Tradition do you really care? Or just used against rival fans?

Submitted by DirkMcGurk on

Ok we got the new uniforms and many have issue screaming tradition. I feel Michigan's tradition is first great academics, winning, winged helmet, block M and finally Maize & Blue. Many feel the uniforms are a tradition(though the away ones have changed many times before the past few years). My question and I ask for real honesty is if you really are about the tradition, or is it another point you make in an argument to be better then rival fans? Do you really care or just really care about winning the pissing contest?

Mod edit: Title changed. OP: If this doesn't capture what you're looking for go ahead and change my edit, but "Tradition" isn't descriptive enough. JGB.

philclar

December 18th, 2012 at 7:06 PM ^

ever bring up to opposing fans. Keeping with the traditional uniform is important to me because I don't think there's anything else greater than that jersey. And, when fans and opposing fans turn on the TV, they should be able to say, "That's Michigan" at first glance.

Zoltanrules

December 18th, 2012 at 7:12 PM ^

And don't like the uniform (helmet is okay but not an improvement). If nobody buys these "special jerseys" Brandon will stop screwing with them. I won't buy one.

DirkMcGurk

December 18th, 2012 at 7:19 PM ^

Sorry I started a thread about a current issue. Maybe people can ignore threads they think are stupid as I do to so many and not feel the need to be message board cool guy. I do enjoy the pocket Hercules who add nothing to threads.

GoBlueInNYC

December 18th, 2012 at 7:29 PM ^

I'm not sure why people are freaking out about your post so much. It's an interesting question. This place gets really group-thinky about certain things, and I think it's a fair question to stop and ask "how many of you actually think this?"

That said, your title is really bad. I had no idea what the thread would be about when I clicked it. But whatever. Sometimes the internet just has its meltdowns.

M-Wolverine

December 18th, 2012 at 10:54 PM ^

Part of the value of the boards is to say and point out when a post is fucking stupid, to discourage it from happening again. If there is only one person who thinks the thread is stupid, they'll be shown to be wrong when they've snarked or negged and everyone else likes it. And threads like that will have enough encouragement to be repeated.

GoBlueInNYC

December 18th, 2012 at 7:18 PM ^

I'm going to be honest in the spirit of DirkMcGurk's actual post.

I generally think the alternate uniform craze is just generally stupid. It used to be cool when a team like the Detroit Lions would wear retro uniforms on Thanksgiving or something. I'm not sure I'd say I liked it because of tradition, but it at least seemed to be for a reason other than "we can." Tradition or not, I think it's dumb when "uniforms" change so frequently, seemingly just for the hell of it or to squeeze some dollars (I'm much less opposed to the AD making money than a lot of people around here, but the uniform thing is a means of making money that is unavoidable, which is why I hate it).

Personally, I don't mind the idea of Michigan's uniforms changing, provided the wings are untouched. I didn't mind the UTL jerseys, and I thought the return to putting numbers on the helmets for a season was cool. But again, it was a historic match-up, against historic teams, playing in a historic rivalry, for the first night game in one of the most storied stadiums in the country. It they want to bust out special uniforms for it, so be it. Make it a big ol' spectacle, you've got 113,000 people watching a football game.

My main problem is the degree to which they are usually so ugly. The Sugar Bowl ones weren't bad. The Bama ones were worse than that. The MSU ones were obviously the nadir of Michigan anything. (Still think UTL were pretty cool, though.)

DirkMcGurk

December 18th, 2012 at 7:22 PM ^

It plays to the landscape of the sport where you have to keep with everyone. I think they look so off because the colors don't mesh we'll with white. The best ones at mostly blue with some outlines of Maize. Much like this version would look great with blue letters outlined in maize and blue pants.

Go.Blue.Hail

December 18th, 2012 at 7:24 PM ^

To address the tradition issue surrounding the unis, I for one do not want any changes to the maize and blue home unis. I think we should wear them for all home games. The white away jerseys can be toyed with, but keep it consistent.

I think a football version of the white basketball jerseys would be cool, just keep the maize pants.

Beavercreek Blue

December 18th, 2012 at 7:22 PM ^

Personally do not care! The game is changing and recruits like this kind of stuff. I've seen many pictures of recruits wearing gloves that spell something or make a picture. Michigan tradition is a winged helmet, banner, good defense, winning and hail to the victors. Outside of the fan base no one cares about the jersey or pants.

Owl

December 18th, 2012 at 7:40 PM ^

Are you saying with your last sentence that we should only care about things if a bunch of other people do as well? If that's the case, you do realize that this is a Michigan blog, that Michigan attracts a lot of nerds, and caring deeply about things few others do is basically a nerd's super power?

FreddieMercuryHayes

December 18th, 2012 at 7:29 PM ^

There are many,  many traditions involved with the University of Michigan and it's football team.  When it comes to the football team, the only tradition I really care about it winning.  I may be in the minoirty, but I wouldn't care if the team rolled out in brown and mauve uniforms if it meant we would win the next 10 national championships.  Obviously, that's not realistic, and I do care to a certain extent about the helmet, the home blues, etc, but all I really want is for the team to win...a lot.

rob f

December 18th, 2012 at 7:35 PM ^

I'm all about protecting the Tradition that U of M proudly and rightfully owns.  While I have reached the point that when I tune in to watch an Oregon football game, I expect "uniformz", I still expect, when I watch Michigan, to see "uniforms".  

To see anything less then becomes a distraction from enjoying what I expect to see when I purchased my season tickets or turned the TV on.  And I absolutely HATE distractions when it comes to Michigan Football!

Blue boy johnson

December 18th, 2012 at 7:40 PM ^

Honestly, I wouldn't hardly notice the changes if people didn't make a big fuss about them. Then again, I have no fashion sense, nicely augmented by poor vision.

Personally, me, myself, in my own personal opinion, I would save the mother of all uniform changes until we meet Ohio State in a mid October classic.

Canadian

December 18th, 2012 at 8:02 PM ^

I don't necessarily take pride in the tradition but dammit I love it. I love the fact that when I go see michigan play I'm seeing the winningest program in college football history. But I'm also young compared to most posters (I think anyways) and I see the "value" in not teeing the ball up at noon and changing the jerseys. I get the brand recognition and getting the brand out to people in different ways. I embrace night games for a few reasons and I welcome changes to the away jerseys (although I liked the UTL jerseys I believe the homes should be left alone). As long as the colors are maize and blue and the team represents michigan I'm all in!! Just don't start selling advertising space in the big house and don't fuck with the M

UofM626

December 18th, 2012 at 8:04 PM ^

Over anything. Our Teams Uniforms are the best in all of college. That's why I have issues w this. If we were to have crappy uniforms alla Indiana or Maryland then hell ya I'm for a change all tags time. But this is The University of Michigan people. These uniforms will and should be the same long after you and I are off this earth. Everyone knows the maize and Blue and the Winged Helmet. Stop making our uniforms look like a highlighter and a video game. Like some kid grabbed a controller and started to swap colors on the sleeves or pants etc: now you wanna do 1 change a yr for one game that is fine but just do it w class. We're not West Virginia or Toledo



Damn this kills me.......

LSAClassOf2000

December 18th, 2012 at 8:22 PM ^

"Do you really care or just really care about winning the pissing contest?"

I suppose I would phrase it like this - it bothers me to some extent that the athletic department of my alma mater tinkers with the brand of Michigan to a point where it seems as if things (like alternate jerseys) are done only because the demand for Michigan goods is relatively inelastic as college merchandise goes. 

Like some others here, I don't mind a  considered approach to the matter of changing the uniforms or alternative jerseys, but when it seems like things are being done because they can be done and for no other reason, and at the risk of diluting the brand (and it might be a long time before this happens admittedly), I do get concerned.

I wouldn't say this is some kind of pissing contest with other fanbases, but instead fans with a vested interest in the marketing of the school for whom they cheer, their alma mater, or whatever the connection may be. The Michigan brand, like few others in college football, is a nationally known and iconic brand that evokes a reaction that few brands do in that realm. People identify strongly with it, to a point where tinkering with it is tinkering with their own identity. 

 

 

michgoblue

December 18th, 2012 at 8:29 PM ^

Not for the pissing contest, but I genuinely care about our traditions. We are the winningest team of all time. We had some amazing years in our past, from the point a minute offenses of yost, to the dominance of the B10 during bo's years, from Desmond striking the pose, to Charles Woodson being the first d player to win the heisman, from our national championships, to having the biggest stadium in the country - these things make us Michigan.



Through all of those years, our jerseys remained largely identical - sure there were tweaks over time and he materials changed with technology but the changes were minimal and gradual. The jersey that Desmond wore during his heisman season is almost identical to that worn by Woodson during his. That jersey is a sense of identity. I always looked at the schools that regularly screwed around with their jerseys and though "I guess if you have no tradition, that's what you do" but I always thought we were above that gimmicky crap. Alabama, USC and Texas have traditions similar to ours and they keep their jerseys almost identical. Hasn't hurt them in recruiting. I dont understand why we want to be Oregon.



Also, sorry about so many of the snarky posts on this board. Some people just love to trash topics that don't fit their lofty standards. I like this topic.