But that's the player ultimately changing his decision, at least the way you reported it. The Tennessee situation is the school just saying, "No," so the player hasn't a full say in his future.
I'm sure Princeton had it for a while, being the only school on the gridiron for a few years or whatever. :-)
I dunno. I see him in the Union a lot and I tend to just let him, and all athlete celebrities, have a bit of a break. It's got to be exhausting, you know?
...Not that I didn't post it on Facebook...
...Including the country's first ever music therapy program, leaving, um, Western and Eastern. Sparty...oh, Sparty.
My parents have had WMU tickets for a couple of years (my brother is in the band) and they seem to do okay, for a middling MAC team with decreasing prospects throughout the season (read: no one in the endzones, but the main bleachers fairly full). What amazes me is how few students go to their games; it's free and they have at least seemed like conference contenders for a couple of seasons.
But nothing was like my trip to Rynearson for EMU/WMU this year...it was a ghost town, and homecoming, to boot (plus, it was our bye week, else I'd be in the Big House of course).
As the kid of an IU alum who grew up watching Bobby Knight's last squads, I am thrilled! I thonk Crean was a great hire and hope to see the program get back to national relevance. Between Michigan and IU, I have some hope.
FWIW, the band plays during the C-YA chant due to pressure from the University, which has been trying to get rid of the chant since I first came here in 2004. They even threatened to revoke everyone's tickets one season. I think that the Swedish National Anthem has to redeem the band a bit, anyway, doesn't it?
Even though they aren't exactly a hockey powerhouse, it might be fun when tOSU visits...I highly encourage this weekend-scope project! For others, it might be too specific to do the whole list, but I do think adding "Tressel" would be a nice touch given the rivalry and our (Yost's) reputation as awesome.
I mean, I know Pryor isn't necessarily the poster boy for academic achievement, but you'd think someone involved in these transactions, somewhere along the line, would have realized it's a bad idea for a nationally recognized star athlete to cash completely traceable, non-anonymous checks from a memorabilia dealer? Surely?
That last angle is one I find particularly intriguing. As the article suggests, it may be slightly sketchy to have someone who is either blatantly or potentially implicated in an ongoing investigation be able to effectively redact their own communications. I'm a huge fan of personal privacy, but a case like this begins to blur the line. For example, if Sarniak doesn't have any official connection to tOSU's program, are those communications "personal" and thus protected? They're certainly germane, however, so perhaps we aren't looking for a personal/professional divide, after all. But then you start getting into situations that make me increasingly uncomfortable...while the person under investigation shouldn't be trusted to be forthcoming, I'm not sure who should be given that power (tOSU officials, who have a vested (lolz) interest in keeping this quiet? The NCAA? The Dispatch?).
I hate that people can just waltz away without any NCAA jurisdiction over them. I don't think that it's right for the NCAA to bar the NFL from hiring someone like Pete Carroll, but one would love to see some justice served to the Tressels (after ditching Y-State) and Caliparis of the world. Some violations should, however, hit the school (incidentally, this should theoretically should work as an incentive for parents and prospects to vet for themselves that a school isn't likely to rack up some violations) and some should follow the coaches. With liberty and justice for all.
The other thing with that is that I think a lot of people just didn't get it. With the band playing over the chant, it's really hard to make out the words and by the time you got to that my friends and I (not in the student section) were just confused. I personally didn't get anything after "cocksucker." Unity is more important than length with this kind of thing, I think, and fewer, but more effective, hard-hitting jabs would be best. I think addding "Tressel" would be really good, particularly if you can get everyone to come together on it. You could probably work his name in elsewhere as well, and I look forward to cheering on your noble efforts.
I've been a cream and crimson fan all my life. My dad's an alum, and I grew up rooting for IU hoops under Knight. It's only the bright red I really despise. :-)
And I'll certainly agree that USC's helmet is iconic, if nothing else and if not quite to my personal taste. That's an interesting question, isn't it: which helmets do we like, and which do we find most iconic? Michigan has to top that list for pretty much everyone, don't we?
I have to agree with you. There's something I find really satisfying about deep, dark colors, and I like the green they use on their helmets (but not so much the green on their uniforms, unless it's grass stains on their pants from being tackled). USC's color combination has always struck me as quite garish. Similarly, I like ND's colors when they play in that nice deep blue, and I think their helmets complement the uniforms nicely. And say what you will about Indiana's football program, but I love the trident. It's unique, better than a block "I" or spelling out the school.
As a newly minted archivist/librarian (hire me!), I understand the anger, but there is arguably historical value in these kinds of materials, particularly the manifesto. Access to writings, however deranged and despicable, is crucial in order to understand why people do heinous things, and preservation of original materials can lead to unforeseen insights lost when things are re-typed and copied. I do agree with you, however, that I hope the items do not go into a private collection but are, rather, purchased by a kind of cultural repository that can preserve the materials and ensure future access.
A similar controversy occurred at Northern Michigan when they acquired a large KKK collection; they took a lot of heat for it but, ultimately, I think it's more important to preserve these things rather than ignoring them. At least if they're around we can learn from them.
I don't know about football, and of course there was the huge Sparty bonus, but the Final Four seemed to do pretty well. I think all of the B1G schools, sans Iowa and Nebraska, have nearby(ish) NFL teams and stadiums, so rotation seems feasible.
An interesting counterpoint to the idea that it is their fame that keeps big schools from being busted. Though, of course, with USC and (hopefully) tOSU, that might be changing. Regardless, I think it's more likely to work the other way around: smaller schools will be more likely to get busted, and big schools more likely to get away with things unless they are truly egregious, but because they are not high profile small school violations won't make nearly as big a splash as, say, Mr. Tressel's recent alleged offenses.
You know, Lloyd gets a lot of flack for his last few years, and probably a lot of it rightly so, but what he did for the program was...well, tremendous. It's lovely to see those numbers out there again, and to see a man who so boosted the program both on and off the field be rightfully recognized. Go Blue, and thanks, Coach Carr.
Not to mention speculation and stats on any potential starting QBs (cf. 2008). I hadn't thought about it, really, but yeah, the Internet is really upping the ante, I think.
Actually, I respectfully disagree. Given the level of vitriol directed at Snyder since be was announced, I think that protesting graduates acted very maturely. I was worried there would be lots of jeering or that everyone would leave, but they managed to show their discontent in a nondisruptive, yet clear, manner. I was especially impressed that a few near me stood in the aisles so as not to block fellow graduates' views. I was impressed with the level of maturity (remember, even with backs turned, they still heard the speech).
But to be entirely fair it isn't like we haven't done our own fair share of it lately, though running a coach out of town is not the same as turning on a former qb for making tOSU look bad...by being reasonable.
Posey also has some recognition, but I think the important effect on the game would have been along the lines of "With tOSU's starting qb and other players out, they won't even be competitive." So, with tOSU out a bunch of guys, why watch what becomes a boring game?
...Even I didn't make it to the end of MSU/Bama.
But we are the legendary leaders!
Reputational damage only goes so far, anyway. Youngstown State and Capilari, anyone? Plus, there's the NFL option for some coaches (I'm looking at you, Pete Carroll).
This is a good point, but setting general amateurism complaints aside, keeping more players in school will probably benefit those who don't make it in the NBA even after being drafted. A player who gets a career-ending injury will likely be better of with a couple of years' worth of college credits and related experience/benefits than with only one totally blown off year.
I think what it really says is that mgoblog's readership is not demographically representative of current and/or recent students. It would be posdible to have a readership composed, say, of 75% current/recent students and still have certain demographics underrepresented.
An interesting question here is whether, as suggested, and how mgoblog's readership demographics differ from a general breakdown of "sports fans" or "Michigan fans" or similarly impossible-to-isolate populations.
While it's great to go undefeated, I do like the fact that Coach Hutch seems to genuinely believe that losses can teach just as much as wins, and I feel that she emphasizes the learning process. There is something to be said for seeing your vulnerability, and I have faith that we can come back strong.
I was really surprised to see a Michigan shirt in Dublin, Ireland this summer (and no, they don't really root for Notre Dame...or any American team). I will say, however, that if you happen to meet some staff in the Dublin City Public Library who care about Michigan football...that is totally my doing. :-D
What was weirder was that I actually found a Buckeye first, at a pub in Temple Bar (I know, I know, but I was staying just a few blocks away and it was early days). I was wearing a Michigan hoodie and I heard, out of nowhere, "F*** Michigan!" She was a Buckeye, but we hung out for the night and I think really impressed the Irish guy with how much we got into it over sports. It's weird, but like onelise14 said, it really makes you feel at home to find even Buckeyes abroad. I try to explain it like Manchester United v. Liverpool or Cork v. Kerry but it's a bit different yet.
Also, he'd be requiring the potential employees to sign a noncompetition clause. That's one of the major sticking points for me; not only does the coaching staff get to just axe people, but they are basically forced to sign away any power they might have to solicit other offers and to truly explore the marketplace. If a company promises to hire someone (with something in writing or otherwise legally binding) and effectively (legally) takes them off of the market for other employers, then cuts them loose when- as they knew would happen- they have made too many promises, that company should be liable. It's undermining the market while at the same time royally and immorally screwing someone over.
If players were free to explore other options, I think the analogy would work, and I wouldn't have as much of a problem with the whole thing.
I don't know, though, we tend to flee. I stayed during MSU 2004 (my first in-state derby game!), CMU weather delay and until the end of Northwestern 2008, and students (along with other fans, mind) were definintely streaming out of all of them. I'm also not sure that heckling opposing fans' kids is exactly the kind of behavior we want to cite as an example of being awesomely devoted. Getting tOSU fans kicked out because they had a flask, or singing, "If you can't get into college?" Great, and totally different as the targets are college students. Projectiles? Potentially criminal assault, and embarrassing (to me, at least). Our fan base and its general class sets us apart; my brother is in WMU's band and he said that they were treated quite well here but were getting sworn at and stuff by adult MSU fans at Spartan Stadium. I'm cool with drunken revelry, and I slip in tOSU jokes wherever possible in daily conversation, but some things go too far. </OTrant>
We do maintain our traditions pretty well with good participation rates (the Claw is nearly universal during "Temptation"), something I didn't take into consideration.
However, the worst Michigan football memory I have, worse than NW 08, or The Horror, or even Toledo, is my last undergrad home game. It was tOhio State on a cold November Saturday, and as we lost for the fourth time in a row Michigan Stadium echoed with a four-letter word. That, for me, remains the sound of utter defeat and pathos; there were too few students remaining to mount a credible challenge and we were, again, beaten.
A student section way less excited than Michigan's is kind of a bummer...do you think UT's malaise was just an anomaly of last year's letdown or more general? Word on the Internetz is that Michigan's generally regarded as shockingly quiet/dull, and I've certainly been in extremely boring sections, and to hear that a place like Texas is similar kind of surprises me.
I suggest a manic, weeklong road trip across all four locations.
[post assumes one has been in Ann Arbor for a while and has our fair town as a reference point]
From what I have heard, Austin is a bit like Ann Arbor in general vibe. It's apparently quite liberal and very artsy, and I've heard more than a few people compare the two, though I don't think Ann Arbor is *quite* as surrounded by more traditionally conservative areas. Austin can, I've heard, feel a bit like a bubble. Unfortunately, I can't offer much about Austin beyond that, but Austin does have SXSW (major bonus) and is generally highly regarded academically as well. Also, you'd be within driving distance for the upcoming Dallas game. I guess I could offer two things beyond that.
One of my friends went to FSU for undergrad, and she enjoyed being in Tallahassee, saying it was definitely more interesting than Gainesville (where her brother went and which she has visited) but still quite different from Ann Arbor. I don't know about finding many Michigan fans either in Austin or in Florida, though; there should be plenty in LA but, again, that's a huge move to a huge city. In LA you really have to depend on a car, so if you're used to walking everywhere that will be a big change. However, LA does have a concentration of professional (and highly regarded collegiate) sports teams, so it may be easier to do sport-based research in that kind of environment.
I think the best thing to do is to really look at the focus of the programs wrt what you want to do with your degree, and if you pick a couple based on that it may be worth flying/driving/hitchhiking out there to see how it feels. Sometimes just being in a place can really make or break it.
That last point is interesting. Presumably, the player should know the risks when signing, but even so the prestige of a program like Bama (especially lately) clearly continues to outweigh the risk (or, more likely, the system simply affords very few rights to potential empl-er, student-athletes). In any case, though, I'm sure Saban gave "adequate" notice as he hasn't yet been legally nailed for anything. And as far as I can tell, the legal status of college athletes is murky, as they are technically volunteers (though scholarship agreements, once signed, surely are legally binding in some respects?).
It just really sucks for the players, who appear to have no franchise whatsoever. You'd think (hope?) that this being public would draw prospects away from offending programs, but of course Saban's system is self-perpetuating, reinforcing its prestige, and thus desirability, by using these tactics to basically claim first dibs on a lot of good talent, who of course can't negotiate.
Are LOIs standardized, or can individual players/families insist on clauses tht might help prevent this from happening?
I think that line is crossed when you make promises you
a) have no intention of honoring until other, more desirable, options are taken off of the table.
b) really can't keep, because you've overpromised the (known) limits of your resources.
c) have made at least partially because you know you can renege on them without substantial consequences.
This kind of recruiting is wrong not only because it unfairly binds one (vulnerable) party to another without a true mutual committment, but because that control gives Alabama (or LSU, or any other school) a market advantage over direct competitors (other programs who may have recruited talented prospects). I mean, obviously Saban's a very smart guy, but when people involved in, say, shady business deals are able to exploit loopholes to disenfranchise and exploit consumers/employees/whomever those practices are usually condemned. Law and rule are not equal to morality (as I agree that many NCAA recruiting rules, but not most of those related to oversigning, are dumb or even immoral themselves).
It's interesting that their athletic departments are also under investigation for different possible violations as well. Obviously, there's a difference between the two realms, but IIRC most university athletic departments are still connected to their universities. I don't know how widespread this type of oversight is, but I wonder whether this is evidence of something systemic about the universities or just a weird coincidence.
Also, money laundering is clearly very different than not overseeing sub-awardees' fund usage properly, so it seems to me unfair to quite equate the two.
But, on the bright side, forming a cohesive student section could be a path to political leadership!
I think your last point is crucial here, and that it's important to remember what the state of each program currently is. Maize Rage are doing quite well, but when you start going to the NCAA tourney after a decade out (and how), that incentivizes people to get involved. No, it shouldn't work that way, and yes, I stayed to the end of Northwestern 2008 (my last undergrad home game), but the resurgence of student support for basketball has to be linked to the team's performance. And while the Maize Rage aren't perfect, it's heartening to finally see some student presence, especially while watching on TV.
I will add, though, that the student section at Yost continues to impress me. I bounced around a bit this season, but the students seem to be twice or thrice as many as my first season (2004) and the involvement is awesome.
And one more thought about Western's presence at the Joe...they were coming off of a huge tournament drought and one of their best seasons in years (ever?), and with the drive being reasonable it makes a lot of sense. I was there both days this year, but unfortunately I think it's easier for us to get used to playing at the Joe and thus can't get as organized as a fan base. I was, however, disappointed at the student turnout, though I thought the NCAA regionals in Fort Wayne fairly well attended for being a bit of a drive.
I don't know, though, surely it feels perhaps a bit less shady to at least be blatantly driving University painted vehicles? Emphasis surely on "less."
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But that's the player ultimately changing his decision, at least the way you reported it. The Tennessee situation is the school just saying, "No," so the player hasn't a full say in his future.
I'm sure Princeton had it for a while, being the only school on the gridiron for a few years or whatever. :-)
I dunno. I see him in the Union a lot and I tend to just let him, and all athlete celebrities, have a bit of a break. It's got to be exhausting, you know?
...Not that I didn't post it on Facebook...
...Including the country's first ever music therapy program, leaving, um, Western and Eastern. Sparty...oh, Sparty.
My parents have had WMU tickets for a couple of years (my brother is in the band) and they seem to do okay, for a middling MAC team with decreasing prospects throughout the season (read: no one in the endzones, but the main bleachers fairly full). What amazes me is how few students go to their games; it's free and they have at least seemed like conference contenders for a couple of seasons.
But nothing was like my trip to Rynearson for EMU/WMU this year...it was a ghost town, and homecoming, to boot (plus, it was our bye week, else I'd be in the Big House of course).
As the kid of an IU alum who grew up watching Bobby Knight's last squads, I am thrilled! I thonk Crean was a great hire and hope to see the program get back to national relevance. Between Michigan and IU, I have some hope.
FWIW, the band plays during the C-YA chant due to pressure from the University, which has been trying to get rid of the chant since I first came here in 2004. They even threatened to revoke everyone's tickets one season. I think that the Swedish National Anthem has to redeem the band a bit, anyway, doesn't it?
Even though they aren't exactly a hockey powerhouse, it might be fun when tOSU visits...I highly encourage this weekend-scope project! For others, it might be too specific to do the whole list, but I do think adding "Tressel" would be a nice touch given the rivalry and our (Yost's) reputation as awesome.
I mean, I know Pryor isn't necessarily the poster boy for academic achievement, but you'd think someone involved in these transactions, somewhere along the line, would have realized it's a bad idea for a nationally recognized star athlete to cash completely traceable, non-anonymous checks from a memorabilia dealer? Surely?
Maybe he's trying to get back on the "Real Buckeye" train?
That last angle is one I find particularly intriguing. As the article suggests, it may be slightly sketchy to have someone who is either blatantly or potentially implicated in an ongoing investigation be able to effectively redact their own communications. I'm a huge fan of personal privacy, but a case like this begins to blur the line. For example, if Sarniak doesn't have any official connection to tOSU's program, are those communications "personal" and thus protected? They're certainly germane, however, so perhaps we aren't looking for a personal/professional divide, after all. But then you start getting into situations that make me increasingly uncomfortable...while the person under investigation shouldn't be trusted to be forthcoming, I'm not sure who should be given that power (tOSU officials, who have a vested (lolz) interest in keeping this quiet? The NCAA? The Dispatch?).
I'm holding out for one with marijuana leaves on it.
I hate that people can just waltz away without any NCAA jurisdiction over them. I don't think that it's right for the NCAA to bar the NFL from hiring someone like Pete Carroll, but one would love to see some justice served to the Tressels (after ditching Y-State) and Caliparis of the world. Some violations should, however, hit the school (incidentally, this should theoretically should work as an incentive for parents and prospects to vet for themselves that a school isn't likely to rack up some violations) and some should follow the coaches. With liberty and justice for all.
The other thing with that is that I think a lot of people just didn't get it. With the band playing over the chant, it's really hard to make out the words and by the time you got to that my friends and I (not in the student section) were just confused. I personally didn't get anything after "cocksucker." Unity is more important than length with this kind of thing, I think, and fewer, but more effective, hard-hitting jabs would be best. I think addding "Tressel" would be really good, particularly if you can get everyone to come together on it. You could probably work his name in elsewhere as well, and I look forward to cheering on your noble efforts.
Not if it's a lack of institutional control...
I prefer to direct this one toward Tressel. :-)
I've been a cream and crimson fan all my life. My dad's an alum, and I grew up rooting for IU hoops under Knight. It's only the bright red I really despise. :-)
And I'll certainly agree that USC's helmet is iconic, if nothing else and if not quite to my personal taste. That's an interesting question, isn't it: which helmets do we like, and which do we find most iconic? Michigan has to top that list for pretty much everyone, don't we?
Until you dug up this picture, I thought perhaps we were honoring the man with our throwbacks. I now remain baffled.
I have to agree with you. There's something I find really satisfying about deep, dark colors, and I like the green they use on their helmets (but not so much the green on their uniforms, unless it's grass stains on their pants from being tackled). USC's color combination has always struck me as quite garish. Similarly, I like ND's colors when they play in that nice deep blue, and I think their helmets complement the uniforms nicely. And say what you will about Indiana's football program, but I love the trident. It's unique, better than a block "I" or spelling out the school.
But that's required for Rick's, no?
As a newly minted archivist/librarian (hire me!), I understand the anger, but there is arguably historical value in these kinds of materials, particularly the manifesto. Access to writings, however deranged and despicable, is crucial in order to understand why people do heinous things, and preservation of original materials can lead to unforeseen insights lost when things are re-typed and copied. I do agree with you, however, that I hope the items do not go into a private collection but are, rather, purchased by a kind of cultural repository that can preserve the materials and ensure future access.
A similar controversy occurred at Northern Michigan when they acquired a large KKK collection; they took a lot of heat for it but, ultimately, I think it's more important to preserve these things rather than ignoring them. At least if they're around we can learn from them.
I don't know about football, and of course there was the huge Sparty bonus, but the Final Four seemed to do pretty well. I think all of the B1G schools, sans Iowa and Nebraska, have nearby(ish) NFL teams and stadiums, so rotation seems feasible.
An interesting counterpoint to the idea that it is their fame that keeps big schools from being busted. Though, of course, with USC and (hopefully) tOSU, that might be changing. Regardless, I think it's more likely to work the other way around: smaller schools will be more likely to get busted, and big schools more likely to get away with things unless they are truly egregious, but because they are not high profile small school violations won't make nearly as big a splash as, say, Mr. Tressel's recent alleged offenses.
Kind of a catch-22 we've set up here, eh?
I love the fact that we can even realistically debate which of our quarterback's plays is MORE Heisman-looking. Hail!
...Unless you are the Coulter-Kos Award, in which case we humbly bow before Your Most Impeccably Terrifying Prescience and Majesty.
You know, Lloyd gets a lot of flack for his last few years, and probably a lot of it rightly so, but what he did for the program was...well, tremendous. It's lovely to see those numbers out there again, and to see a man who so boosted the program both on and off the field be rightfully recognized. Go Blue, and thanks, Coach Carr.
May the Mighty Hoke follow in your footsteps.
Not to mention speculation and stats on any potential starting QBs (cf. 2008). I hadn't thought about it, really, but yeah, the Internet is really upping the ante, I think.
Actually, I respectfully disagree. Given the level of vitriol directed at Snyder since be was announced, I think that protesting graduates acted very maturely. I was worried there would be lots of jeering or that everyone would leave, but they managed to show their discontent in a nondisruptive, yet clear, manner. I was especially impressed that a few near me stood in the aisles so as not to block fellow graduates' views. I was impressed with the level of maturity (remember, even with backs turned, they still heard the speech).
But to be entirely fair it isn't like we haven't done our own fair share of it lately, though running a coach out of town is not the same as turning on a former qb for making tOSU look bad...by being reasonable.
Posey also has some recognition, but I think the important effect on the game would have been along the lines of "With tOSU's starting qb and other players out, they won't even be competitive." So, with tOSU out a bunch of guys, why watch what becomes a boring game?
...Even I didn't make it to the end of MSU/Bama.
But we are the legendary leaders!
Reputational damage only goes so far, anyway. Youngstown State and Capilari, anyone? Plus, there's the NFL option for some coaches (I'm looking at you, Pete Carroll).
This is a good point, but setting general amateurism complaints aside, keeping more players in school will probably benefit those who don't make it in the NBA even after being drafted. A player who gets a career-ending injury will likely be better of with a couple of years' worth of college credits and related experience/benefits than with only one totally blown off year.
I think what it really says is that mgoblog's readership is not demographically representative of current and/or recent students. It would be posdible to have a readership composed, say, of 75% current/recent students and still have certain demographics underrepresented.
An interesting question here is whether, as suggested, and how mgoblog's readership demographics differ from a general breakdown of "sports fans" or "Michigan fans" or similarly impossible-to-isolate populations.
While it's great to go undefeated, I do like the fact that Coach Hutch seems to genuinely believe that losses can teach just as much as wins, and I feel that she emphasizes the learning process. There is something to be said for seeing your vulnerability, and I have faith that we can come back strong.
I was really surprised to see a Michigan shirt in Dublin, Ireland this summer (and no, they don't really root for Notre Dame...or any American team). I will say, however, that if you happen to meet some staff in the Dublin City Public Library who care about Michigan football...that is totally my doing. :-D
What was weirder was that I actually found a Buckeye first, at a pub in Temple Bar (I know, I know, but I was staying just a few blocks away and it was early days). I was wearing a Michigan hoodie and I heard, out of nowhere, "F*** Michigan!" She was a Buckeye, but we hung out for the night and I think really impressed the Irish guy with how much we got into it over sports. It's weird, but like onelise14 said, it really makes you feel at home to find even Buckeyes abroad. I try to explain it like Manchester United v. Liverpool or Cork v. Kerry but it's a bit different yet.
Good to see we're all over!
Also, he'd be requiring the potential employees to sign a noncompetition clause. That's one of the major sticking points for me; not only does the coaching staff get to just axe people, but they are basically forced to sign away any power they might have to solicit other offers and to truly explore the marketplace. If a company promises to hire someone (with something in writing or otherwise legally binding) and effectively (legally) takes them off of the market for other employers, then cuts them loose when- as they knew would happen- they have made too many promises, that company should be liable. It's undermining the market while at the same time royally and immorally screwing someone over.
If players were free to explore other options, I think the analogy would work, and I wouldn't have as much of a problem with the whole thing.
I don't know, though, we tend to flee. I stayed during MSU 2004 (my first in-state derby game!), CMU weather delay and until the end of Northwestern 2008, and students (along with other fans, mind) were definintely streaming out of all of them. I'm also not sure that heckling opposing fans' kids is exactly the kind of behavior we want to cite as an example of being awesomely devoted. Getting tOSU fans kicked out because they had a flask, or singing, "If you can't get into college?" Great, and totally different as the targets are college students. Projectiles? Potentially criminal assault, and embarrassing (to me, at least). Our fan base and its general class sets us apart; my brother is in WMU's band and he said that they were treated quite well here but were getting sworn at and stuff by adult MSU fans at Spartan Stadium. I'm cool with drunken revelry, and I slip in tOSU jokes wherever possible in daily conversation, but some things go too far. </OTrant>
We do maintain our traditions pretty well with good participation rates (the Claw is nearly universal during "Temptation"), something I didn't take into consideration.
However, the worst Michigan football memory I have, worse than NW 08, or The Horror, or even Toledo, is my last undergrad home game. It was tOhio State on a cold November Saturday, and as we lost for the fourth time in a row Michigan Stadium echoed with a four-letter word. That, for me, remains the sound of utter defeat and pathos; there were too few students remaining to mount a credible challenge and we were, again, beaten.
A student section way less excited than Michigan's is kind of a bummer...do you think UT's malaise was just an anomaly of last year's letdown or more general? Word on the Internetz is that Michigan's generally regarded as shockingly quiet/dull, and I've certainly been in extremely boring sections, and to hear that a place like Texas is similar kind of surprises me.
I suggest a manic, weeklong road trip across all four locations.
[post assumes one has been in Ann Arbor for a while and has our fair town as a reference point]
From what I have heard, Austin is a bit like Ann Arbor in general vibe. It's apparently quite liberal and very artsy, and I've heard more than a few people compare the two, though I don't think Ann Arbor is *quite* as surrounded by more traditionally conservative areas. Austin can, I've heard, feel a bit like a bubble. Unfortunately, I can't offer much about Austin beyond that, but Austin does have SXSW (major bonus) and is generally highly regarded academically as well. Also, you'd be within driving distance for the upcoming Dallas game. I guess I could offer two things beyond that.
One of my friends went to FSU for undergrad, and she enjoyed being in Tallahassee, saying it was definitely more interesting than Gainesville (where her brother went and which she has visited) but still quite different from Ann Arbor. I don't know about finding many Michigan fans either in Austin or in Florida, though; there should be plenty in LA but, again, that's a huge move to a huge city. In LA you really have to depend on a car, so if you're used to walking everywhere that will be a big change. However, LA does have a concentration of professional (and highly regarded collegiate) sports teams, so it may be easier to do sport-based research in that kind of environment.
I think the best thing to do is to really look at the focus of the programs wrt what you want to do with your degree, and if you pick a couple based on that it may be worth flying/driving/hitchhiking out there to see how it feels. Sometimes just being in a place can really make or break it.
That last point is interesting. Presumably, the player should know the risks when signing, but even so the prestige of a program like Bama (especially lately) clearly continues to outweigh the risk (or, more likely, the system simply affords very few rights to potential empl-er, student-athletes). In any case, though, I'm sure Saban gave "adequate" notice as he hasn't yet been legally nailed for anything. And as far as I can tell, the legal status of college athletes is murky, as they are technically volunteers (though scholarship agreements, once signed, surely are legally binding in some respects?).
It just really sucks for the players, who appear to have no franchise whatsoever. You'd think (hope?) that this being public would draw prospects away from offending programs, but of course Saban's system is self-perpetuating, reinforcing its prestige, and thus desirability, by using these tactics to basically claim first dibs on a lot of good talent, who of course can't negotiate.
Are LOIs standardized, or can individual players/families insist on clauses tht might help prevent this from happening?
I think that line is crossed when you make promises you
a) have no intention of honoring until other, more desirable, options are taken off of the table.
b) really can't keep, because you've overpromised the (known) limits of your resources.
c) have made at least partially because you know you can renege on them without substantial consequences.
This kind of recruiting is wrong not only because it unfairly binds one (vulnerable) party to another without a true mutual committment, but because that control gives Alabama (or LSU, or any other school) a market advantage over direct competitors (other programs who may have recruited talented prospects). I mean, obviously Saban's a very smart guy, but when people involved in, say, shady business deals are able to exploit loopholes to disenfranchise and exploit consumers/employees/whomever those practices are usually condemned. Law and rule are not equal to morality (as I agree that many NCAA recruiting rules, but not most of those related to oversigning, are dumb or even immoral themselves).
It's interesting that their athletic departments are also under investigation for different possible violations as well. Obviously, there's a difference between the two realms, but IIRC most university athletic departments are still connected to their universities. I don't know how widespread this type of oversight is, but I wonder whether this is evidence of something systemic about the universities or just a weird coincidence.
Also, money laundering is clearly very different than not overseeing sub-awardees' fund usage properly, so it seems to me unfair to quite equate the two.
At least they never managed to actually revoke the entire student section's tickets.
But, on the bright side, forming a cohesive student section could be a path to political leadership!
I think your last point is crucial here, and that it's important to remember what the state of each program currently is. Maize Rage are doing quite well, but when you start going to the NCAA tourney after a decade out (and how), that incentivizes people to get involved. No, it shouldn't work that way, and yes, I stayed to the end of Northwestern 2008 (my last undergrad home game), but the resurgence of student support for basketball has to be linked to the team's performance. And while the Maize Rage aren't perfect, it's heartening to finally see some student presence, especially while watching on TV.
I will add, though, that the student section at Yost continues to impress me. I bounced around a bit this season, but the students seem to be twice or thrice as many as my first season (2004) and the involvement is awesome.
And one more thought about Western's presence at the Joe...they were coming off of a huge tournament drought and one of their best seasons in years (ever?), and with the drive being reasonable it makes a lot of sense. I was there both days this year, but unfortunately I think it's easier for us to get used to playing at the Joe and thus can't get as organized as a fan base. I was, however, disappointed at the student turnout, though I thought the NCAA regionals in Fort Wayne fairly well attended for being a bit of a drive.
I don't know, though, surely it feels perhaps a bit less shady to at least be blatantly driving University painted vehicles? Emphasis surely on "less."
Of course...Dilithium power! Surely that's what the fusion reactor made?