What The Hell Should HTTV Look Like?
FOLKS:
We publish a football preview magazine annually. It's called Hail To The Victors, and has been a going concern since we put a fresh-faced Rich Rodriguez on the cover. We were in the planning stages of the 2020 version when
- spring practice got canceled
- everything got canceled
- everything's probably gonna stay canceled
Putting out a preview magazine for a season that is currently less "in doubt" and more "not happening"…
“Larger gatherings — conferences, concerts, sporting events — when people say they’re going to reschedule this conference or graduation event for October 2020, I have no idea how they think that’s a plausible possibility,” Emanuel told the Times. “I think those things will be the last to return. Realistically, we’re talking fall 2021 at the earliest.”
…seems rather futile.
[After THE JUMP: well, what do you want?]
At the same time, HTTV is a sizeable chunk of MGoBlog's annual revenue and we have no idea what the next year is going to look like. Signs point to Not Good if Vox is furloughing at least half of the Shutdown Fullcast, a podcast that sells tickets to events that people buy. (Bought.)
So. A big chunk of the book is already Michigan history, and we could expand on that. We could write stuff about our favorite games, players, stadium concessions, or towels that get waved in your face on critical third downs by well-meaning people who sit in the IMG seats and have no idea how to act. We could interview those guys who dressed up like tubes. We could expand the above into basketball and hockey content.
We could put recipes in! Most of them would be slightly altered versions of Alton Brown or Kenji Lopez-Alt recipes! I could write a revised version of the final season of Game of Thrones! (Yes, it will have Phil Martelli in it. Yes, it will still be better than the extant one.)
So… yeah. We want to do a book. Do you want it to be pretty much the same? Or different? And if it's different what do you want?
This will be a two stage process: comment below to register an opinion and we'll take the temperature, then present a few different options that folks can vote on. Thank you for your support of this sports blog when there are no sports.
Vote for the same, even if the content is not full or complete. I buy HTTV every year just to support the site anyway. Let's have at least some part of our lives on normal...
^^^
What he said.
Agreed. Write it as though there's going to be a season. The pleasure I get out of HTTV is all in the pre-season anyway, I usually don't go back to it once the season starts.
If we're not going to have a season, at least let's have a normal pre-season to enjoy. I need my annual booster shot of football content even after a normal off-season. I can suspend disbelief while I'm reading it.
That would mean I have to write about Rutgers.
Please don't make me write about Rutgers. This year has been hard enough.
Some of us have to make sacrifices so that others can go on...
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one
H/T Craig Barker's newsletter
I didn't go through this whole "stay at home" thing to not have you write about Rutgers for my entertainment. I need some entertainment!
Ditto
I agree with this...it’s great to have content from Craig Ross and Seth about the history, but I would like to know as much as we can about the current team/roster.
The other item I would find of interest adding is an interview with a former player to get a little further insight into what happened during their time with the team. I for one would love to hear from anyone on the 91 team about the reaction to Desmond’s catch against ND or when Desmond decided to strike the pose against OSU
I agree with this. Even if there are no games, I am interested in how the team shakes out and what other teams might have looked like.
Bingo. Add an interview from the title team if you can track down a player, or go full on tacky, and get one of Harbaugh's teammates if you can.
Either way, I'm buying to support the site.
What did MGoTelegraph do in 1918?
Cosign.
Agreed, it's a great read. I know some of the same info and content might not be there, but this is something that I read in the summer that's relevant into the fall.
I get there are concerns about what future America! looks like, but we're a ways off from that. Put that content together, let us read it, help support the site, and if there's no season, there's no season.
I would love a section with UFRs from significant historical games from the past.
Maybe even the entire 97 season for example which would be an absolute blast to read.
Don't have enough points to upvote, but would totally read this. For a print version, there would probably have to be play diagrams or multiple stills per play - not sure how that affects costs? Or maybe there can be a supplemental post with the video?
THIS THIS THIS. A thousand times this ^^^^^^^. We need some normalcy in life and HTTV is an important part for this blog and is viewers.
Or maybe UFRs of any of the RECENT OSU GAMES... thanks Brian. Sorry Brian.
Why the hell would anyone want to revisit those f'n disasters?
What about for the 2011 game (it's the one we won, in case you don't remember...). I mean, maybe that would break the curse??
I watch that game on YouTube at least once per year. Sigh.
Do this, and I'm likely to buy the magazine. I haven't bought one yet because I find preseason speculation to be a brutal joke in a very short length of time, e.g. 2019 and oh say...the end of the B1G opener.
A fine selection of neck-sharpies would also be timeless and welcome.
I love this idea, but if UFRs are too tedious, maybe a recap column for each game with a technical breakdown of a few of the key plays? Either do a whole season like 97 or list the top 25 or 30 games in a poll and let the community decide which 15 get the full treatment.
Yes PLEASE!! Make most of the book a recap of important/interesting games in Michigan history, and leave in a smaller section of current roster and position overviews. I'd sign up in a heartbeat.
Ditto for "same with whatever other wacky nonsense you want to put in to supplement." Maybe throw in a greatest hits appendix with some of the most popular most Brian-y posts from the blog, lightly edited or not?
We want to support the blog!
I will 100% support pure uncut Colombian curmudgeonliness. Also, Laughing at Rutgers: A Retrospective.
This is also the one time a year I buy a shirt so maybe also include the shirt with just a single magazine purchase.
First, what are the chances of a season in front of empty seats? Hopefully that would allow HTTV to be relevant as usual-ish.
Personally, I always enjoyed the roster analysis, but who knows how that translates. I'd read a column on what scholarship limits/eligibility might look like if a season just gets canceled, and how M would react to some different scenarios. I'd also be interested in reading what people think the impact would be of removing all fans in a neutral venue - presumably traveling for a game still poses some challenges, but does it become easier to play in an empty away stadium? And does that work differently for different venues? IS THIS THE SEASON FOR EVERYONE TO GO TO KINNICK????
Ultimately, whether it's HTTV as usual, modified to refocus on basketball, a greatest hits or other retrospective, or just a picture of people's MGoDogs, I'll buy it. I'd prefer not to adjust to a new normal without MGoBlog.
Dox Maizen and include a six-page profile on him/her.
This would get my money.
Bingo to this one too.
This website is my number one source of UM sports content, and HTTV is something I look forward to every year - I would love to see a focus on more of the historical stuff, and I like the idea of evaluating prior years with the current methods (UFR, neck sharpies, etc.).
In short, put out a magazine, and I will buy it, just like I have every year since you started publishing it.
This opinion mirrors mine. Use a few more historical stories or make up for lost current events material. I'll buy it no matter what.
I'll buy anything you make to help support the blog.
Michigan football during past pandemics with Craig Ross
A retrospective on Michigan's 1918 championship season, with 675,000 deaths from Influenza as a backdrop? I'm in.
Realistically, Craig's probably already written this piece; Seth is editing it as we speak.
Very funny.
I have never been the same since the 1917 pandemic.
I edited Craig's article weeks ago.
While I support keeping it mostly the same, I feel like there's going to be a dearth of information because of the lack of meeting time for the team. Whatever gets written won't have as much depth as before, through no fault of the authors.
I would say make it as similar to previous years as possible but add some new things to fill it out. I like the idea of favorite games/players. What about a section going over the best and worst HTTV predictions since its inception? Small segments of basketball and hockey wouldn't be the worst thing, either.
And since we're throwing out ideas...what about UFRs of the osu games? At least from the Harbaugh era. Probably not a great print feature but could be a PDF bonus for pre-order? It'd be nice to see the full analysis for once.
...for a very specific definition of "nice."
Maybe this has happened already and I missed it but I wouldn't mind reading an article about the history of Mgoblog. How it started, problems faced, hiring, how the content gets made, day in the life of the staff members, etc. Hopefully some embarrassing pictures from years ago could be included.
Also, a complete review of the current season and preview of the next season of College Football Risk?
Swimsuit issue featuring the staff and star posters of mgoblog
Absolutely not.
I will literally pay double the price of last year's edition for this.
Assuming there's also a feature on the women's volleyball and gymnastics squads.
Include cross country and swimming/diving and I'll pay treble.
Entertaining, but I think we can find enough hairy mammals on the National Geographic Channel.
Could also be a time to take a more existential look at the program- direction, things that are working, things that aren't. Like a real taking stock of the program as a whole
Well we have a head coach who has gone from being one of the most outspoken, desired, electric coaches in college/pro football to a guy who cant answer a single question like a normal human being since "The Spot". Any thoughts or year by year break downs of his decision making and recruiting results would be good. I dont need to hear about football in the 50's.
Just for that...
?? I think he should be heavily criticized especially with his contract position. We need a State of the Harbaugh Program. I cant listen to the man talk anymore.
Name one other coach who refuses to ever do a single on-field interview after the half.
Comments