Spath rant on Michigan Football's lack of fan engagement
January 9th, 2019 at 6:20 PM ^
Why throw the fans a bone when all they do is bitch?
January 9th, 2019 at 6:23 PM ^
Beilein could take the same stance a couple years ago but Michigan Basketball has held selfie night every year before the season for the last 4 years.
January 9th, 2019 at 6:26 PM ^
If your fandom of a team is predicated on being able to take selfies with the players, I don't know what to tell you
January 9th, 2019 at 7:12 PM ^
Spath is an idiot and this rant is stupid. Maybe we should let a fan get on the headset during the game and call a couple of plays. Does he really think making players take selfies with fans really connects you to the program? Look go out and win football games and the fans will love and support you
January 9th, 2019 at 7:31 PM ^
Who knows...couldn't be worse than our OC
January 9th, 2019 at 8:18 PM ^
We don't have an OC
January 9th, 2019 at 9:41 PM ^
You’re right. We have 3!
January 9th, 2019 at 8:07 PM ^
Exactly! What BS.
January 10th, 2019 at 7:45 AM ^
As bad as Spath may be, he is 100 times more listenable than Weintraub, who suffers from diarrhea of the mouth and is in love with the guttural sound of his own voice.
January 10th, 2019 at 1:24 AM ^
Oh FFS guys. It's just an example of how the BB team engages the fanbase. Nothing more, nothing less.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:12 PM ^
What are you, 5? I’d understand if kids would want this, but it’s a little odd when adult men are clamoring to take pics with college students.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:32 PM ^
Who doesnt have an inner child about something or another though?
January 9th, 2019 at 8:42 PM ^
The whole being a sports fan thing is the inner-child thing. Being annoyed that you can't take selfies with players means you're unhinged/creepy.
January 9th, 2019 at 9:15 PM ^
Taking selfies with players is OK in my book. But being annoyed that you can't take selfies, I understand is over the top for me as well.
January 9th, 2019 at 8:21 PM ^
I ran into the women's volleyball team at the airport in maryland last year and admit i was like a schoolboy on Christmas morning.
January 9th, 2019 at 6:23 PM ^
Well, bitches do like bones.
January 9th, 2019 at 8:23 PM ^
You dont love me, you just love my doggystyle.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:59 PM ^
Why would they bitch? It’s not like they have not beat their rival since 2011, won their division in over a decade, or have been relevant since 2006. I don’t know what they would have to complain about. Everything is just rosy and we have the best coach ever.
January 9th, 2019 at 6:22 PM ^
I'll take winning over anything else. I will pay money to support the program if it is winning big games and competing for championships. I don't care about the extra stuff, but I do understand his points.
January 9th, 2019 at 6:24 PM ^
Apparently Jim will answer e-mails.
January 9th, 2019 at 6:27 PM ^
Dear Jim,
Please stop running the ball into the backs of our guards.
ps.
Tell Don to stop playing man on 3rd and long vs mobile quarterbacks.
January 9th, 2019 at 6:44 PM ^
I would be somehow disappointed if the body of the e-mail did not include the relevant links to MGoBlog threads where all of us expound on this or a similar opinion.
January 9th, 2019 at 6:52 PM ^
Dear Jim,
The only time I want to see 2 tight ends and a fullback on the field at the same time is on 4th and short or if you're an inch from the goal line.
Sincerely yours,
Clarence Boddicker
p.s.: Love the glasses, unlike some others.
January 9th, 2019 at 10:03 PM ^
Dear Jim,
Keep doing what you're doing.
Warmest regards,
V. V. Putin
P.S...please enjoy this token of appreciation for your continued enthusiasm
January 9th, 2019 at 8:00 PM ^
Dear Jim,
Remember how in laser tag at your bachelor party you won by going after the 10-year-old (the weakest opponent)? Why do you not employ that strategy in football -- i.e., exploit the weakest link on a defense (rather than bunch all of our players and the other side's best players into a phone booth to see whether we can gain a yard (or less) on third/fourth down)?
Respectfully yours in football....
January 9th, 2019 at 6:27 PM ^
But Freddie was just named HC of the Browns.....
January 9th, 2019 at 6:27 PM ^
That's the problem!!
January 9th, 2019 at 6:39 PM ^
I demand a canoe or camping trip with the team. Preferably both.
Either that or just beat Ohio State.
January 9th, 2019 at 6:42 PM ^
I think they withdrew into a submarine and didn't come out these last two seasons.
In 2016 we had Signing of the Stars and whatever the pep rally thing was that happened on State Street at MDen which drove a lot of excitement. Also, there was a spring game.
All of that gave a vibe of confidence that was missing in 2017 and muted in 2018.
Then again Saban doesn't get all warm and fuzzy with the fans. That is one thing Dabo does well.
January 9th, 2019 at 6:53 PM ^
Alabama has an annual fan event aka the Running of the Gumps where people sprint across the field to get in line for autographs
January 9th, 2019 at 6:59 PM ^
This is actually incredible
January 9th, 2019 at 7:01 PM ^
Thanks, BD!*
* Bama Devotee
January 9th, 2019 at 7:07 PM ^
No way those two Gumps make it across the field on a dead sprint. No doubt they were crawling by the end.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:35 PM ^
I thought one was Paul Finebaum.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:44 PM ^
Thought crossed my mind too. I love that picture - please tell me that was an actual action shot and not just a set up to make fun of Bama stereotypes.
what is the over/under on the number of teeth per gump? I am no oddsmaker bit I will start the bidding at 14.
January 9th, 2019 at 8:29 PM ^
The Gump in the tank top looks like David Letterman fallen on really hard times. Skid Row Letterman, or Backyard Still Letterman.
January 9th, 2019 at 11:17 PM ^
Careful or Bama fan on the right will hit you with his manpurse
January 9th, 2019 at 7:44 PM ^
Thought crossed my mind too. I love that picture - please tell me that was an actual action shot and not just a set up to make fun of Bama stereotypes.
what is the over/under on the number of teeth per gump? I am no oddsmaker bit I will start the bidding at 14.
January 10th, 2019 at 8:03 AM ^
What makes you think they made it across the field?
January 9th, 2019 at 7:55 PM ^
Grown men from Alabama running for autographs, the chinstraps from their commemorative helmets flapping in the wind...
Nope.
January 9th, 2019 at 8:28 PM ^
Is the guy on the left Pete Finebaum?
January 9th, 2019 at 6:44 PM ^
The Students, the Alumni, and the educators should be a part of the U of M family, right along with all the athletic teams. They should be part of the Football team. The same with season ticket holders.
The fair weather fans not so much. But Harbaugh should encourage access between the team and the above fans if he hasn't been. I don't go in for that much so I don't get upset.
I agree with Spath.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:18 PM ^
28 of Michigan's 29 teams make an effort to reach out to fans in some way.
You can tell John Beilein appreciates the support. After the PSU game last week as he was on his way to his press conference he shook everyone's hand he passed coming down the stairs to the media room and said "thank you for rooting for us".
January 9th, 2019 at 8:28 PM ^
My brother attends Michigan football and women’s basketball games. The difference in attendance may have something to do with why 28 teams feel the need for outreach to the fan base.
January 9th, 2019 at 10:14 PM ^
Yes and give tickets away for free.
Spath tries to be reasonable, in fact sometimes he tries too hard. Occaisonally some of his tangents are just not worthy of airtime. He's got a co-host, Shaw (?), who has a much more consistently easygoing style.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:31 PM ^
You forgot the employees. UM is one of the largest employers in the state.
January 9th, 2019 at 6:52 PM ^
He might have a point, but why does he always sound so whiny?
January 9th, 2019 at 6:53 PM ^
Players get plenty of fan interaction by attending the university.
Pricing complaints are valid but making guys take selfies has nothing to do with that. We are not owed any of their scant personal time.
January 9th, 2019 at 6:54 PM ^
I wish some of those negative asshole "fans" who have been showing up here lately would become even less engaged.
I hear Eastern Michigan is looking for a fan base - all negative Michigan fans who like to bitch should start rooting for them - they will always provide a ton of reasons to be cynical.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:09 PM ^
I noticed this weird negative trend when OSU got beat by Clemson and a vocal part of that OSU fan base was outwardly criticizing Urban and some nut-jobs saying he should be fired. I'm seeing that now with Saban too. The guy just won 5 National Championships - if anyone deserves the benefit of a doubt - it's that guy, but yet a-holes are creeping up saying negative things about him from his own base.
Nobody has realistic expectations anymore. It's nuts. And I thought for sure I would never see that with our fanbase, just because of things like losing to Rutgers and Toledo, but there's just no avoiding it. We got a great coach and I hope he realizes that the majority of the fan base supports him. I look at it like this - our coach won a bunch of college games as a coach and got an NFL job. He won a bunch of NFL games as a coach and took a team to the Super Bowl. That's the guy who is coaching my school. The guy also went to my school and knows what winning here means to us all. I'm going to put my trust in that guy, win or lose, and I don't care if we get selfie day with the team or not.