhitsy…

October 18th, 2016 at 12:38 AM ^

This is a good list.  As one practiced in spoiler avoidance (because I have young kids and therefore often can't watch games in real time), the only thing I would add is that once the DVR is set, switch the TV to a non-sports channel.  There's nothing worse than avoiding all spoilers only to turn the TV on and it's already on the game channel, deep in the fourth quarter.  The ticker on other sports channels can give it away as well, so best to set it to something like the Food channel.  

Joined: 10/16/2010

MGoPoints: 2442

skurnie

October 17th, 2016 at 11:53 AM ^

I figured 3:30 until MSU lost on Saturday...and gave up 57 at home to NW. 

Ordinarily I favor the 3:30 kickoff but I am looking forward to this noon game. I'm still on the fence about going but this might seal the deal since I could be back home by 6pm

Joined: 07/31/2013

MGoPoints: 20170

Hail Harbo

October 17th, 2016 at 11:58 AM ^

So the two rival games are scheduled for the "Also starring..." not ready for primetime viewing slots while Rutgers, Illinois, and Iowa games are/were of primetime value.

And no, I don't let my having to work until 3:00PM on Saturdays cloud my judgement.

Joined: 06/18/2015

MGoPoints: 13428

Alton

October 17th, 2016 at 12:03 PM ^

A game at noon on ABC is designed to attract more viewers than a 3:30 or 7 pm game on BTN, or even a 7 pm game on ESPN2.

Noon ABC is often the second pick of the week (sometimes third and rarely fourth).  The 3:30 BTN game is pretty close to the dregs of the weekend lineup--nobody watches BTN at 3:30.

Joined: 07/05/2008

MGoPoints: 13312

LSAClassOf2000

October 17th, 2016 at 12:02 PM ^

In a way, this works out because - should we win (and all projections say we likely will, of course), then I have ample time to go down the street to the person who so proudly displays his Spartan gear and flags next to the Miller Lite mirror in his garage and ask him where that threat is again. 

of course, it is also the weekend before Halloween so I have to find ways to be unavailable for any daytime Halloween activites that day between noon and about 3:30 PM. I am pretty sure my fall allergies can make me sick for three hours. Hmmm.

Joined: 01/07/2011

MGoPoints: 130669

Bossman23

October 17th, 2016 at 12:04 PM ^

This is one of the few times I'm happy a games at noon. Its Halloween weekend, so I can watch it early and then go out and party without worrying about it later at night.

Joined: 07/19/2014

MGoPoints: 1612

TheReal_GR3

October 17th, 2016 at 12:07 PM ^

I said this a few times on here and my thoughts won't change. Any noon game for the Big Ten is terrible... On any network. However, being on ABC at noon is the best option at noon. 

 

To compare... this week

The SEC has 7 games on Saturday, only 1 is a noon start. 

The B1G has 7 games on Saturday, 3 are a noon start. 

Noon starts, while great for the fans, are bad for recruiting. Recruits want to be under the lights. They like night games, they like prime time games. 

 

The only reason this is somewhat acceptable is because it is starting to get cold. But if any fan is happy about a noon game you have decide your comfort is worth more than the B1G becoming a power football conference again. Times have changed and this is an area that the SEC has really taken advantage of. 

Joined: 04/11/2015

MGoPoints: 1125

ChiCityWolverine

October 17th, 2016 at 12:22 PM ^

I like this game to be at 3:30 typically. HOWEVA, this will be the premier game at Noon, allowing the entire country to tune in for the reckoning Sparty has coming to them. If it were in Ann Arbor and I were going I'd be mildly disappointed, but this will still be a good excuse to get to the bar early and celebrate all day. 

Joined: 07/08/2011

MGoPoints: 3757