Spath rant on Michigan Football's lack of fan engagement
January 9th, 2019 at 7:21 PM ^
Well said. Go Blue!
January 9th, 2019 at 7:30 PM ^
Yes sir. Couldn't agree more.
Worst thing about the Internet is not being able to tune out all the negative nancies we have tuned out in real life be simply not associating with them.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:48 PM ^
Someone give this guy a +1 for me, please
January 9th, 2019 at 8:58 PM ^
I don't understand why our fans are so unhappy about our football program. BPONE was in full force during the RR years and besides Hoke's first season, BPONE made another appearance. Harbaugh has gotten our program back to the Carr years from '02-'07. I'm sure he will eventually beat OSU, win the B1G and reach the playoffs in the next 5 seasons. I'm more excited about the football program since Harbaugh was hired.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:10 AM ^
College football's lack of parity draws a pretty hard line between the real teams and pretenders. Bama, Clemson, Oklahoma, and Ohio State achieve success. Everybody else is desperately trying to reach their level for just one year.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:01 PM ^
I don't give a fuck about fan engagement I just want to watch the team win
January 9th, 2019 at 8:51 PM ^
But remember, we have to win within the rules and with integrity. It’s not worth to win any other way. The #Michigan Way.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:02 PM ^
We may have had similar records and many frustrating games in the 2000s just like now, but it just feels like the program is so much less fan friendly than it used to be. It's like they act like Michigan football is some privilage they roll out every fall for people to come see.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:29 PM ^
Honestly to me it doesn't seem like the program is less fan friendly...but it sure does feel like the fans are less friendly. Spath and all the other talking heads can ramble on about this and that, but to me its pretty simple...winning cures all. Yes we have similar records to some of those Bo, Mo, and Carr teams...but the main difference is the obvious one...beating OSU. A lot of our problems with the program...real or imagined would be cured if Harbaugh had at least split with OSU to this point.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:37 PM ^
Program now engages much more than it did then. Lloyd did Mott(a very great thing and terribly ironic considering what came later) and basically it.
I remember when I worked nights at the hospital and seeing Carr come out of the Towsley tunnel coming from Mott. This was like at 6 or 7 at night. Carr got ripped for his dinosaur offense, but his interest in Mott was sincere.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:55 PM ^
They had a fan day every summer when I was a kid. They dont do that anymore.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:02 PM ^
I don't think adults wanting to take pictures with college students is the reason Michigan can't beat Ohio State.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:02 PM ^
I’m good as long as they keep playing football.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:14 PM ^
Spath didn’t mention it, but Ohio State is already doing some (not all) of that.
I’ve been to 3 OSU spring games. They are near-sellouts (one was a sellout when they were renovating part of their stadium). They have done what we used to do; combining a lacrosse game with the football. They have some fun stuff; fastest students versus fastest football players 100-yard dash. QB skills competition. (They have been very lucky on weather, and we have been unlucky in past years when the two games were on different days.)
It is one of the stark reminders of how much more football-crazed, and how much more into all of it that OSU fans are, than any others in the Conference.
But there’s also their “student practice,” where students are allowed into the WHAC to watch an indoor practice, culminated by the great field goal drill with screaming fans circling the kicking team on the field.
And on and on.
So Spath is onto something here.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:21 PM ^
Do you think Michigan fans would want some or all of that? I don’t ask that as a rhetorical question. My perception is that (generally speaking) OSU fans are whole heartedly football mad in a way that Michigan fans are not. But I realize that I might be wrong.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:50 PM ^
Yes, I think many UM fans might want that, but a significant portion of the OSU fan base resides in central Ohio. That is not so much the case with UM. Michigan has a much higher out-of-state student population and graduates are spread out all over. Also, having MSU in the same state means about 1/2 of the population are fans of another program. All of that said, I think it wouldn't hurt to try some of these things and see how they fly.
January 9th, 2019 at 8:02 PM ^
This state is definitely not 50-50. Michigan has more fans.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:55 PM ^
I think they would. We used to have a fan day every summer. They had a student practice a few years ago also. In fact they probably need to do it more than OSU because of more out of state students and having to share the state with MSU.
January 9th, 2019 at 8:02 PM ^
You are most definitely not wrong, Erik. I'll just bet that you know as well or better than I do, what I am about to write...
Ohio is a completely different animal from Michigan, football-wise. Part of it is (we Michiganders don't think, or don't want to think about it) that Ohio is a bit of a bigger state, by a little less than 2 million people. Columbus is now Ohio's biggest city, and it is also Ohio's fastest growing city.
It is a football-mad state from youth football to high school on up. But more than anything, it is completely unlike Michigan in that there is no division in the state. If you are a young Ohioan who went to Dayton, or Cinci, or Youngstown State or Ohio Wesleyan, you are still an Ohio State fan. The whole state is lined up behind the Buckeyes, and there is no division. TBDBITL is the official state band of the state.
There is no "Sparty" of Ohio. I can't even find the words to express what a difference that is. Michigan is divided, and it is ugly of course. We have a rivalry with Ohio State, and a gang fight with Michigan State. And naturally the division spills over into most everything else.
I had to explain to the boys at 11 Warriors what "Walmart Wolverine" meant. And even when I did, they didn't believe it. They just don't have that concept in Ohio. (Walmart Wolverine being an epithet, aimed by MSU Spartans at fans of the University of Michigan who didn't actually get a degree at Michigan. Those supposedly substandard Michigan fans are alleged to have bought their Michigan fandom in the team apparel department at Walmart.) There is nothing like it in Ohio. Everyone lines up behind their Buckeyes and they are welcomed in doing so. Hell, Ramzy Nasrallah went to Indiana. His closest academic experience to Ohio State was going to Upper Arlington High School on the other side of Lane Avenue. But his Ohio cred goes unquestioned. Because, Ohio.
January 9th, 2019 at 8:23 PM ^
I never understand your love of posting on 11warriors.
January 9th, 2019 at 9:08 PM ^
Well since I advised their staff that if I was their general counsel, I might seek some adult supervision for Ramzy Nasrallah, nobody has to worry about my posting there anymore.
I met a few of their guys, most particularly the site's founder, Jason Preistas. He's a great guy. Kevin Harrish is a terrific young guy. They have a moderator, Andy Vance, who is a great guy.
And they have Ramzy Nasrallah, who is a bit of a psycho.
January 9th, 2019 at 8:40 PM ^
Your point about OSU not having an MSU makes a lot of sense. And you are absolutely right as far as almost everyone in the state being a Buckeye (though Cincinnati is a bit of a holdout).
The difference I see can maybe best be described this way: U of M fans really want to watch the Wolverines win on Saturdays. But OSU fans would spend all week smoking Buckeye football if they could.
January 9th, 2019 at 9:12 PM ^
I wonder how Michigan Stadium has had a 100,000 plus fans attend games since 1975. I think we have great Michigan football fan base. Plus Columbus does not have pro football or a pro baseball team like metro Detroit, so the only thing fans have in Columbus is OSU football.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:11 PM ^
You're suggesting that the Detroit Lions are competition for University of Michigan football fans?
Maybe, I don't know. Such notions just give me a headache.
So did you hear the one about how they proposed an NFL franchise for Columbus; but the problem was that if Columbus got an NFL franchise, Cleveland and Cincinnati would want NFL franchises too.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:19 PM ^
Just win baby.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:39 PM ^
Did you skip the comma in that sentence or is there some sort of baby sweepstakes that I'm unaware of?
January 9th, 2019 at 8:39 PM ^
Commas save babies.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:45 PM ^
January 9th, 2019 at 8:23 PM ^
If by "circular stuff", you mean the OH-IO school, then I'm with you.
But, it's "I couldn't care less", otherwise you just sound lazy.
January 9th, 2019 at 7:53 PM ^
When he started his rant with the Spring Game, I turned it off.
Practice. We're talking about practice. Practice.
January 9th, 2019 at 8:04 PM ^
Do you just Ctrl + C and paste things you've been saying every year about the spring game when this is brought up?
We get it. You don't care about the spring game. You're in the minority as they're now media-covered, televised live events. Good God.
January 9th, 2019 at 8:12 PM ^
Why do you post this every time the spring game is mentioned? You realize with the price of tickets now most middle class families cant afford to go to a game every year. The spring game could be a way for those families to make it to the Big House and Ann Arbor every year. But I guess those in charge seem to take your same attitude that it doesn't matter.
January 9th, 2019 at 8:18 PM ^
I only have one simple request as a fan. When playing inferior teams, don’t hold back. Sports is part entertainment, and I don’t want to beat teams like SMU and Western Michigan by simply pounding them slowly with body blows. Come out of the gate guns ablazing like Mike Tyson, and then let us cheer on the backups and freshmen in the second half. UM clearly wasn’t holding anything secret for OSU. They did the same thing they in November that they were doing in September. Just obliterate inferior teams like the old Miami hurricanes used to do. Flex the muscle a bit and don’t apologize. It would make those hot September games so much more entertaining instead of the usual slog that ends up 37-10 after a halftime of 10-7.
January 9th, 2019 at 8:23 PM ^
After 2016&2017, didn’t Michigan fans basically tell JH to shut up and win. They were tired of the camps, of the overseas trips, of his trash talk on Twitter? Now he’s not doing enough.
If we had beat OSU, would this be a talking point? I highly doubt it. Most fans would be kissing his feet. It’s all about the wins. Could the program be more engaging? I’m sure it could. But nobody will care if we are the most fan friendly program if we keep losing big games
January 9th, 2019 at 8:25 PM ^
No, the sec was tired of the camps, we were like keep it up, baby!!!
January 9th, 2019 at 8:36 PM ^
Yup. People literally called for Harbaugh to stop with the antics - camps, trips, signing of the stars, Twitter, etc. So he did all that and we still lost games. Now we are supposed to cry for him to have a selfie day and turn the spring game into a carnival?
January 9th, 2019 at 8:44 PM ^
The NCAA came down on camps, Signing of the Stars became pointless because NSD got split into two separate days instead of one large day during the offseason, and Michigan still takes foreign trips and is going to South Africa this spring so...........
January 9th, 2019 at 8:48 PM ^
And Harbaugh doesn’t tweet much. He could still do camps. I really don’t know why you’re upset. If he does a carnival and we lose to OSU again, none of it matters. Are people going to cheer extra really hard and make us win the game cause they got to do a potato sack race in Michigan Stadium in the spring?
January 9th, 2019 at 10:22 PM ^
Complaining about the overseas trips is super silly. The team loves the experience, and it's a plus for recruiting. It also sends a subtle message that Michigan doesn't do bagmen, since they are legally taking the players on a trip that can be life changing for young people.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:09 AM ^
It’s about effort and showing you appreciate the people who come out to games and spend *hundreds* on coming to games every week.
Not a good look when your neighbor at Crisler is not only winning big yearly but is regularly showing they care about the fans.
As M-Dog said below, without the fans none of this would be at the level it is. This is a big enterprise now.
January 10th, 2019 at 7:51 AM ^
He does a fucking podcast for fans. Let’s not act like he does nothing. Bill belichick probably murders a fan in his dungeon like basement every week and they still love him. If JB was finishing in the bottom half of the B1G every year, people would be annoyed by him.
It's about winning at a clip the fan base wants. If we beat OSU next year, Jim could punch a fan in the face and most around here would defend him
January 9th, 2019 at 9:14 PM ^
Any rulings or changes are besides the point. The fan base complained about anything and everything he did when he wasn’t winning games they wanted him to win. When we went 10-3 in year one and before that first season, fans slobbered over everything he did. People complaining about this are silly. If we win, nobody will give a shit if we have engagement or not.
January 9th, 2019 at 8:50 PM ^
There is a thing called a middle ground you know.
January 9th, 2019 at 9:12 PM ^
I think the program should do more stuff for kids. Particularly because games aren’t as available for kids anymore considering it’s a bajillion dollars per ticket. I know I wouldn’t take my kid to a game. I can take mine to 6 DCFC games for the price of one football ticket.
But people acting like this is a significant problem are just looking for something to complain about IMO
January 9th, 2019 at 8:30 PM ^
Reality Check: Big time college football is a completely artificial construct. It has no inherent function. It exists only because of fans.
If they just want some activity for students to blow off steam in between classes, they would just have club sports like European universities.
That there is a Coach Harbaugh and a Big House and a Michigan Marching Band and ESPN television contracts and so on is solely because of fans.
The fans matter to your program. They are the reason there even is a program in the first place. They are not a distraction or an annoyance to coaches and AD staff. They are the reason you are even here.
So making them feel involved in the program is a good thing.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:05 AM ^
Don’t tell that to the “who cares, just win” crowd. As if you can’t win unless you give your fans the cold shoulder.
January 9th, 2019 at 8:53 PM ^
We have season tickets, i regularly take my kids to the games and they get pics with the football players and assistant coaches after every game. They all make themself available and take time for pics and autographs.
And side note, Beilein is everything people say of him. One of the most down to earth, genuine people you'll ever meet.
January 9th, 2019 at 9:05 PM ^
I was at the Penn State game. Michigan fans sure didn't seem "disengaged" to me on that day.
Now, maybe this is a coincidence (sarcasm x 100000), but Michigan also won that day.
January 9th, 2019 at 10:31 PM ^
Penn St. this year was electric. Little did we know that was the high point of our season!
I wonder if guys weren't starting to get banged up during the Revenge Tour. We played Wisconsin, MSU, Bye, then PSU. Does anyone else remember the Harbaugh presser during the bye, where he mentioned, this wording isn't exact, something about how players needed to rest their bodies and repair some damage? I have been pondering the question of cumulative damage since Rutgers, IU and OSU.
January 9th, 2019 at 9:21 PM ^
Fan engagement, that's really what's holding the program back. If we had fan engagement like the SEC and bought players cars and houses then we'd probably pull better recruiting classes and still lose to Clemson