The State News backs out of the annual tradition of playing The Michigan Daily in touch football
The State News' response:
To me, it seems like the State News is scared to play the Michigan Daily after being beaten basically every year and tried to replace it with something that is very high effort and commitment knowing the Daily wouldn't accept and making us look bad. While I don't think the joint FOIA article is a bad idea, it's a bad excuse for not playing
October 9th, 2023 at 4:01 PM ^
Seeing "State" and "touch" in the same sentence, I expected much worse.
October 9th, 2023 at 4:03 PM ^
I guess hiring Blake and Donovan as editors was frowned upon, eh?
October 9th, 2023 at 4:04 PM ^
Activism is for weirdos and stoners.
Play football.
October 9th, 2023 at 4:08 PM ^
One of my favorite all-time State News articles is right here:
https://statenews.com/article/2008/04/staffers_reflect_on_years_of_spartans_sports_memories
Not only did one of the student journalists use 1 of his 2 (!) favorite Spartan memories on the App State win over Michigan, he couldn't even get the score right. (Also, a bonus, after M beat MSU that year, this dude thinks that was almost worth it because M lost to ASU.)
This is emblematic of their entire ethos.
October 9th, 2023 at 7:11 PM ^
Another person picked a play from the MSU-UM 2005 game, a game they lost.
October 10th, 2023 at 11:10 AM ^
Yeah, I saw that and thought "that's weird they're remembering a game they lost" but then I also realized they remembered being competitive with UNC for a half in basketball. Just a weird fanbase.
October 9th, 2023 at 4:21 PM ^
Hearing that AD Alan Haller wants to do the same with the 7:30 pm game later that day. Make the players write poetry instead.
October 9th, 2023 at 10:41 PM ^
Haiku. It wouldn't even be a contest.
October 9th, 2023 at 4:23 PM ^
Admittedly, no one cares more about this game than Auerbach, who taunts The State News annually about the streak.
October 9th, 2023 at 4:42 PM ^
as is right and proper
October 9th, 2023 at 4:26 PM ^
Our entire society has an inability to walk and chew gum at the same time. It's really easy to pursue both the football game and collaborative journalism. I do not understand why they need to be juxtaposed against one another, it feels like some serious mental gymnastics. Both are beneficial; one keeps tradition alive which isn't a bad thing in a world that has become more polarized and the other is a new way to foster collaboration in a generative way. There is absolutely zero need to pit them against one another. They can collaborate literally all year on top of it. Not sure why we persistently limit our imaginations like this, good grief just do both!
October 9th, 2023 at 4:30 PM ^
It's always good not to play any game that involves touching a Spartan?
Even when you win, you lose.
October 9th, 2023 at 4:32 PM ^
Agree with all of the comments about doing both.
It also seems like the proposed offer is intended to try to bait Michigan's newspaper to find dirt on Michigan while MSU's newspaper sits back and laugh's saying "I can't believe they fell for it!"
October 9th, 2023 at 4:57 PM ^
Of course they could do both. That the State News EIC would propose it as an either/or makes this a more transparent ploy than Mel Tucker's FMLA claim.
I applaud The Daily for not submitting to this emotional blackmail.
October 9th, 2023 at 5:15 PM ^
Definitely do both!
Do Both!
Do Both!
Let's Do Both! (on a cadence like Let's Go Blue)
Let's Do Both! Let's Do Both! Let's Do Both! Let's Do Both! Let's Do Both!
October 9th, 2023 at 5:20 PM ^
Well we're gonna do our own flag football game, with blackjack and hookers. On second thought, forget the flag football game!
October 9th, 2023 at 6:49 PM ^
Unless they're having trouble fielding a team this year, why indeed not do both, which would draw more attention to FOIA cause than just articles or editorials on their own?
October 9th, 2023 at 7:27 PM ^
I don’t think the joint article is a bad idea, but why can’t you do both?
I mean, we all know why. They’re just tired of getting their ass kicked and are looking to find an excuse to get out of it happening again.
October 9th, 2023 at 8:07 PM ^
I think we're sleeping on The State News suggesting a fundraising competition.
Against Michigan.
Against the Money Cannon.
Against a Money Cannon that would be pissed off that the State News has canceled this series.
October 9th, 2023 at 8:50 PM ^
They're 🐔💩
October 9th, 2023 at 9:37 PM ^
That interim football coach just caught an amazing idea and is placing a call to Harbaugh as we speak. It's gonna be the biggest and best joint FOIA story ever!
October 9th, 2023 at 9:51 PM ^
"We backed out of a decades old tradition and wanted to do something completely different instead, but the other guys are to blame."
October 10th, 2023 at 7:10 AM ^
Charmin
October 10th, 2023 at 8:31 AM ^
I personally couldn't care less about the football game and the increasingly idiotic articles that come with it. I think the State News idea is a good one and would certainly be better for school relations than what we have today.
October 10th, 2023 at 11:13 AM ^
Just so you know, you're not alone. I also couldn't care less about the touch football game, except for how it has negatively affected the dueling columns. They are far more enjoyable when they are about the school and football rivalry that all students and alumni can relate to. I don't care about their personal problems with each other.
Where I disagree with you--making my opinion even more unpopular than yours--is that I don't even think the State News idea is a good idea. As I stated earlier, it's a form of emotional blackmail being used to hide their own agenda (not wanting to play the game) and then using it to gaslight The Daily and act like they're the bad guys because The Daily won't help them with their humanitarian effort.
People do not co-write opinion pieces. If the State News editorial board wants to write about FOIAs, go right ahead. It's not more powerful because they got The Daily to co-sign it.
If the State News wants to stop playing the game because The Daily bashes them every year, rubs their face in it, and is extremely unpleasant and obnoxious about it, then just say that. At least it would be the truth.
October 10th, 2023 at 11:50 AM ^
Agree! The football game was perhaps a fun little tradition (though I suppose the State News didn't really feel that way) that a relatively small number of people cared about. If it goes away, so be it. It doesn't NEED to be replaced by some half-baked joint effort that either organization could easily execute on their own if they found it valuable.
October 10th, 2023 at 10:37 AM ^
I would think that the flag football game provides an opportunity for the journalists from each school to network with one another that collaborating on a FOIA article would not. How many people can truly work on an article.
October 10th, 2023 at 10:47 AM ^
They drain the fun out of life. And that's no life at all. Helluva way to think when you're 22 years old.
October 10th, 2023 at 10:48 AM ^
Yeah, I remember growing up, some of us kids wanted to play football but instead we decided to play journalism instead.
October 10th, 2023 at 10:55 AM ^
I mean, if State News really gave a shit about the FOIA system they'd do that as well as play a football game. It's not like you can't do a year-long project to, you know, deal with the state's draconian records keeping process while still playing football.
Also, I believe MSU students get credit/pay for being on the State News so them doing work on that front is a bit more akin to UM students doing their homework with them, which I guess sort of tracks for all parties but feels a bit unfair to one side.
October 10th, 2023 at 12:55 PM ^
LOL.
"I know we have this long tradition of doing a fun thing together, but are you interested in starting a new tradition of doing a not-fun thing together?"
October 10th, 2023 at 1:31 PM ^
I'm pretty much always behind FOIA requests.
And touch football.