Michigan Marching Band Petition
While it probably won't change anything, the least we can do is try to fight Brandon's insanity. Someone created a petition on change.org to get the band to travel to Dallas. Sign the petition below, join the resistance!
http://www.youtube.com/v/3YztgdsnvsU?version=3&feature=player_detailpage
April 21st, 2012 at 11:41 AM ^
Signed
April 21st, 2012 at 11:43 AM ^
With all of the change DB has brought (and threatened to bring) to the culture of the athletic department, is this issue really the one on which you want to take a stand? I too would like to see the band at this game, and every other game for that matter, but it seems there are bigger issues on DB's agenda that might warrant a petition ahead of this.
I'm all for speaking up, fighting for what you believe is right, etc., and I'm sure I'll get negged, but you may want to stow your torches and pitchforks for a more impactful issue. You only get so many chances to have your voice heard before it becomes white noise. If DB thinks that fans are throwing fits about everything, he'll be less inclined to listen when said fits are thrown.
Just sayin.
This is exactly the right moment to voice your displeasure. If Brandon doesn't get challenged for a decision so inane, don't expect him to think twice when faced with making a potential unpopular decision in the future.
April 21st, 2012 at 11:46 AM ^
Definitely signed. And sent to all of my friends.
Ditto
April 21st, 2012 at 11:53 AM ^
I signed it although I'm not a fan of the wording. The guy tries to frame it as if it's some sort of social justice issue and that's really overdoing it IMO.
All that really needed to be said is that the MMB is an important part of Michigan football. Michigan football is going to be on a national stage for this game, so they should be included. It's just that simple.
if 400,000 people sign, Brandon will make it happn. It's all about the market to this guy, numbers talk, not appeals to justice like the writer of the petition attempted.
The petition is for "The Cotton Bowl Classic", not the Cowboys Classic. The Cotton Bowl Classic is played on New Year's Day.
How much credibility does this petition have when it isn't even worded correctly for the U-M vs 'Bama game?
April 22nd, 2012 at 11:58 AM ^
He doesn't need to capitalize the word "the" all the time, either. We're the University of Michigan, not The University of Michigan. I don't think "athletic department" is a proper noun requiring capitalization, either.
I still signed it, but it'd look a little more professional if someone had proofread the text first.
All that really needed to be said was: "the team, the team, the team"
April 21st, 2012 at 11:57 AM ^
That dude is the whack job who had facebook chats with Ray Vinopal when he was leaving and freaked out when someone had the nerve to ask "Who is Billi Gordon?" as if we're all supposed to know. He freaked out even more because the person didn't know if Billi Gordon was a man or a woman, despite the fact that Billi can be used for a man or a woman.
April 21st, 2012 at 12:07 PM ^
Sounds like a douche, but in this case I don't care if Jim Tressel started it. I'll make an exception and sign the petition anyway.
April 21st, 2012 at 12:12 PM ^
all the facts are in. "A little dubious" will do for now. :)
April 21st, 2012 at 12:20 PM ^
April 21st, 2012 at 11:58 AM ^
April 21st, 2012 at 11:59 AM ^
These always work.
You might just throw away a whole 30 seconds of your life for nothing.
April 21st, 2012 at 12:00 PM ^
done
April 21st, 2012 at 12:06 PM ^
Done.
April 21st, 2012 at 12:12 PM ^
April 21st, 2012 at 12:16 PM ^
But 400,000 people as a goal? That's just nuts.
It would look a hell of a lot better to set the goal to something more reasonable and blow it out of the water... say 10,000 and get 25,000 signatures.
25,000 out of 400,000 looks like we suck at petitioning.
I was number 500 lol if 25k out of 400k looks like we suck at petioning whats 500 look like
April 21st, 2012 at 12:19 PM ^
And Done. This has probably already been discussed, but is Alabama's band going to be there? It would be a shame if their band was at the game and ours wasn't.
April 21st, 2012 at 12:20 PM ^
It is a much shorter trip to take a bus from Alabama to Dallas than from Ann Arbor to Dallas.
I realize that, and I figured they probably were, I just think it will be a shame to have their band in the stadium if ours isn't.
April 21st, 2012 at 12:24 PM ^
April 21st, 2012 at 12:26 PM ^
I fully anticipate the MMB to be there, and it's my opinion that DB does as well, however I'll do whatever I can to improve my experiance after dropping $700 for tickets.
April 21st, 2012 at 12:27 PM ^
April 21st, 2012 at 12:36 PM ^
Which is why petitions like this are easily ignored. Is it 500 people who want this, or is it 100 people who signed five times? How many of the signators are Spartans or Buckeyes just trying to screw with Michigan?
April 21st, 2012 at 12:49 PM ^
The ignorance espressed in this whole MMB protest is astounding to me. We have no idea the extent of the AD budget and the athletic and building/renovation costs that need to be paid. The Dept. hasn't been able to afford to send the band on road trips like these during the regular season, so what makes anyone believe that an exception needs to be made here? If we were playing Alabama in Alabama, the same rule would apply. Just because the game is being played on a neutral site shouldn't make any difference. If you really want to see the MMB perform than pony up the dough yo.
April 21st, 2012 at 12:50 PM ^
This will have the feel of a BCS bowl game. The notion that this is similar to any other away game is silly.
We have no idea the extent of the AD budget and the athletic and building/renovation costs that need to be paid.
Yes we do. Click here. Cliff Notes version, the AD expected big surpluses, and is getting even bigger surpluses.
April 21st, 2012 at 12:47 PM ^
Signed.
April 21st, 2012 at 12:48 PM ^
The MMB didn't go (only time since the rivalry was renewed 1978), probably because the game wasn't televised. That was the last-second Harry Oliver FG loss, and Bo returned to Ann Arbor and publically stated at the next pep rally that (paraphrasing here) "he wasn't going to ever play a big game without the band again!"
Absolutely, the Alabama game is one of these games. Don't discount the difference the MMB can make in a hostile environment. Signed.
April 21st, 2012 at 12:51 PM ^
away games at PU, IU, Iowa, Wisc, Illinois, PSU, or Minny normally is?
They're usually around 50 or 60 bucks going by my previous experience.
I paid mid-$50's for at-cost decent seating in Madison during the ill-fated Henne injury senior year (Mallett to Manningham for 90 yards was fun...the rest of the game wasn't). Inflate the ticket prices accordingly. I would assume those seats are now near $70 for premium games .... if Michigan ever plays in Madison again.
and you can get a season ticket for $175. I would guess that season tix for IU, Minny, Illinois, and NW are similar. Probably Iowa, Wisky, and PSU are a bit more pricey, but even so I bet they're nowhere close to the $125 that people are shelling out for Dallas. Which makes the athletic department's current claim that the Dallas game is like any other road game a little disingenuous. That's certainly not how the game was marketed when DB started selling tickets to it.
He has to be convinced that using Athletic Dept funds to send the band down is worth the expense, and signatures on petitions isn't going to do it. Brandon doesn't care what we think or want—if he did, he wouldn't force us to buy bottled water at Michigan Stadium.
The band will only go down there if important UM donors and bigwigs—those who get suites and make new buildings possible—convince DB that it's worth it to spend department funds, or if funds are raised independently for the trip. If the bigwigs aren't in Brandon's ear about this, then the chances of funding it through the dept. are nil. And even if the bigwigs do want the money spent, that's no guarantee that Brandon will agree to it. He's not exactly a shrinking violet.
At least people are making it known that they completely disagree with this plan. While the petition wording is cheesy and ultimately it may not work, it's certainly better than doing nothing.
I feel better knowing that Dave Brandon and Mary Sue Coleman are getting hundreds of emails saying that people want the band there, including mine.
How quickly do you think they set up a spam filter for Change.Org emails?
Vaild point...
Signed. It's better than doing nothing.
The worst part to me is how they've reframed the game. When they signed the contract, it was a "preseason bowl trip": http://www.annarbor.com/sports/um-football/michigan-ad-dave-brandon-says-facing-alabama-on-a-texas-sized-stage-is-a-terrific-opportunity/ with the band's seats in the contract and on the official seating chart on Mgoblue: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/mich/genrel/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/cowboys-classic-map.pdf
And then as soon as they're done selling the $125+ tickets, it's just "a regular road game" and they have to cut costs everywhere. Really?
Hammer hits nail on the head. It's the change in our AD's tenor about this game that has me miffed. Pre-season bowl experience = marching band. Period.
Signed by me and all ~20 other people that I had over for brunch.
I put "This is Michigan..FERGODSAKES"
Thought of that all by myself!