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Date	Title	Body
2 years 15 weeks ago	The difference is that	The difference is that Brandon is ostensibly the steward of something far more important than a business: a university, an alma mater, a tradition. An ad hominem attack on Bacon's profit motives is irrelevant to evaluating the merit of his argument that Dave Brandon has "Ticketmastered" UM football.
2 years 15 weeks ago	There's a reason why the	There's a reason why the article struck a nerve with the fan base. Michigan Football should be about a sense of community and tradition, not spectacle. Bacon said it best: if you start treating fans like customers that's what they'll start acting like. Look at the decline in student ticket sales on Brandon's watch; it is staggering. He may have raised profits, but in the long term there are a lot of michigan students who graduated during his tenure that will regard UM football with the fondness of a Ticketmaster concert. Fun, but no more than they were forced to pay for. Their long term willingness to donate to the program and commitment to being fans after graduation is likely to wane; if they aren't even buying tickets as undergrads why would they bear incredible expense to have season tickets after graduation? You should take a look at what other schools' students are paying. There was a good conversation about this over at reddits college football subreddit and I was shocked to hear students at Clemson and Oregon pay NOTHING for football tickets, while much of the SEC including schools like GA charge $7 a game or so for students. Michigan is way out of line with schools with comparable fan bases and far smaller stadiums. The goal is not to Ticketmaster your students, it's to build a sense of camaraderie and affection to the university and team that will sustain a lifetime of fandom. Can anyone say with a straight face Brandon has been trying to accomplish the latter goal rather than the former?
2 years 17 weeks ago	Sad Story	Thanks for doing the legwork on researching what happened to Alex Legion. I did a double take when I saw a post about Alex Legion, that is a name I haven't heard in a long time. Sad to hear that he squandered so many opportunities, but happy to hear he may finally be in a position to find some peace and turn his life around. Best of luck to him.
2 years 17 weeks ago	It's not a conclusive point.	No one has a monopoly on the definition of sports, neither the U.S. government nor a random guy on an internet posting board. For legal purposes (see: Title 9 case on Cheerleading http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8245864/appeals-court-affir...) the judiciary may weigh in on the matter, but the definition of a sport is fluid. I brought it up to point out that even if you disagree that eSports are technically "sports," you might still find it thought-provoking that the belief that competitive video games are a competitive sport is popular and influential enough that the federal government has taken a stance on the matter-- in favor of eSports being a sport. That would have been unthinkable even a few years ago. It's a bellwether, and one with very real-world consequences for eSports professionals. The point is not to win an argument, it's to exchange ideas. The point is not that the government decides what is a sport (though that is relevant for Title IX purposes), but that the idea has some momentum and serious credibility behind it.
2 years 17 weeks ago	double comment	sorry double comment
2 years 17 weeks ago	but I still can't call this a sport.	That's fair, though I think there certainly is an argument, especially in a world where Table Tennis and Shooting are Olympic sports. Whatever your feelings on the subject, it's thought-provoking that the U.S. government considers video games to be sports, as pro gamers now get P1 visas just like any other international sports athlete.
2 years 17 weeks ago	>Gie me something to care	>Gie me something to care abotu reading that article!  WTF is eSports? Yep! I wrote this article and was pretty happy with it so wanted to share since I know a lot of fellow Wolverines that love eSports or are at least intrigued by the idea, even if they don't embrace it. The name and subject of the piece are literally "What is eSports," so if you're burning to know "WTF is eSports" I would recommend reading the piece. If you're not willing to check the first three or four lines of an article to get a sense of whether it's worth reading, you're probably not the intended audience. Feel free to prove me wrong, though!
2 years 17 weeks ago	Second this	https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UjZYMI1zB9s#t=255 Seconded, really great film. Jeremy Lin even makes an appearance!
2 years 17 weeks ago	It's a fair point	It's a fair point, but there is a lot of physical exertion and reflexes involved in most eSports. Would you consider Shooting or Table Tennis to be sports? Both are Olympic sports, and I think pretty comparable to level of exertion you see in many eSports. The reflexes (retirement age is generally 25) and practice required to stay in peak condition (carpal tunnel is a common career ender) are grueling! No matter where you come down on the issue, it's of interest that the US government issues P-1 visas (the same visas MLB and NBA foreign stars use) to eSports stars as of last summer. The tent of "sports" is pretty wide, many would say.
2 years 42 weeks ago	Wow	Pretty incredible run by Gallon for his career. He is easily the most game-breaking WR I've seen at U-M since Manningham.
4 years 3 weeks ago	Not a tough pattern	Hypothesis: He is an excellent college coach, and a better coach than recruiter.   Guys like Ron Zook can get four stars to come to places like Illinois, but let's be real, Michigan State is not an elite destination for college prospects. Saban is no Ron Zook, but when he gets a leg up in recruiting by being at a legendary college program (Alabama) or a school which has an entire state to itself while surrounded by prospect-rich states (Louisiana), he is golden.   It's not some conspiracy about the SEC, it's that it's a hell of a lot easier to convince a four-star recruit from the South to sign at Alabama than at Michigan State. Once he has those kids, Saban delivers on the field.   If Saban were at USC, I strongly believe he would be delivering stellar results. Do you?   As for the NFL, it is possible that Saban's reputed authoritarian style did not go over well with NFL veterans (as opposed to young college students at Saban's mercy with respect to scholarships and discipline). Spurrier, Carroll, and many other good college coaches who were mediocre in the NFL come to mind as coaches whose styles just didn't work in the pros.   Saban is a good coach. Mystery solved.
4 years 27 weeks ago	I dunno	The OHIO Bobcats did better against us than the Ohio Buckeyes. That's why their name gets to be in caps.
4 years 40 weeks ago	Don't feed the troll	Mike Hart is a Michigan legend and was the heart of the program while he was here. No need to argue about that with this clown.
4 years 40 weeks ago	As I recall	something like $1400 for a 2 bedroom. I split my room with a friend, though, so my rent was ~ $360. Heating is included, which is really nice.
4 years 40 weeks ago	Affordable, Convenient, but No-frills	829 Tappan, it's on the same street as the Tri-Delt house. The apartments on the 3rd floor are very spacious, though Zaragon they are not. You can fit 2-4 in the two bedrooms. I got into a lease in January, a few years back another friend got one there in August (not recommended). If you want a fancy place definitely look elsewhere, but the convenience of location really can't be beat if you're in LSA. Good luck to you!
4 years 41 weeks ago	Intro to Political Theory?	Hmm Locke's Second Treatise must have undergone some revision since I was in that class.
4 years 41 weeks ago	I see	fair enough. Haha that was nice of you to change it back, but my only dismay was that Dash was no longer maize-and-blue; the new one looks fine too if Michigan-ification is pending.
4 years 41 weeks ago	Nooo	what happened to maize-and-blue Rainbow Dash?
4 years 41 weeks ago	Haha	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DYje57V_BY
4 years 41 weeks ago	Good centers	are exceedingly rare. Also, I think Durant could barely bench 180 or something; some controversy about his upper body strength. Just goes to show, you always go for the best player on the board (Jordan/Durant) over the position you're supposed to pick (Bowie/Oden).
4 years 41 weeks ago	I was going to respond to this	but then I decided to do what RichRod should have done: Move on.
4 years 41 weeks ago	Recruiting Wars	are an ugly business on message boards. You'd be surprised. There was a thread a few days ago saying Meyer had made up ground with Brionte and there was definitely a fair amount of negativity. Frankly, seems weird to try to pass judgment on an 18 year old kid trying to decide where to go to college. No matter where he ends up, I think we should all have no hard feelings. He'll be doing what he thinks is best for him and his family; can't blame a kid for that. Go Blue!
4 years 41 weeks ago	so what you're saying is...	IT'S IN THE GAME
4 years 41 weeks ago	My One Problem With Three And Out	RR was treated badly here, no doubt. A lot of so-called Michigan Men should be ashamed of themselves. BUT, Bacon REALLY glosses over the defensive woes and general incompetence surrounding the program under RR. Stuff like having 2 kids play with the same jersey number in a game and eat a penalty... I've never seen that penalty in any other game in at least 5 years. Vast numbers of lost fumbles, special teams catastrophes, inability to make kicks, joking about Lombardi being unable to fix the defense, joking about parking lot tryouts for the kicking job... these are not the signs of a well-run program. At the end of the day, reputed backdoor sniping by Carr, English, et. al. would be silenced in an instant with a winning record in the Big Ten or a win over MSU or OSU. What kind of support were Lloyd Carr or the Michigan community supposed to offer that would help players tackle better? Or help RR not bottlekneck his coordinators into running 3-3-5? Would a warm press conference with Braylon Edwards have made our secondary stop giving up 50 yard plays every other game? He had his own chances to shut up his critics, and didn't. At the end of the day, the anti-RR faction was not calling the defensive plays nor were they coaching special teams. Wish him the best in AZ, but I'm getting tired of the "if-only-Michigan-folks-had-liked-RR-we-would-have-won-more-games" meme. It honestly is incomprehensible to me.
4 years 42 weeks ago	If Alabama wins	they are 1-1 against LSU, with LSU winning against them at home and AL winning against LSU at a neutral site. With a stronger strength of schedule and more convincing record against 'Bama, I think it's very reasonable to put LSU first regardless of the outcome of the NCG. This is why the rematch was a colossal fail on the part of voters.
4 years 42 weeks ago	I agree with you, but speaking about non-M fans	Historically, yes, but in talking to non-Michigan fans about the current team the general perception is that it's the Denard Robinson show with some defense to boot now. No one is expecting us to win a championship or dominate top teams like OSU just did to OU, but they do expect lots of points and excitement. Given a little more sustained success our reputation may edge back to "Celtics/Lakers" territory, but for now, we're that team that scores lots of points and isn't totally consistent but is fun as hell to watch. Under The Lights and the OSU games, our most watched of the year, were way more Phoenix Suns (circa 2007, I should say) than Boston Celtics.
4 years 42 weeks ago	Disagree	The reason why I will tune in to a Texas/LSU/USC game is not because I have hatred towards any of those institutions, but because I feel that they are stalwart and reliable programs with lots of playmakers that will produce good games. Similarly, Michigan is a brand name and people will watch in large part because of our history and because they expect us to produce a good football game. I was interviewing for jobs in early October and nearly every interview ended with "by the way, I saw that Under The Lights game on ABC, you guys play some very exciting football." We aren't the Yankees, we're more like the Phoenix Suns. People watch because they expect to be entertained.
4 years 42 weeks ago	Never mind	3 loss Oklahoma definitely drops below us.
4 years 42 weeks ago	Wrong	Beating WVU = winning a BCS game. When was the last time Michigan as a program managed to do that? That is a win. This is no regular season game; a win over anyone (including Houston) in a BCS game would be huge.
4 years 42 weeks ago	Oregon, Alabama, Arkansas -- check	If LSU loses to Georgia, who was the resume to go above them? I was under the impression they were locked into #1.

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