Mailbag question: Does it get better?

Posted at 8:00am -- 5/19/2010

Mailbag question: Does it get better?

Guys,

Thanks for the great site, always true and honest.

I just watched the U of M vs. MSU game on the BTN and it was disgusting to see Winston and Jenrette sticking it to the Wolves along with six or seven other thugs.

They should never have been on the field, yet we recruit a kid from Florida who had some trouble when he was 16 and the media treats him like he is Jack the Ripper. Does it ever get better?

Don

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Thanks for the question.

We take the point of view of not placing great emotional investment into the current media blitz and could care less about the media and their take on situations such as this.

We think it is a waste of time and energy to worry about the fourth estate. Essentially, this new group of societal watchdogs will write what they wish to serve themselves, especially in this era of instant news and sensationalized stories. Logic, investigation, fairness, and accuracy have clearly all been sent to the back seat of many (but certainly not all) media agendas.

One thing about the media, and opposing fan bases, is they always want to take shots at programs that were at the top of the game and have fallen. We have seen this in the past with programs such as Texas, before Mack Brown, USC, before Pete Carroll, Oklahoma, before Bob Stoops, Miami, Notre Dame and now Michigan. We are sure once Michigan gets back to the program it once was, at the top of the Big Ten and competing for BCS bowl games, the media will look for a new fallen program (easy strawman target) to go after. Of course, Michigan has provided plenty of help to justify the kicking.

Complaining about the media provides attention for and gives legs to the garbage printed. Several mainline media sources, Michigan message boards, and web sites actually give extended life to these stories and actually (although perhaps unintended) help promote such news, even though a particular source may not agree with the article or viewpoint.

One thing people need to remember and bear in mind is that Michigan considers itself above other programs, whether this is so is another long discussion.

UM has been labeled the wine and cheese university for a reason, and having some collective noses stuck in the air and always believing the athletic programs do everything by the book clearly created more trouble than other institutions would have endured or sought when the athletic department so openly invited the NCAA, an institution in real need of a big name punching bag, in to check out the football program.

We certainly cannot control, or even mildly influence, what the media says about Michigan, or what is said about other programs, so why even bother worrying about it?

The problem with the Florida commit that you are talking about is Michigan has provided the media with more timely ammo to take easy, and for some productive, shots at Michigan. What would have been written if a recruit of this nature committed to an under the radar school like Middle Tennessee State?

The program is losing football games, making mistakes with practice times, making mistakes with GA/QC personnel looking over summer work-outs, when not allowed, having too many GA/QC personnel on staff and allowing them to coach when not permitted.

Michigan web sites can talk about other programs negative recruiting Michigan right now and saying Michigan doesn't do it, but to be honest Michigan is an easy mark.

Written by GBMW Staff

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