The unofficial online home for fans of the Western Michigan University Broncos. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(10-23-2018 07:48 AM)Fthechips Wrote:  

(10-23-2018 07:32 AM)Bronc33 Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 07:15 PM)Fthechips Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 06:13 PM)Hiller4Hyz09 Wrote:  

(10-21-2018 07:12 PM)Fthechips Wrote:  I'll give you that, it's not necessarily boring but it's certainly less exciting. But your'e telling me watching two unranked MAC teams is more exciting than watching two ranked B1G ten rivals?

Yes.

That's like saying you'd rather watch the Cleveland Browns play the 49ers.

If I was born in cleveland I would rather watch that game than something like the vikings - rams. Why watch something you have no connection to?

Most WMU kids grew up watching UM/MSU so to say they have no connection is false. Also, I don’t know how you can say B1G ten football is boring, the product on the field is inherently better than the MAC(hence the MACs overall record vs the B1G)unless you’re watching Rutgers play Illinois. There’s a reason gameday goes to these bigger schools and not MAC schools, better atmosphere, better players, more people in the stands, more overall excitement for the game. It’s the same quailities that everyone on here hopes for and tries to improve with WMU football so don’t try and fight it.

I grew up in a Walmart Wolverine household. I LOVED rooting for U of M. Their defense in 1997 was TRULY elite. I was all in. I even rooted for them as "my big 10 team" as an undergrad. But I actually loved supporting my Broncos as well. I would never pick U of M over WMU.

BUT, and probably with lots of support from posters here, I began to see that the system is as inequitable as it gets, and for some reason, different from EVERY OTHER COLLEGIATE SPORT, you can win your conference and not be invited for a shot at the NC.

AND, other schools in the state, who already get favors beyond what we get when it comes to fund allocation, also get an ASSLOAD of cash from being in the B1G.

It's unreal. Yet it's real.

Long way of saying, I actively root against my childhood team.

(10-23-2018 08:23 AM)Hiller4Hyz09 Wrote:  Long way of saying, I actively root against my childhood team.

Congratulations! You have grown-up!

Too many sniveling, panzie-azz, children never do.

Support the school where you are enrolled. Support the school that granted you a degree.

There is NO Maize & Blue or Green & White in a Western Michigan University degree.

(10-23-2018 07:48 AM)Fthechips Wrote:  

(10-23-2018 07:32 AM)Bronc33 Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 07:15 PM)Fthechips Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 06:13 PM)Hiller4Hyz09 Wrote:  

(10-21-2018 07:12 PM)Fthechips Wrote:  I'll give you that, it's not necessarily boring but it's certainly less exciting. But your'e telling me watching two unranked MAC teams is more exciting than watching two ranked B1G ten rivals?

Yes.

That's like saying you'd rather watch the Cleveland Browns play the 49ers.

If I was born in cleveland I would rather watch that game than something like the vikings - rams. Why watch something you have no connection to?

Most WMU kids grew up watching UM/MSU so to say they have no connection is false. Also, I don’t know how you can say B1G ten football is boring, the product on the field is inherently better than the MAC(hence the MACs overall record vs the B1G)unless you’re watching Rutgers play Illinois. There’s a reason gameday goes to these bigger schools and not MAC schools, better atmosphere, better players, more people in the stands, more overall excitement for the game. It’s the same quailities that everyone on here hopes for and tries to improve with WMU football so don’t try and fight it.

I could go on again about the tools who place a greater "connection" to who they followed during elementary school recess vs. their own eventual alma mater where they earned a 4-year degree, but I won't.

No one would deny P5 bluebloods have far larger fan bases, game day atmosphere, and number of NFL draft talent. But when it comes to personal excitement, it's subjective. Buffalo vs. Toledo was important to me because it directly impacted WMU's changes for a West title.

Thing is, atmosphere and Corso-Herbie appearances aside, because "the product on the field is inherently better" doesn't necessarily make the game itself more exciting. Depends on how the game unfolds.

Was the Alabama-MSU playoff game (38-0 blowout yawner) really more exciting than CMU-WKU game (the Bahamas comeback thriller)?

(10-23-2018 08:23 AM)Hiller4Hyz09 Wrote:  Long way of saying, I actively root against my childhood team.

Heh, same here. Those UM shirts I wore decades ago have long since decayed and joined the earth's soil in some landfill somewhere.

(10-23-2018 08:18 AM)Hiller4Hyz09 Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 07:15 PM)Fthechips Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 06:13 PM)Hiller4Hyz09 Wrote:  

(10-21-2018 07:12 PM)Fthechips Wrote:  

(10-21-2018 07:07 PM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  How is it boring to watch?

I will give you the atmosphere although it was remarkable the access and graciousness you could get at the MAC level for just a little bit of support. Not talking like "insider access" but for practically the cost of one good ticket at UM you could go to every WMU game and actually feel a part of the program (know the people sitting around you, go to events and meet coaches and players, actually feel appreciated for more than your wallet). And it's still really good football.

To each their own I guess.

I'll give you that, it's not necessarily boring but it's certainly less exciting. But your'e telling me watching two unranked MAC teams is more exciting than watching two ranked B1G ten rivals?

Yes.

That's like saying you'd rather watch the Cleveland Browns play the 49ers.

No, it's not.

WMU has invested in me and I've invested in WMU. Mainstream athletics are the front porch of the university as Fleck used to say. All the stuff that he did that lurker hated, paid GIANT dividends on investment. WMU's profile went way up. But unfortunately, WMU is back to fighting an impossible battle against schools with more resources, because perceived value is back to where it was before Fleck. And that SUCKS. I was at Waldo this weekend...the Cotton Bowl signage in the stadium and in the Seelye center almost seems like a spectre or otherwise out of place. Very strange.

Anyway....until there's no such thing as P5 and G5, anyone who cares about their alma mater will not give an OUNCE of support to P5. There is no reason to root for them. There is no reason to watch them. OUR profile and tangentially the MAC profile is all that matters.

Browns and 49ers? Seriously?

Fight on, fight on for WESTERN.

I agree w/ most of what you said but I was talking in terms of people that don't/didn't attend WMU. Most people would find most of our games boring compared to the ranked matchups of the week. Also, in terms of students, they want to have fun and drink, MSU-UM presented an opportunity to do that 10x more than Mt. P did this weekend, not even a comparison. Now if the game was in KAZO that might be a different story. Nobody parties quite like the B1G.

(10-23-2018 08:23 AM)Hiller4Hyz09 Wrote:  

(10-23-2018 07:48 AM)Fthechips Wrote:  

(10-23-2018 07:32 AM)Bronc33 Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 07:15 PM)Fthechips Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 06:13 PM)Hiller4Hyz09 Wrote:  Yes.

That's like saying you'd rather watch the Cleveland Browns play the 49ers.

If I was born in cleveland I would rather watch that game than something like the vikings - rams. Why watch something you have no connection to?

Most WMU kids grew up watching UM/MSU so to say they have no connection is false. Also, I don’t know how you can say B1G ten football is boring, the product on the field is inherently better than the MAC(hence the MACs overall record vs the B1G)unless you’re watching Rutgers play Illinois. There’s a reason gameday goes to these bigger schools and not MAC schools, better atmosphere, better players, more people in the stands, more overall excitement for the game. It’s the same quailities that everyone on here hopes for and tries to improve with WMU football so don’t try and fight it.

I grew up in a Walmart Wolverine household. I LOVED rooting for U of M. Their defense in 1997 was TRULY elite. I was all in. I even rooted for them as "my big 10 team" as an undergrad. But I actually loved supporting my Broncos as well. I would never pick U of M over WMU.

BUT, and probably with lots of support from posters here, I began to see that the system is as inequitable as it gets, and for some reason, different from EVERY OTHER COLLEGIATE SPORT, you can win your conference and not be invited for a shot at the NC.

AND, other schools in the state, who already get favors beyond what we get when it comes to fund allocation, also get an ASSLOAD of cash from being in the B1G.

It's unreal. Yet it's real.

My thoughts precisely.

(10-23-2018 08:32 AM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  

(10-23-2018 08:23 AM)Hiller4Hyz09 Wrote:  Long way of saying, I actively root against my childhood team.

Heh, same here. Those UM shirts I wore decades ago have long since decayed and joined the earth's soil in some landfill somewhere.

Me too. Although I now am wearing shirts of the schools my kids attend (Oakland University and West Point) as much as WMU. My law school is now MSU Law School, and someone gave a a sweatshirt, but I never wear that either, instead sticking with my old Detroit College of Law swag.

Got to stay true to your school.

And here is another very important reminder to all true WMU folks; always continue to wear the exact same stuff you were wearing the week before if we won the game before. This is NOT just limited to shirts/sweatshirts. This includes, among other items, underwear (which should not be laundered between wearings). I am sure you all already knew this, but its still good to offer a reminder to those who might have mistakenly left those items out which could lead to a spouse picking them up and washing them. I recommend removing the items immediately after each win, and placing them in a garbage bag between weeks (depending on level of "ripeness").

(10-23-2018 09:06 AM)brovol Wrote:  And here is another very important reminder to all true WMU folks; always continue to wear the exact same stuff you were wearing the week before if we won the game before. This is NOT just limited to shirts/sweatshirts. This includes, among other items, underwear (which should not be laundered between wearings). I am sure you all already knew this, but its still good to offer a reminder to those who might have mistakenly left those items out which could lead to a spouse picking them up and washing them. I recommend removing the items immediately after each win, and placing them in a garbage bag between weeks (depending on level of "ripeness").

My game day undergarments are developing a solid funk.

My 2016 gear suffered from spontaneous combustion.

(10-23-2018 10:21 AM)AFLAGWA Wrote:  

(10-23-2018 09:06 AM)brovol Wrote:  And here is another very important reminder to all true WMU folks; always continue to wear the exact same stuff you were wearing the week before if we won the game before. This is NOT just limited to shirts/sweatshirts. This includes, among other items, underwear (which should not be laundered between wearings). I am sure you all already knew this, but its still good to offer a reminder to those who might have mistakenly left those items out which could lead to a spouse picking them up and washing them. I recommend removing the items immediately after each win, and placing them in a garbage bag between weeks (depending on level of "ripeness").

My game day undergarments are developing a solid funk.

My 2016 gear suffered from spontaneous combustion.

Naturally, safety protocols should always be followed during an extended winning streak.

(10-23-2018 10:45 AM)brovol Wrote:  Naturally, safety protocols should always be followed during an extended winning streak.

They say that putting them in the freezer helps inhibit bacterial growth.

Rooting for a team as a child is not a "connection".

(10-23-2018 11:07 AM)AFLAGWA Wrote:  

(10-23-2018 10:45 AM)brovol Wrote:  Naturally, safety protocols should always be followed during an extended winning streak.

They say that putting them in the freezer helps inhibit bacterial growth.

Fighting a little bacteria just helps build your immune system.

(10-23-2018 12:13 PM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  Rooting for a team as a child is not a "connection".

Guess it depends on both the child and how you define "child". My first two college games were MSU/UF in '65 and '66, ages 12 & 13. Looking back I would consider myself a child at those ages. MSU won both and I've been a fan ever since. If that grinds you or anyone else that's your issue, not mine.

I would also add it does not conflict with my love for the Broncos. When we play each other, I'm a Bronco first and always. My money goes to WMU, not MSU. However, I do wear apparel from both schools.

What I find childish is this attitude that it's your way or the highway. It is possible to be a fan of more than one school. Yes, I do feel a connection to MSU. The Bronco connection is stronger, that's all. Unlike Brovo, I do not follow my children's schools and am no fan even though I've been gifted with that apparel as well. My connection there is to my daughters, not their schools.

This whole thing with rooting for P5 or other schools all seems rather silly to me. At the end of the day, who cares? I've always said being a fan defies logic. It is illogical at best, more emotional than tangible.

(10-23-2018 12:37 PM)Aimless1 Wrote:  

(10-23-2018 12:13 PM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  Rooting for a team as a child is not a "connection".

Guess it depends on both the child and how you define "child". My first two college games were MSU/UF in '65 and '66, ages 12 & 13. Looking back I would consider myself a child at those ages. MSU won both and I've been a fan ever since. If that grinds you or anyone else that's your issue, not mine.

I would also add it does not conflict with my love for the Broncos. When we play each other, I'm a Bronco first and always. My money goes to WMU, not MSU. However, I do wear apparel from both schools.

What I find childish is this attitude that it's your way or the highway. It is possible to be a fan of more than one school. Yes, I do feel a connection to MSU. The Bronco connection is stronger, that's all. Unlike Brovo, I do not follow my children's schools and am no fan even though I've been gifted with that apparel as well. My connection there is to my daughters, not their schools.

This whole thing with rooting for P5 or other schools all seems rather silly to me. At the end of the day, who cares? I've always said being a fan defies logic. It is illogical at best, more emotional than tangible.

I have no issue with that. I actually root for Michigan schools in general, unless some compelling reason to do otherwise. I always root for WMU against all others. Then generally MAC schools against all others. I think my kids picked schools which are very easy for me to support. Oakland is where two of my sisters graduated, and I spent a lot of time there as a kid as it is near where I grew up. West Point should be easy for anyone to root for, and is a special place. When WMU plays either of those schools my loyalties are strongly with the Broncos, and my daughter and I have had a lot of fun at WMU vs Oakland basketball games.

I have no issue with WMU alums also rooting for UM or MSU, for whatever their reasons, but it does bother me when someone "prefers" rooting for one of those schools over WMU. I left the comfort of watching both the Army/Miami and UM/MSU games at BWW in Mt Pleasant to brave to cold, rain and wind of the WMU/CMU game, and didnt think twice about it (my with thought twice about it though).

WMU took me when neither MSU or UM ever would have. I had a good experience at WMU, and my degree from WMU has gotten me where I needed to get, and honestly, I didn't make it easy. Your undergrad alma mater is where your loyalty and rooting interest should always be.

(10-23-2018 12:37 PM)Aimless1 Wrote:  

(10-23-2018 12:13 PM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  Rooting for a team as a child is not a "connection".

Guess it depends on both the child and how you define "child". My first two college games were MSU/UF in '65 and '66, ages 12 & 13. Looking back I would consider myself a child at those ages. MSU won both and I've been a fan ever since. If that grinds you or anyone else that's your issue, not mine.

I would also add it does not conflict with my love for the Broncos. When we play each other, I'm a Bronco first and always. My money goes to WMU, not MSU. However, I do wear apparel from both schools.

Don't think that's what anyone is talking about.

Personally though I can't do it especially with other instate schools. Too many people looking down on us and too much stacking the deck to overlook.

(10-23-2018 01:41 PM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  Too many people looking down on us and too much stacking the deck to overlook.

THIS, my children, is the way.

BROAD is the road that leads to destruction.

But small is the gate (not as small as Central's)

and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Ugh, are we really talking about this again? I mean, it's okay, b/c anyone who supports only UM/MSU only b/c they did when they were 4 is an ass, but the whole topic just makes me sick. Piss on 'em & move on.