Stop the protests
Down vote me however you want. I am angry. You are angry. Nothing we can do today that has not been done or said. Support the players because they need it. When you see them on campus tell them it is going to get better. They need to know that good or bad they are us and we are all one Michigan. They have the talent to be great. They just need the right people in place to bring it out.
If two days after OSU they have not fired the clown show then stop buying tickets. Vote for new regents. March on Schlissel's (sp?) home and demand better coaches and a new AD.
However, just know that Brandon's money grab on football pays for almost the entire athletic budget and any cuts to football tickets and concession prices will come down on (insert marginal athletic program here).
The administration knows. They are not stupid. They will deal with it in 6 games. We have too much invested for them not to deal with it.
Next CC should be Jim Tressel - kidding.
October 7th, 2014 at 2:36 PM ^
October 7th, 2014 at 2:50 PM ^
We either need to credit DB for improved facilities in the non-revenue sports or not. If DB is credited with it, fine blame him for trying to pay for it, if this was in the works under Martin, don't you think he should receive the blame for the need to increase the athletics budget?
October 7th, 2014 at 2:56 PM ^
October 7th, 2014 at 3:01 PM ^
mutually exclusive to retaining what makes Michigan and the game day experience special.
There is absolutely no reason why we can't support all the current building and facilities efforts without resorting to pimping out the stadium and team into a carnival/super bowl type commoditized fiasco.
Quite the opposite, the whole message here is that if the pimping continues, you will hurt the budget and not be able to have nice things.
The AD needs to be run on a 10-20 year plan that does not alienate loyal buyers/fans, not on a quarter-by-quarter basis with the sole goal of maximizing profits at every turn.
October 7th, 2014 at 6:02 PM ^
Not only that, but much of the major capital projects are not coming out of the annual budget. Donors gonna donate.
October 7th, 2014 at 2:41 PM ^
October 7th, 2014 at 3:06 PM ^
Yeah, like basketball!
October 7th, 2014 at 3:15 PM ^
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October 7th, 2014 at 2:45 PM ^
Thank You OP!! So stupid to keep boycotting and protesting. They obviously know the position they are in. Barring a MAJOR turnaround, most everyone will be gone by the end of the year.
No need to keep our backs turned on our boys. They need our support. They need us in the stands cheering for them.
Do people honestly think the higher ups haven't caught on yet, and we need to continue to protest, etc. The more we do that shit the worse we look from the outside, but what can you expect from all these irrational Michigan fans. We don't know how to sit back and think about what we are doing and the effect it has to the program. (same shit with RichRod) I guess we might learn one day.
October 7th, 2014 at 3:20 PM ^
We have no way of knowing. The status quo is that Brandon is the AD. No one with any power has said he won't be.
Are you willing to take it for granted that Michigan's leadership will look out for the program in a wise way? The last seven years of experience tell me that's a very bad bet. It will be too bad if the players feel unsupported for a brief time, but it will be even worse if future Michigan teams play in front of 50,000 people each game and compete for fourth in the Big Ten East on a yearly basis.
October 7th, 2014 at 3:32 PM ^
these two months are not going to be the difference between storming back to prominence and finishing 4th in the Big Ten East on a yearly basis. I cannot defend Hoke for his coaching performance, and I think Brandon has made some poor decisions with the football team, no question, but are you seriously expecting the University President to just freak out and go on a firing rampage in the middle of the football season? To what end? The most important thing for them to do right now is to not freak out and make decisions based strictly on emotion. This is a freakishly successful athletic department, we have a nationally prominent basketball team, top to bottom, we have one of the most successful athletic departments in the country. The decisions they have to make are difficult, even after this football season.
October 7th, 2014 at 3:43 PM ^
I don't want Coach Hoke fired during the season. I don't think the students who are talking about missing part of the PSU game are advocating for that either.
As for freaking out or making decisions based on emotion, I don't think that's at all necessary re: Brandon. There are objective reasons to get rid of him, the most important being: 1.) his last search for a coach of Michigan's flagship program - the football team - involved him failing to make a real effort to get Jim Harbaugh and 2.) per John U. Bacon, more than one "big name" coach will not come to Michigan if Brandon is here. As such, Brandon doesn't have to go right this minute, but he should be gone by the end of the football season. To fail to make this happen is to run the strong risk of dooming Michigan to three or four more years of failure in its most important sport.
October 7th, 2014 at 3:48 PM ^
don't see any further "boycotting" as wise means to possibly very legitimate ends at this point. If anything, increasing pressure on the University in this way right now could have the opposite effect and make them less willing to give the appearance of caving to public opinion. They did not get to where they are by being pushovers in any regard. I think any legitimate message has been sent, and people are now getting into diminishing returns territory.
October 7th, 2014 at 3:54 PM ^
I'm not the guy to ask re: how they make decisions. But I also believe it would be very hard to ignore if people show they're willing to avoid games to get rid of Brandon. That's a stronger message than having a rally.
October 7th, 2014 at 4:08 PM ^
when is the last time these clowns successfully fixed anything?
October 7th, 2014 at 4:44 PM ^
I'd bet they see that 2% of the student population attended the rally and that 2% of the eligble students and alumni signed the petition to have Brandon fired.
They see 2%.
October 7th, 2014 at 2:50 PM ^
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October 7th, 2014 at 2:55 PM ^
I stopped after "down vote me however you want."
October 7th, 2014 at 3:01 PM ^
A-fucking-men.
Seriously. I am so sick of this boycotting bull shit. That only hinders the team and program.
October 7th, 2014 at 4:27 PM ^
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October 7th, 2014 at 3:02 PM ^
I'm with you Cadillac Jack. Anybody calling for a boycot is not a Michigan fan. I don't care what excuses they concoct...
October 7th, 2014 at 3:18 PM ^
October 7th, 2014 at 3:22 PM ^
Anyone who fails to try to remove the worst Michigan athletic leadership in more than forty years is not a real fan...See how easy that would be?
October 7th, 2014 at 3:43 PM ^
Yeah, except you cannot draw a line between not showing up for kickoff and Dave Brandon getting fired.
October 7th, 2014 at 3:46 PM ^
Sure, but there is always going to be some problem with any sort of statement. You cannot advocate for change without causing some sort of minor problem in the short-run. The question is whether it's worth it over the long haul.
October 7th, 2014 at 3:23 PM ^
So are the fans supposed to give blind loyalty to a football team on its way to one of the worst seasons in Michigan history, after getting worse each of the last three seasons?
Do you think Brandon and/or Hoke would be fired if the stadium was full and they were still losing games?
Where was this "support the team" during the RR era?
Hypocrite. Look it up in a dictionary.
October 7th, 2014 at 3:44 PM ^
October 7th, 2014 at 6:48 PM ^
Anyone who doesn't "support the troops" isn't a real American.
Gtfo with that shit. It's just as as asinine now as it was 10 years ago.
October 7th, 2014 at 3:09 PM ^
October 7th, 2014 at 3:15 PM ^
October 7th, 2014 at 3:29 PM ^
October 7th, 2014 at 3:34 PM ^
I would never downvote someone for stating a reasonable opinion.
What you lost at the end of the season is the big stage that you will have for a game this Saturday with a large TV audience. It is unique in that it is the only night game on the schedule, and the timing is right.
Anything that the students choose to do after the OSU game will be in December and will have local press coverage, at best, and by then. with Ann Arbor weather being what it is, there is no guarantee of attendance. It sure as heck won't be the topic of live national TV.
I would ensure that what the students do is well thought out. If you choose to do a "Fi-Re Bran-Don" chant, you can also do a ""Sup-Port Our Play-Ers" chant as many times as you want, and you just might get the support of the whole stadium. I'd sure lend my lungs to it.
October 7th, 2014 at 3:39 PM ^
Protest from Lindsey Breeden on Vimeo.
October 7th, 2014 at 4:13 PM ^
phenomenal movie
October 7th, 2014 at 5:32 PM ^
No, your username is phenomenal.
October 7th, 2014 at 6:00 PM ^
I added the embed higher up in the thread before I saw that you'd already added it here. You've now gotten my upvote . . . and I'm reminded that scrolling is my friend.
October 7th, 2014 at 3:42 PM ^
Players aren't china dolls. Fans should feel free to dissent however they like; lord knows any movement towards change at athletic director is far more important to the long term health of the program than whatever boost having people in the stands shouting "huzzah" might provide the team.
October 7th, 2014 at 4:07 PM ^
would kick ass. Not a chant, but a single yell of "HUZZAH!" would seriously kick ass. Maybe replace "you suck" at the end of Temptation.
October 7th, 2014 at 4:29 PM ^
but they do have fragile psyches. The question is, with a National Television audience, is it appropriate to demonstrate against the Athletic Department leadership in a manner that potentially takes focus away from the student athletes on the field of play?
October 7th, 2014 at 6:07 PM ^
When you have a national TV audience is the precise time to try to make a major point.
Everyone misses kick, makes their point about Brandon and then goes apeshit crazy for the rest of the game and you have guys like Musberger going "These Michigan fans, wow look at the support they're bringing tonight. They are loyal to their team despite their problems and differences with Dave Brandon."
October 7th, 2014 at 10:10 PM ^
The players aren't stupid.
Why do you think highly sought-after recruits have "press conferences" when then announce commitments and sign LOI's? They have Twitter accounts that blast their every visit and possible intention to all you fans who follow and parse their every word. They're promoting themselves.
I don't know why some people think when they hit the campus, they suddenly become these innocent oblivious guys who live in a bubble who don't know what's really going on, ie. that people are angry at the coaching staff and AD. Then of course the same people who want to "protect" these players, always try to shut down discussion on this blog about problems in the program because "OMG, they might read this blog..." So either they're social media-savvy young guys or they're completely oblivious. But you can't have it both ways.
That being said, what's going on with the program, with the coaching incompetence, is more damaging to them than any protest where fans don't show up for a game. NFL scounts aren't going to care whether 80,000 or 103,000 show up. But the Regents will notice. That's something objective in their faces that they can't deny.
October 7th, 2014 at 3:44 PM ^
For your edification, the Athletic budgets for non-revenue generating sports teams were paid for before Brandon got here. He did not fix or create that.
October 7th, 2014 at 3:48 PM ^
Just wear brown paper bags over your heads at the game with slogans- the cameras will pick it up and your protest will be aired to millions. This would have a legitimate "Detroit area" feel about it.
October 7th, 2014 at 3:50 PM ^
We're not gonna take it
we're not gonna take it,
we're not gonna take it, anymore.
Also, I think it would be great if Special K could play gangam style so we could see what Norfleet would do with that.
Hey, pick what song the band will play and what he will dance to? Now we're cooking with gas.
October 7th, 2014 at 3:51 PM ^
in the AD and the predominant viewpoint there is that "this season is an anamoly mostly driven by injuries and bad luck; we will be fine; fans are overreacting but people will forget over the winter and be back." -> yes these people are delusional but are also in charge of the decisions -> I was told DB 100% buys into the above argument, others in the AD toe the line or they know they are out.
I don't know why Brian and Co keep saying Hoke is gone because there is a very real possiblity Hoke survives with a 6-6 or maybe even a 5-7 record.
October 7th, 2014 at 4:03 PM ^
in season tickets. Keeping Hoke would be Millienian decision. Dave Brandon would be the equal of Matt Millen if he keeps Hoke.
Edit: The part about people forgetting doesn't make sense as they clearly did not forget last year's debacle with the decline in season tickets.This sounds like a preseason view.
Ross' refusal to support Hoke says volumes in my opinion. I think he is a dead man walking.If the biggest donor won't voice support than you have a problem.
October 7th, 2014 at 3:56 PM ^
...people have to act now. Now. Now. Now.
We are likely looking at mulitple lost seasons if Brandon stays around.
October 7th, 2014 at 4:56 PM ^
That's hilariously wrong if they honestly believe that. I cant even imagine the cratering of season ticket sales should the present regime and Brandon come back for next year.
You might see actual fighting break out. Occupy Ann Arbor or something people will be SOOOO pissed.
And yet if that did happen - posters like Webberspimp and others would keep saying "you must support the children. If you dont pay whatever the AD asks you aren't a true Michigan fan."
October 7th, 2014 at 8:32 PM ^