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.
I remember you live in the twin cities like I do, a couple of days ago I saw a car with a personalized that said "CCCP" was that you comrade?
An oral history of MGoBlog users' first Big House memories. A good chance for readers to have a chance to contribute to the book, and a nice (if somewhat sad) way for us all to reminisce about Michigan football Saturdays. It would also be an interesting way to read about what Michigan games were like in different eras.
I agree with the suggestion of UFRs for games of past decades, both wins and losses.
Hell yes, put it out and I will gleefully contribute. My suggestion would be to keep the basic format but shrink the preview parts and expand the history/strategy sections. If there is no 2020 football, we should know… Fairly soon? That's the tricky part. The less likely there is to be football this fall, the more you expand the history/strategy parts. Either way don't leave us bereft, and we certainly won't leave you bereft either.
The cover pic should be a team huddle with everyone 2 yards apart from one another.
Whatever you decide, I'm in. I've got a nice series going on my bookshelf and I'm assuming having the complete series of Harbaugh Era HTTV will fetch more on the collector's market. I'm still holding on to my complete collection of Garbage Pail Kids. I'm gonna make a fortune.
Give us a HTTV full of Michigan history, recipes, bios and interesting stories about current or former players, or whatever. We'll buy it to support the site.
Personally, I view HTTV less as a season preview (plenty of which is available for free on this site and others) and more as a keepsake containing information only writeable by the truly Michigan-obsessed...
This has "Tribute Edition" written all over it.
Some sort of investigation or deep dive of what has happened to Harbaugh and the football program in general. Is he suffering from CTE? Is he being medicated without his consent? Why does Michigan refuse to offer online classes for athletes? Why does Michigan actually insist on making things almost impossible to actually compete for a national title? How come five star players regress once they arrive at Michigan? Is there any reason to actually keep the football program when it is clear Michigan will never make the playoffs?
yes on the HTTV, I don't care if includes 178 pages of instructions in Bantu on how to chisel a rolltop desk from limestone. I will buy at least one copy. I have been the beneficiary of hours of (for me) free entertainment to feed my ennui about the current state of affairs re: Michigan-OSU rivalry, and of course why wouldn't I want to keep that self-flagellation going? I want to keep this train going. Count me in.
I vote for a combination approach, smaller articles about our club and opponents and some feature stories, favorite games, favorite players, best bars/restaurants in B1G cities.
Also an idea for content, pick a few players from the past, the great college players that didn’t work out in the pros for any reason, examples Tripp Welborne, Ernie Shazor, Darius Morris, and talk about their time and Michigan and after. Could be fun
I guess I'm in the minority, but I think interweaving some basketball and hockey content would be good. Either that, or an expanded Necktie Sharpies of some sort.
If you want to expand the history, how about Best of Each Decade teams/games/players? I will read almost anything Craig wants to write about, and the staff's player evaluations are still of interest.
My thoughts echo many here.....
- Keep it mostly the same as much as possible
- The position group summaries should stay the same
- Maybe the opponent previews can get shortened or turned into "state of the B10 team" summaries about where they are as programs
- I like some of the OLD stuff....but maybe more historical stuff from recent times?
- Given the topics that constantly come up on the blog...
- Maybe there is a revisionist history topic about Harbaugh's era and the cosmic dong punching we've indured with injuries and flukes. What if.... type of stuff
- Maybe there's a deep dive on recruiting. Compare to what we know of other schools for who they get but also maybe WHY they get them. Geography, approach, strategy, and even be open about the shady dealings.
- Maybe a feature where the roundtable writers talk about "the 5 changes I'd make to the sport"
- If you're struggling for content, maybe add a non-revenue sports section or a basketball/hockey feature.
Jim Harbaugh is preparing for the season like it will happen. I think we should too.
There will be a lot of pressure to have some kind of season. If they limit groups to 100 people then that may be all they have in the stadium.
I would be interested in buying a HTTV that's written with the assumption the season will happen. Normal previews, position battles, etc. If y'all publish one I'll buy it regardless, but business as close to usual as possible would be my preference.
I too will buy it to support the site. I'd like y'all to be here when The Big Pause ends.
Personally, I'd love a UFR of the 1997 season as suggested by MGrowOld. I think the position group previews are still likely to be relevant, but the game-by-game previews are not.
I primarily come back to the site because of your writing. So any long-form essays would be welcome. I'd pay extra for a separate volume of the greatest hits, though my personal taste stops somewhere short of Martelli-narrates-his-inner-life pieces :<)
I like getting first Big House game stories from readers, give Seth something to do reading and editing.
maybe a 2020 preview with contingent 2021 preview on football.
Sure, UFR the 1997 season.
Maybe week by week if there is no season.
):
Feature on baseball and softball, past and present, player perspectives.
I'd like to see you, either individually as a team, describe how you would approach this season with the pieces we have in place, i.e., what would be your base running play, base defensive formation, etc.? Who would be the starters? It would have to be realistic/feasible based on what we already know about the coaches and players.
Porn? People love porn!
You could put in a selection of your best articles - N years of MGoBlog or whatever. It'd be fun to relive the triumphs (maybe not the tragedies...)
Usual Stuff that I enjoy and would pay to see more of:
- X's and O's articles
- Craig's look at pre WWII football
- Deep dive profiles of interesting current players
Ideas for new stuff:
- An index of the most common formations and plays that Michigan runs
- Deep dive profiles of interesting current athletes in non-revenue sports (e.g. Maggie MacNeil)
- Anything Hockey
Zeke Emmanuel:
So I say just go for it as if there will be a season next year. And if you are wrong:
How about "The Annotated UFR." Just take a recent UFR and have every non-obvious term explained in footnotes or, better yet, side notes, like those Shakespeare paperbacks they used to provide in high school?
One half Neck Sharpies, one half Infinite Jest, and one half Football for Dummies.
I'll buy regardless to support the site. I would say mostly the same even if it's based on less available data with added basketball, hockey, and baseball.
Just like I enjoy learning about the personal lives of people on MGoBlog, it might be interesting to share stories about long-time ushers and other people connected to the program.
I'll take two!
I would like to suggest a sport-by-sport look at Michigan's nonrevenue sports from a high level. Think of these questions: what is the program's history like? were there any past eras that really stood out? who are the program's best players ever? what is the current state of the program?
Your average visitor to this site can answer those questions for football and maybe even men's hoops, hockey, and softball, but that still leaves about 20 sports flying under the radar.
I know that most of us will never attend a water polo match, but I think the average MGoBlog reader is serious enough about Michigan that they're a little curious about other sports and would be willing to read a page or two getting a download of the state of the water polo program. And that's especially true if it's well-written and put together by someone who really cares about that particular sport.
I would enjoy an mgobbq section complete with recipes and photos. Summer/fall is great for grilling and smoking meat. Probably only need 15 or so options to get through a 'season'.
Hell, could just repurpose and recreate the mgobbq posts on here.
I would say I appreciated reading the 'why' behind how things were done and the documentation of the process more so than just having a collection of instructions.
another interesting series could be "this season XX years ago" where you say 25 or 50 years ago what did people care about, what happened, how did michigan fare, etc. and weave in current events
For example, the 2045 issue of httv "this season 25 years ago, the nation was struggling with a terrible virus outbreak and the ncaa blah blah, but we had this roster blah blah and everyone was doing wacky stuff on tiktok'
I'll buy HTTV whatever way you go. I enjoy the features more than the roster analysis and opponent previews. If one edition has a very different vibe and "breaks all the rules of HTTV" this is the year to do it.
1. Profile the men who influence Football Sam Webb, John U Bacon, other bloggers...or you guys. Who they are, how they got started, favorite moments....think Hot Ones
2. I’d also love for you guys to write something else. Maybe it’s how you’d change football for the better. Everything will likely change in the future, and what the new normal could be.
I'll buy it no matter what you do. It's the best M-related in-depth team news I get each season. In fact, this year HTTV may have to be my football season. Roster analysis, opponent analysis, technical info and bios with just the right amount of snark are pure gold. The historical pieces are always well-researched and skillfully written. Keep it coming.
The more history the better for me.
Same response as gameboy.
1. Another vote for more deep dives into teams past, especially those before the UFR era but when they were still good (90's/early 2000's)
2. Very surface preview of current roster and schedule
I will buy a book if it was 100 empty pages to support you guys.
I will buy a book if it was 100 empty pages to support you guys.
I think more historical stuff would be good, and I like Mgrowold's historical UFR idea (though I grant that it would be technically difficult). And yes to the idea of some hockey and basketball content.
I will buy regardless. But some fun-to-read historical stuff, recent and distant, might be a good choice given what the season may or may not be.
The likelihood college football season happens in fall 2020 is almost zero.
HTTV could be repurposed to be a historical review of UM football and have a couple of sections to give views on unique current issues in recruiting, extended eligibility, etc.
But the traditional HTTV’s format is likely a waste of your creative time and effort.
Edit: i will buy whatever HTTV document you all publish to support the cause. This too shall pass. Go Blue and MGoBlog !
I'm down for whatever you guys make. I mostly consider it my annual subscription fee where I get a shirt, book, and name in book
Would be very happy to have a regular issue even if a bit light on (uncertain) futures.
But the idea of doing UFRs for a couple of classic games is BRILLIANT. Drooling now at the thought of a full UFR for the 313 game....
I will buy it... and I don’t...and will not have a job until sports come back. I am a camera guy that shoots sports. If they don’t play, I don’t work. So I would love to read anything you guys got. Would love to hear what former players loved about playing at Michigan, what they did not like? Favorite games and moments. Now would be a great time to reach out to some of the Michigan greats. Pick their brains, give them a platform to tell their story.
Interesting idea. Get several interviews from players. Maybe the 97 team.
I think it'd be worth doing a super deep-dive (like, more than one article) into the Gattis offense. We basically had zero content in last year's HTTV because Gattis had never been a full blown OC before. The 2019 season seemed to have multiple phases of the Gattis offense---total cluster at the start, some definite Harbaugh or Warriner intervention sometime in the middle (not a perjorative at all--I think it actually speaks well of Gattis that he either sought out or a minimum was willing to accept criticism & adjust), and then something approaching identifiable at the end.
Assuming he doesn't get snatched up in 1 more season, it may be worth the time investment for the Gattis deep-dive, because it'll bear fruits for the next 2-3+ seasons.
April 17th, 2020 at 11:02 PM ^
to be honest, i always get the book no matter what. I love to support the site in this way. you could send out a 30 page coloring book and i would still buy it! Feel free to create a book that excites you, the editors/writers, and i will happily pay!! go blue!
April 18th, 2020 at 12:12 AM ^
we've got your back.
don't forget some hellaciously good t-shirt promo with it.
I will be happy to donate for go Blue bbq. Bring that back and whatever you write in non existant httv is gold.
It should look like this:
Just did a quick Ctrl-F for "amateur" and "NCAA" through the comments and didn't see anything, so . . . here goes:
I vote use this (hopefully unique) chance where you have boku time to put together longer and more durable MGoBlog takes on the overall state of college sports:
1. The sham of NCAA amateurism
2. Alternatives to the sham of NCAA amateurism that preserve what players/students/fans/alums love about the game/scene/experience/etc.
3. College football reforms generally:
3a - Can the game be played safely at this level and what is the evidence for that?
3b - Is there a way to reduce the commercials back to 1969 levels where the people at the stadium were barely aware it was on TV . . . hey! I can dream.
3c - Replay: Is There a Sane Way To Do It?
I would absolutely pay $20 for a book of well researched 10k word essays on the bigger topics in college sports that mostly get ignored in the regular annual media cycle.
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