National journalist Bryan Gruley, a University of Michigan fan since adolescence, echoes countless loyalists when he asks: 'What the hell is going on in Ann Arbor?'
The Redford native and former Detroit News reporter (1984-95) "remained a begrudging admirer of Meeeechigan" even while at Notre Dame. "Michigan signified all that was simple and wonderful about the college game," he writes Monday at Bloomberg Businessweek under the headline "Hail! to the Marketers Valiant: The Trouble With Michigan Football."
Dave Brandon became athletic director in 2010. "His corporate skills must have looked invaluable."
His dismay goes beyond on-field embarrassments such as the Shane Morris affair and "are-you-frigging-kidding-me losses to Rutgers and, worse, Minnesota." Gruley also tackles Athletic Director Dave Brandon -- "Brandin’ Brandon, as some dismayed Wolverine fans now call him."
[He] decided Michigan’s gold brand wasn’t gold enough. Military flyovers, fireworks, and skywriting became part of the ol’ color and pageantry. Prices for tickets and concessions went up. New sales policies made it harder for students to sit with classmates. Chobani — which makes yogurt, not bratwursts — started sponsoring Michigan football tweets. After Beyoncé introduced the halftime show at a game last year, Brandon said, “That’s a pretty powerful message about what Michigan is all about.”
I’d love to hear the unprintable things the late [coach Bo] Schembechler would say about that.
As a business writer, Gruley -- a Chicago resident since 1995 -- kicks this unsolicited advice at the man overseeing UM football:
With halftime hoopla rivaling that of the Super Bowl and hot dog prices to match, Brandon and his athletic director brethren around the NCAA are missing the point. Sometimes the best way to enhance the brand, so to speak, is to leave it alone. . . .
Michigan’s “brand” isn’t based on a string of national championships . . . or even consistently winning seasons. “Michigan,” [John U.] Bacon wrote in a June blog post, “is all about lifelong fans who’ve been coming together for decades to leave a bit of the modern world behind — and the incessant marketing that comes with it — and share an authentic experience fueled by the passion of the team, the band and the students. That’s it."
-- Alan Stamm
