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.
If you can't listen to the man talk anymore, what in tarnation would be the appeal of a magazine devoted to intricately dissecting his tenure? Seems like something that would make you want to poke needles in your eyes.
No I mean we're going to have an article about 1950.
Then don’t buy it. God forbid we hear about a time where we were actually winning conference championships
Combo of standard HTTV with some more historical pieces from Craig Ross and others.
I will buy whatever you put together. I like the idea of more history and including other sports. Perhaps a section on the performance women's sports as well?
I think it would be interesting if you went heavy on interviews with players/former players if you can do it. Stuff like oral histories, broad-ranging interviews with guys who are up for it, maybe a player roundtable.
Feels like athletes/people in general are more open to talking and introspective now that most have so much time on their hands. It's a time to be creative and you've all been pretty good with that over the years.
If you did digital only to save money you could do a lot with video. Interviews/clips that support the copy not the "pivot to video" nonsense.
I for one would definitely love to see a book, even in these uncertain times. Maybe an article on the MGoBlog Origin story? How you started it and how the writers came in and out of the blog?
Would love to add Basketball and Hockey sections. Thanks for doing it and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next.
I feel like there should be something written about the pandemic and Michigan athletics. Talk to some of the athletes and coaches who had seasons cut short/canceled. It would be cool to have a "history lesson" to look back on.
Second this — this is the big story — do some serious journalism about what’s happening now within the university and the athletic department — add that to the usual stuff and you’re all set.
April 19th, 2020 at 10:27 AM ^
Great idea.
I'll buy whatever at the same price as last year. I'm sure it will be great whatever it is, and would encourage anyone that thinks it's not enough to consider it a beveled guilt donation, or just a payment to the guys for the work they do on this blog.
I would like to see somewhat of a preview of the players and B1G teams as if the season were happening though.
EDIT: I'll pay double if it exudes any mention of BPONE
April 18th, 2020 at 11:54 AM ^
Yes, no BPONE. That is just way too enervating for the entire fanbase.
I'd say lean in to history and football terms/plays. Maybe more of Seth's picture-pages type stuff, maybe more UFR insight. Brian - do you have a favorite play? Why?
You could put in print your official "The AD Should do X" steps
Best photos section - the digital ones were awesome as is
Draftageddon (jk?)
I'd honestly shell out for some combination of the history articles, and long form essays in the form of Shea Serrano Basketball (And Other Things) style questions, roundtable topics etc.
I'd say most of the normal content, with a heavier emphasis on history. I love the idea of UFRing old games as well.
I'd buy it regardless, so surprise me with the content.
Whatever you put out I'll be buying. Cue "shut up and take my money" gif from futurama
I love a lot of the suggestions already posted. Might I suggest a look at the future? What could, or should the season look like? What is the future of college sports, college football? And there's enough direness, so give us a hopeful, pollyannish take. What is the future of football in particular, like what does it do to survive as a game that kids play? Flag at younger levels, and then slowly more contact and blocking and full tackle...but what does that make the game look like?
Basically, we need hope. So give us a vision of the future we can aspire to and believe in.
The problem with talking too much about the current outlook is things change quickly. Whatever they say is likely to be different once people get the magazine. And what they say is going to be a bunch of speculation anyway.
Collage of Charles Woodson photos .... from childhood through today.
I'd say keep it like past years-- even if there are no fans in stadiums, if games are played and televised without fans (which seems like a plausible scenario), it would be nice to have whatever analysis you can provide heading into the season.
I vote for keep it the same.
Would really love some stats-based, game theory-based, or football theory based articles. Thinking some Five Thirty Eights-esque or Smart Football esque articles, applied to stuff Michigan does/did/might do with their personnel. Could be either offense or defense.
Also would love some analysis on advanced special teams play. It never gets enough coverage but we've seen plenty of times how key special teams plays can influence games. It saved us several times in 2019.
I might be in the minority on this one... but I would like to see a section on modern advanced metrics (both basketball & football) and then maybe reevaluting previous teams/players against those metrics.
My opinion is Zeke Emanuel is not Warde Manuel.
HISTORY FROM 1919-1920 FOOTBALL SEASONS! You already have a historical section. It seems highly relevant to look at how the last global pandemic impacted the sport. Whether or not this time around has enough similarities to 100 years ago to take any practical lessons from is not clear (maybe it won't be clear to you until the article is researched, or to us until we read it), but it would certainly be interesting to read about all the same.
If you sensibly rewrite season 8 of GoT, I'll buy it to only read that. Just don't do it in the draftmaggedon format, but just start from the beginning and finish with Jon Snow at the thrown.
I'll up the ante - rewrite season 8, but you have to keep the first 3 episodes the same. I think it got lost in the insane race to the finish that those episodes were actually . . . . good? Episode 2 of season 8 might have been my favorite individual episode of the entire series. I still think if seasons 7 and 8 had been 20 episodes instead of 13, and the writers didn't just stop giving a fuck, it could have been very good, even though it clearly went into a tailspin as soon as they diverged significantly from ASOIF. We're never getting those books, and I've only recently come to peace with that.
Don't temp us. You'll get an HTTV with each of our battle plans for the defense of Winterfell.
I want in then. As an UofM Army ROTC grad who went to the Army war college....this would be my Mecca.
If you guys could put together a section on some offensive and defensive schemes, that would be amazing. I love stuff like this https://mgoblog.com/content/what-pin-and-pull
To paraphrase Dire Straits,
"I Want My HTTV"!
Thanks Brian and staff!
Best breweries in the Ann Arbor area, ranked by quality of beer, quality of game-watchedness, and quality of crows
Local politics by everybody except Brian
Followed by local politics by Brian
Non-revenue sports coverage
Perhaps a "day in the life" of MGoWriters section.
And an oral history of the most dramatic days in the office.
Everyone's living the blogger life these days.
HOMES. There ya go
Lots of great ideas already.
Any chance you make a similar post asking for content ideas for the site while nothing is happening? I genuinely expected you guys would be handling this differently. There is a plethora of historical content to cover, but, aside from the few twitch streams Acce did, you seem to have decided against doing anything with it.
But hey, we got that bad acid trip of a fever dream stream of consciousness about Martelli, so...
Good idea.
Make it the same, but make the last page an announcement for the long awaited MGO App, charge for it, profit.
Anything that hits the dark side of fb or bball recruiting. Coaches/mentors should have some time to do incognito interviews right now.
I think there is too much money on the line for football not to be played. It might be in the Spring of 2021 and it might not have fans, but football will be played. With that in mind a preview made for Sept 2020 probably wouldn't change much if it ended up being a preview for Feb/March 2021. Go ahead and do your thing. I think a lot of people will support it regardless and there is a good chance it will still be useful whenever the season gets played.
I also like the idea above of UFR of classic games, if content is running a little short.
Lastly (and not HTTV related) why not run a football recruiting roundup anymore? It seems like that is the only truly changing sports content right now.
Something that explores the future of NLI rights and the impact on college sports would be appreciated
You could write an article on "Best B1G Games to get F'd Up by John O'Neil in 2020". There are some very creative calls that could really hose the season for us, but I'd like to hear about other teams getting screwed too.
More History please!
TALES FROM OLD BLUE - as you've done
TALES FROM NOT-SO-OLD BLUE - Moeller, Carr, RichRod, Hoke era stuff
TALES FROM RECENT BLUE - Some kind of scoop from recent graduates who've left the Fort and are willing to dish on something interesting from the Harbaugh years
Would love something on workouts that the strength staff programs for the players. Would be great to do a modified version of what the players would do during a typical offseason.
Maybe some of it could be about basketball since that season might be more likely
More history is good. I couldn't make it through all of The Team: 19XX podcast episodes, so repackaging those would be useful.
History across other sports, also good.
Ann Arbor culture and its overlap with sports would be nice nostalgia for those of us who have moved away.
I usually skip HTTV, but if this one does happen, I will definitely be in.
Brian,
Thanks for this site and all the work your team does.
I think you should write about whatever you want. Your work is best when you care a lot about a subject. I even enjoy the Ann Arbor politics posts.
Not only do I think you should publish it, I still think there is a 50/50 chance they'll be playing games this fall albeit in empty stadiums. Despite what AD's told the President the other day, we won't play games without students on campus, if they look at their budgets and they can play games, they'll play game with or without students on campus. No football=no college athletics
Simulate the season using NCAA 14 and publish game summaries instead of game previews.
Don't bother. Focus on fixing the website.
Most of your front page views are just people refreshing for the new message board content.
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