FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[02 Warhawk]

To be clear, I was saying "opinions" run both ways. I have no doubt D3.com has supported Mt Union consistently over the years and they are just bitter about what they perceived as negative coverage related to one incident and decided to "blackball" the D3.com staff.

They are the only team in the country with that approach. I think it's terribly short-sighted and only hurts their program longer term.

Support? Really? My observation has been that they talk about Mount only when necessary and only seem to put any energy into it when the Raiders lose, come close to it, or want to press to get information on negative stories. Anything positive is spoken in a sense of, "Death, Taxes, Mount Union winning, and a bunch of other things we don't like to talk about but have to acknowledge." It is how D3.com wants (and is entitled) to handle its business, and as long as they not obnoxiously obvious with it, I am actually a fan; it means the expectation is for Mount Union to be successful, and failures to meet that standard are more noteworthy. To be honest, they are really just giving the majority of followers what they want (Who outside of Alliance or not directly benefitting from Mount Union's success wants to see the Raiders do anything positive, damn near ever? Don't worry, I'll wait.). The rest of us can either choose to deal with it or kick rocks. Mount Union simply choose the latter.

I do not think D3.com or Mount Union is hurting for missing the other, though. D3 does not need Mount Union directly: just their fans. If Mount Union needs or has anything to gain through publicity with d3, at all, then they are in much bigger trouble than any of us thinks. I am not sure how the two groups not playing nice would hurt the program in the longer term. If you would share it, I am interested in how you think that is.

You must be new then. I've been on these boards for over 14 years and have been reading d3 football.com longer than that. Mount Union has had more positive coverage than any other team....and it's not even close. Being a news outlet, I'm not sure what sort of support Mount Union fans think  they're entitled to from D3football.com.

I hope there's Wilmington fans reading this rolling their eyes.

[Pat Coleman]

What do they need Mount for?

Website clicks?

No one story makes a big difference in a positive way to our bottom line. Every article we assign is a money loser for us but part of the cost of being a journalistic enterprise. We make our money on other pages that are not feature stories and no one story or one fan base makes a difference. Sorry to burst your bubble.

[edward de vere]

Wilmington has fans?  Well, good on them.  You certainly can't accuse them of being the bandwagon type.

Re Mount fan opinions of Dear Old M-U-C:  I would wager the fans of Mount Union are no more monolithic in their viewpoints than the fans of WWW are in theirs.  As the judge said in "Miracle On 34th Street" regarding the existence of Santa Claus:  Opinions vary.

Opinions are like arseholes.  As Yogi Berra should have said:  Everybody has lots of 'em.

[rscl70]

If we're all done back-biting, there's a game tomorrow.


Go Raiders

[edward de vere]

Game doesn't start til High Noon, Eastern Time.  That leaves over twelve hours for back-biting.

https://awfulannouncing.com/nbc/notes-on-scandal-marv-albert-sex-trial-20-years-old.html

(Uh, this might not stay up a real long time.)

[USee]

D3.com operates like most press operate, better actually. If you generally  looking for media to sell feel good stuff you haven't looked at mainstream media in a long time. People do what sells. D3 guys do more than that actually. I have been on here since it was just an eastern conference board and I agree with 02, if there is a team with more positive coverage than Mt Union I'd love to see the proof.

The reality is someone threw their rattle out of the crib when D3.Com covered a story that should have been covered, and exactly how they covered it because they didn't like the implications of the coverage.  Everyone outside of Alliance believes that (and probably a fair number inside Alliance). And trust me, I understand both sides as my school was the in the epicenter of some much more serious stuff a few years back and I had some opinions then that I aired to the brass privately, but I was set straight after I got over my emotional attachment.

I have an appreciation for the staff on here, especially beyond Pat, guys like Frank Rossi, Greg Thomas, Keith McMillian, etc. Those guys take their role seriously, do their homework, and provide outstanding coverage of the D3 football world.

Most schools/organizations embrace the media, understand how they work, and use it to their advantage. They are not always your friends, and shouldn't be. But having a strong working relationship definitely has a mutual benefit.

[Pat Coleman]

Thanks, sir -- and see, I had forgotten about all that because Wheaton let it become water under the bridge. We did the story because it was news and we kind of had to and then everyone moved on.

[WRMUalum13]

D3.com operates like most press operate, better actually. If you generally  looking for media to sell feel good stuff you haven't looked at mainstream media in a long time. People do what sells. D3 guys do more than that actually. I have been on here since it was just an eastern conference board and I agree with 02, if there is a team with more positive coverage than Mt Union I'd love to see the proof.

The reality is someone threw their rattle out of the crib when D3.Com covered a story that should have been covered, and exactly how they covered it because they didn't like the implications of the coverage.  Everyone outside of Alliance believes that (and probably a fair number inside Alliance). And trust me, I understand both sides as my school was the in the epicenter of some much more serious stuff a few years back and I had some opinions then that I aired to the brass privately, but I was set straight after I got over my emotional attachment.

I have an appreciation for the staff on here, especially beyond Pat, guys like Frank Rossi, Greg Thomas, Keith McMillian, etc. Those guys take their role seriously, do their homework, and provide outstanding coverage of the D3 football world.

Most schools/organizations embrace the media, understand how they work, and use it to their advantage. They are not always your friends, and shouldn't be. But having a strong working relationship definitely has a mutual benefit.

As a Mount Union alum, I think D3fb.com has consistently provided adequate and high quality coverage of my alma mater's football program. Keep up the good work Pat & Co.

[edward de vere]

Gosh, I hope this is right.

My recollection of a couple years ago includes the following:

1)  I, and a number of other Mount Union fans, said that there was a lack of public knowledge as to what exactly the problem was but that based on that limited knowledge Mount Union looked small.

2)  On the other hand, if anybody on planet Earth deserved the benefit of the doubt it would be Larry Kehres, and Larry Kehres knew WAY more about the situation than was publicly available.  Many Mount fans emphasized this.

3)  As is fairly common in homo sapiens Larry Kehres likes good publicity better than he likes bad publicity.

4)  Frank Rossi admitted that he had a temper problem that he was attempting to control as he got older.

Well, that's my recollection; I imagine others have different recollections.

P.S.  Uh, I still don't know what actually happened.

[WRMUalum13]

The D3 Braintrust are all picking NCC:

Keith:   42-20
Ryan:   31-24
Pat:      41-27
Adam:  31-27
Frank:  37-24
Greg:   38-20

https://d3football.com/notables/2021/12/quick-hits-playoffs-week15

2 to 3 score difference is what I'm expecting too.  Not saying Mount can't win, but it would be a shock.

Maybe NC will read all the press on their 2-3 score win with over an under matched Mount Union, that is mistake prone.
IMHO, the game could be closer than most expect. Weather could be a factor, but I think the Raiders playing at home
bring their pride to the game. Other than Wheaton, just who has NC played that is much better than, B-W, JCU, Hopkins,
Muhlenburg?

UW-LAX

For what's it's worth Massey Ratings ranks JHU higher than UW -LAX and Wheaton, and Muhlenberg is only 2 spots below LAX.

[archgemini24]

D3.com operates like most press operate, better actually. If you generally  looking for media to sell feel good stuff you haven't looked at mainstream media in a long time. People do what sells. D3 guys do more than that actually. I have been on here since it was just an eastern conference board and I agree with 02, if there is a team with more positive coverage than Mt Union I'd love to see the proof.

The reality is someone threw their rattle out of the crib when D3.Com covered a story that should have been covered, and exactly how they covered it because they didn't like the implications of the coverage.  Everyone outside of Alliance believes that (and probably a fair number inside Alliance). And trust me, I understand both sides as my school was the in the epicenter of some much more serious stuff a few years back and I had some opinions then that I aired to the brass privately, but I was set straight after I got over my emotional attachment.

I have an appreciation for the staff on here, especially beyond Pat, guys like Frank Rossi, Greg Thomas, Keith McMillian, etc. Those guys take their role seriously, do their homework, and provide outstanding coverage of the D3 football world.

Most schools/organizations embrace the media, understand how they work, and use it to their advantage. They are not always your friends, and shouldn't be. But having a strong working relationship definitely has a mutual benefit.

As a Mount Union alum, I think D3fb.com has consistently provided adequate and high quality coverage of my alma mater's football program. Keep up the good work Pat & Co.

I am not an alum, but I concur. I actually appreciate more that they cover the rest of d3 so I can at least try and keep up. I may think their coverage of the Raiders is vanilla unless its about a shortcoming or failure, but it is still high-quality vanilla, and, Pat, I sincerely apologize if I implied anything less. D3 has not missed a beat even without a working relationship from the other party. That takes effort and deserves acknowledgement.

Even if I did not feel that way, this is their work. If I have a problem with it, that is entirely a me problem, and if I could not fix it, me proverbially ending up on the back of a milk carton would be beneath the notice of everyone else here.

[kiko]

How does Mount not talking to d3football hurt the program?

I suspect you don't spend much time in the world of marketing.  Broadening the aperture beyond football, UMU as an institution is a brand that competes with others for both students and student-athletes.  It benefits from many kinds of media, some of which the university controls and some of which it does not.

https://www.brandpoint.com/blog/earned-owned-paid-media/

Absent other agendas, having an arms-length relationship -- or however it is best characterized -- with a media outlet that is singularly focused on and generally supportive of the D3 ecosystem and its member institutions is a missed opportunity.  It certainly doesn't hurt the football program from a win/loss standpoint, and I doubt that it has cost UMU football anything on the recruiting trail.  But it closes a door to a larger opportunity for Mount to benefit from additional no-cost earned media coverage (feature stories and whatnot) that can have a positive impact on the university's equity.

[joelmama]

Gosh, I hope this is right.

My recollection of a couple years ago includes the following:

1)  I, and a number of other Mount Union fans, said that there was a lack of public knowledge as to what exactly the problem was but that based on that limited knowledge Mount Union looked small.

2)  On the other hand, if anybody on planet Earth deserved the benefit of the doubt it would be Larry Kehres, and Larry Kehres knew WAY more about the situation than was publicly available.  Many Mount fans emphasized this.

3)  As is fairly common in homo sapiens Larry Kehres likes good publicity better than he likes bad publicity.

4)  Frank Rossi admitted that he had a temper problem that he was attempting to control as he got older.

Well, that's my recollection; I imagine others have different recollections.

P.S.  Uh, I still don't know what actually happened.

I think you have the same take as a lot of us.  I think both sides made some mistakes that they would do somewhat differently if they had a chance(WHETHER THEY WILL ADMIT IT OR NOT) .  Mount may look small to some because of it but knowing LK the way I do I am sure he feels protecting the student athletes under his watch is more important. 

[bleedpurple]

I know I am going against the narrative that NCC is darn near unbeatable. I know NCC is the favorite.  But I am a sucker for tradition and I probably overestimate the significance of pure will.  I just think the Raiders will be a team that absolutely refuses to lose to the same program two years in a row (2020 is dead to me) at home.  Truthfully, I'm not rooting for the Raiders. I know our guys want to be the ones that take NCC out. But I'm staying with my gut:

Mount Union 38
NCC.            35

[Pat Coleman]

Gosh, I hope this is right.

My recollection of a couple years ago includes the following:

1)  I, and a number of other Mount Union fans, said that there was a lack of public knowledge as to what exactly the problem was but that based on that limited knowledge Mount Union looked small.

2)  On the other hand, if anybody on planet Earth deserved the benefit of the doubt it would be Larry Kehres, and Larry Kehres knew WAY more about the situation than was publicly available.  Many Mount fans emphasized this.

3)  As is fairly common in homo sapiens Larry Kehres likes good publicity better than he likes bad publicity.

4)  Frank Rossi admitted that he had a temper problem that he was attempting to control as he got older.

Well, that's my recollection; I imagine others have different recollections.

P.S.  Uh, I still don't know what actually happened.

I think you have the same take as a lot of us.  I think both sides made some mistakes that they would do somewhat differently if they had a chance(WHETHER THEY WILL ADMIT IT OR NOT) .  Mount may look small to some because of it but knowing LK the way I do I am sure he feels protecting the student athletes under his watch is more important.

And 4. is not really a staffer and I have no control over what Frank does, really.