Why is Michigan the most dramatic team in sports?
Every year, we have something. A small sampling:
- The RichRod saga (books written about this)
- Martin on his yacht/Les Miles failure
- Hoke saga and David Brandon being insane
- Harbaugh and the NFL flirtations
- Hockey disaster with Mel
- Juwan and his outbursts with opposing coaches
I am not aware of any program even within two standard deviations of this degree of sturm und drang.
Why on earth does Michigan have the market cornered on this?
Is it that we over analyze everything because we, by and large, tend to have a high achieving/engaged/intelligent alumni base relative to some of our athletic peers?
Is it that we have a target on our back?
Is it the months of winter causing hysteria?
Genuinely curious.
October 26th, 2023 at 6:32 PM ^
We see your concern.
October 26th, 2023 at 6:33 PM ^
Because UM doesn't just bury everything like other universities. If you don't think there are scandals everywhere, specifically around attempting to control entire teams of 100's of student athletes, you are sorely mistaken.
OSU, SEC have local papers and community rally around the team and bury shit.
UM and ND try to operate in the grey area between football factory and upstanding university, and that is nearly impossible.
MSU...Tugger, Dantigornio era steroids, on field assault...nobody really gives a shit, because MSU is irrelevant.
October 26th, 2023 at 6:36 PM ^
"UM and ND try to operate in the grey area between football factory and upstanding university, and that is nearly impossible."
100% agreed.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:09 PM ^
Absolutely! I also think we don't have the "yes men (people)" with our leadership. So, things don't get swept under the rug, fundamentally. Operating in the gray area allows changes within the system (NCAA), over time.
October 26th, 2023 at 6:48 PM ^
This is it, right here. It seems that Michigan does just enough "wrong" to get caught and penalized -- either by the NCAA or through the university itself -- while at the same time deriving very little benefit from what they do. So, they get the penalties without any of the good.
Plus, we show a stunning lack of awareness about things like hiring, compliance, and regulatory matters.
Add to that the fact that seemingly every major University wants to see us knocked down and there are issues.
Honestly, it feels like Michigan is the nerd everyone wants to see fail, who then cheats on an exam they would have gotten a 95 on anyway and gets suspended from school.
October 26th, 2023 at 6:33 PM ^
Because you touch yourself at night. Sinner.
October 26th, 2023 at 6:36 PM ^
Part of it is that Michigan does more self-investigating/self-sanctioning than most institutions. Part of it is the unusually high number of Michigan alumni in the media. Part of it is that the size of the Michigan brand means you're guaranteed to get attention on anything related to the athletic department
Some might also say part of it is having rivals who may allegedly, possibly, hypothetically be willing to have you investigated by a "third party," but who can say for sure
October 26th, 2023 at 8:43 PM ^
Sort of like how Florida has a rule that they have publish all of the crimes so you get all of these crazy Florida Man articles. Flip side of that is Florida has a lot of skeevy meth head types so it may not be a valid argument.
October 26th, 2023 at 6:36 PM ^
This OP is pretty dramatic.
October 26th, 2023 at 6:51 PM ^
Seriously. Every school probably thinks this about themselves at times. The Rutgers coach was flinging basketballs at his players’ heads!
October 26th, 2023 at 6:37 PM ^
Consistently questionable hiring practices, apparently.
October 26th, 2023 at 6:37 PM ^
Mostly because MGoBlog has people who think the world needs to hear their every thought and answer any question that might occur to them.
It's all your fault!
It's all your fault!
It's all your fault!
October 26th, 2023 at 6:40 PM ^
Are you kidding? We're amateurs when it comes to nonstop athletic department drama. Just look an hour to the WNW.
October 26th, 2023 at 6:41 PM ^
Bud, I'm a Washington redskins/commanders fan this shit ain't nothing
October 26th, 2023 at 6:42 PM ^
And you posted this instead of putting it in one of the obvious 45-23 other posts about our school???
October 26th, 2023 at 6:47 PM ^
It's not dramatic.
It has the biggest spotlight because of the interest, so stories and drama are generated.
It goes with the territory
October 26th, 2023 at 6:48 PM ^
Mel Tucker says “Hold my ‘cigar’."
October 26th, 2023 at 6:50 PM ^
Oh no, he holds that himself. In the hand not holding the phone.
October 26th, 2023 at 6:55 PM ^
That's not a cigar, Mel!
October 26th, 2023 at 7:38 PM ^
I bet Slick Willy would take it from him.
October 26th, 2023 at 6:49 PM ^
When it comes to enemy fanbases (number of people total) Im not sure anyone stacks up to ours.
OSU #1 rival
MSU #1 rival
ND #2 rival (I cant imagine Stanford or Navy move the needle for that fanbase)
Penn State #2 rival
Thats a lot of concern trolls there.
Also Minnesota, Rutgers, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa are all up there.
We command a large "please burn them down" clickbait audience.
For instance OSU
UM #1 rival
Penn St #1 rival
crickets
October 26th, 2023 at 6:49 PM ^
I mean, fucking C'mon! Every day these rampant worthless threads.
Go get a hooker if you want attention.
October 26th, 2023 at 6:53 PM ^
looking into it
October 26th, 2023 at 6:53 PM ^
I'm also a Minnesota Vikings fan. If any of you want to learn about boat parties on Lake Minnetonka, the Original Whizzinator, the origin of the Hail Mary, Brett Favre and Bountygate, Les Steckel, the Metrodome Collapse, Adrian Peterson, The Mooning at Lambeau, or Teddy Bridgewater's leg, just let me know!
It seems crazy for us now, but I do think you could look at almost any sports team, pro or collegiate, and compile a list like this. The important thing is to remember all of the awesome and wonderful parts of being a Wolverine. And that is a list that no other team, pro or collegiate, can match. Go Blue!
October 26th, 2023 at 7:30 PM ^
boat parties on Lake Minnetonka
Some of my favorite times in Minnesota involved watching people try and get their ice shanties off the ice before the melt--and failing, losing their truck in the process.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:36 PM ^
Uff da!
October 26th, 2023 at 6:55 PM ^
I am almost positive that, on a per capita basis, there are numerous schools that could humble us on this metric, and indeed, have humbled us on this metric. Michigan tends to be far more introspective as programs go and it also has incredible reach (alums, media, various people of various influence, etc...) compared to other universities, so you simply hear about what goes on in Ann Arbor more than in other places.
October 26th, 2023 at 6:56 PM ^
Because some people are dramaholics.
🍿
October 26th, 2023 at 7:00 PM ^
Because you pay more attention to it.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:10 PM ^
Not even the most dramatic team in the state. You're playing feelingsball.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:27 PM ^
It’s our helmets. People are jealous.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:36 PM ^
I bet University of Delaware isn’t….
October 26th, 2023 at 7:47 PM ^
Nah, we’ve got the good blue.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:28 PM ^
Because we are freaking out about it rather than laughing at it.
Also, whenever you hold yourself to a standard, there is something to measure you against. When that standard's not there, anything can be justified.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:34 PM ^
All teams have crap like this go on. You just don’t hear about most of it and because, well…Michigan is the winningest team in CFB. Go Blue!
October 26th, 2023 at 7:51 PM ^
Had you asked about the state of Michigan, I might have been tempted to take the bait. :)
October 26th, 2023 at 8:21 PM ^
Now do Michigan State and Ohio St.
October 26th, 2023 at 8:29 PM ^
You and Toby should go on a long road trip together without access to Internet or phones.
October 26th, 2023 at 8:35 PM ^
You sir do not follow the EPL. Give manchester united a try. Then come back with this..
October 26th, 2023 at 8:39 PM ^
When you are looking too closely and too often, all the freckles and acne come into view. Every woman looks pretty in make-up. However when they wake up in the morning...
Wait. You asked about Michigan athletics. Never mind.
You find all the warts because you keep looking at them all day! Stop looking and they will vanish.
October 26th, 2023 at 8:45 PM ^
They hate us cuz they ain’t us.
October 27th, 2023 at 12:52 AM ^
Two hostile schools with captive media organizations dying to talk shit about Michigan leads to all of the incompetent moments every organization has being blown out of proportion.
October 27th, 2023 at 8:57 AM ^
Because when good people do bad things, it shocks people. When a "good" school like Michigan is accused of doing bad things, the reaction is 20-fold because it is unexpected. If OSU or Alabama or Georgia or USC was accused of this, it would be ho-hum. Everybody loves to knock the winner off of the top of the mountain. This is the same. With great success comes great liability. Stand strong.
October 27th, 2023 at 11:24 AM ^
Takeaways from a Michigan Student on the East Lansing Experience:
- Everything MSU does is a more mid version of Michigan
- No tradition, lame hype video only showing clips of random tackles made against michigan in 2010s with very low speaker volume
- Worse trivia questions than M (I’m not gonna mention the incident), worse in-game music, worse helmet shuffle game.
- We have a dog that runs 50 yards and catches a frisbee with 90% success. Their frisbee dog runs 5 yards and consistently drops the frisbee. Victor FTW.
- All of their in game “highlights” consist of tackles MSU made after Michigan gained 5 yards prior. Tough scene.
On Sign Stealing:
- There is no evidence (yet) that Jim Harbaugh knew about the sign-stealing operation.There is evidence that AD interns were involved in the sign-stealing operation.
- The sign-stealing operation cost ~ $15,000
for the season, including tickets, travel, and other misc. costs.
- Sign-stealing materials were uploaded to a drive that other UM coaches had access to (but unclear whether they viewed or edited the materials).
- Someone hired an "investigative firm" to recover this evidence. The hiring party, source of funds, and identity of the investigative firm are unknown. The sources and methods employed by the investigative firm are similarly unknown.
- Honestly, I think a very likely outcome here is that we are spectacularly guilty of what we are accused of, HC knew, and we skate by on a level 2 or 3 because of a very poorly written rule by some low-level associate working at Cravath in the early 90’s.
- Go win the chip and make everyone forget about this.