My take away from this is that Anderson doesn't feel like he could control his team in the event of a Gophers victory. Problems brewing in Madison perhaps?
If the Gophers wanted a say in this decision they should have controlled their players and staff last year. You can point to 2011 all you want it doesn't justify the Gophers actions last year. In 2011 the Gophers 'tradition' of singing in front of the student section had been in effect for all of…0 years. The Badgers and Gophers have been chopping down BOTH goalposts since at least the mid 80's (Its been awhile so it is understandable if many Gopher fans are foggy on this detail but it is a fact beyond dispute). If anyone had the obligation to bend to tradition it was the Gophers. Even if the Badgers were 100% responsible for that incident it was minor and was a clear miscommunication over a new policy that the Badgers had never faced before. That is not justification for acting like a bunch of sore losers two years later and disrupting a real tradition (meaning it has history and weight) because you are sick of getting beat. Without that display of post game 'toughness' this policy is never discussed.
I hate it. Every Badger fan I know or have seen comment on it hates it. That being said blaming this on the Badgers is laughable. Also, you might want to win the game before you go on a rant about how this was done because the Badgers are scared of losing and was done simply to stick it to the Gophers in their moment of triumph. Could the Gophers win on Sat? Sure. But I know there isn't a single Badger player or fan who is scared of this game or worried about the Gopher celebration. 17-2 makes us pretty confident.
Let's look at the bright side of Andersen doing this and being a #$%^&. I was having trouble hating him as much as his predecessor. He seems so vanilla by comparison. Problem solved.
If the Gophers wanted a say in this decision they should have controlled their players and staff last year. You can point to 2011 all you want it doesn't justify the Gophers actions last year. In 2011 the Gophers 'tradition' of singing in front of the student section had been in effect for all of…0 years. The Badgers and Gophers have been chopping down BOTH goalposts since at least the mid 80's (Its been awhile so it is understandable if many Gopher fans are foggy on this detail but it is a fact beyond dispute). If anyone had the obligation to bend to tradition it was the Gophers. Even if the Badgers were 100% responsible for that incident it was minor and was a clear miscommunication over a new policy that the Badgers had never faced before. That is not justification for acting like a bunch of sore losers two years later and disrupting a real tradition (meaning it has history and weight) because you are sick of getting beat. Without that display of post game 'toughness' this policy is never discussed.
I hate it. Every Badger fan I know or have seen comment on it hates it. That being said blaming this on the Badgers is laughable. Also, you might want to win the game before you go on a rant about how this was done because the Badgers are scared of losing and was done simply to stick it to the Gophers in their moment of triumph. Could the Gophers win on Sat? Sure. But I know there isn't a single Badger player or fan who is scared of this game or worried about the Gopher celebration. 17-2 makes us pretty confident.
If the Gophers wanted a say in this decision they should have controlled their players and staff last year. You can point to 2011 all you want it doesn't justify the Gophers actions last year. In 2011 the Gophers 'tradition' of singing in front of the student section had been in effect for all of…0 years. The Badgers and Gophers have been chopping down BOTH goalposts since at least the mid 80's (Its been awhile so it is understandable if many Gopher fans are foggy on this detail but it is a fact beyond dispute). If anyone had the obligation to bend to tradition it was the Gophers. Even if the Badgers were 100% responsible for that incident it was minor and was a clear miscommunication over a new policy that the Badgers had never faced before. That is not justification for acting like a bunch of sore losers two years later and disrupting a real tradition (meaning it has history and weight) because you are sick of getting beat. Without that display of post game 'toughness' this policy is never discussed.
I hate it. Every Badger fan I know or have seen comment on it hates it. That being said blaming this on the Badgers is laughable. Also, you might want to win the game before you go on a rant about how this was done because the Badgers are scared of losing and was done simply to stick it to the Gophers in their moment of triumph. Could the Gophers win on Sat? Sure. But I know there isn't a single Badger player or fan who is scared of this game or worried about the Gopher celebration. 17-2 makes us pretty confident.
Per Badger Football - the Axe will be on the field, but in the endzone close to the winner's locker room.
If Anderson made a reference to Alzheimer's and JK that's just wrong and I think insulting.I think Anderson erred in unilaterally changing tradition, but to be fair, he was very respectful of our team and Coach Kill in the segments of the press conference that I saw. I was especially pleased by his support of Alzheimer's awareness as a gesture of respect for coach Kill.
How this issue could have been solved: Kill and Anderson get together and make a pact to eliminate after game posturing all together. They go back to their respective teams and tell them that absolutely no post game altercations will be tolerated and that any player who engages in a post game altercation will be suspended for the remainder of the season by the team. The losing team must leave the field and not engage in any sort of interference towards the winners' celebration. In turn, the winning team must respect any post game traditions of the other school, and not let their celebration interfere with said tradition. By doing this they could teach their players that when they put on that uniform they represent their university and everything that their university stands for. And that this game, this rivalry, is bigger than any one player's emotional immaturity. They could teach them that being gracious in defeat is just as, if not more important than being humble in victory. This solution puts an emphasis on the importance of personal character, sportsmanship, and respect between programs. How Anderson wants to solve the issue: Hide the trophy in the locker room and simply not address the problem. I'm not sure what lesson that teaches the players.
If Anderson made a reference to Alzheimer's and JK that's just wrong and I think insulting.
Per Brian Bennett Tweets, GA was mispoken and the axe will be on the field in the end zone closest to winning teams locker room. Instant backlash made him change his mind? Or did the clueless media just immediately run with the wrong report?
If Anderson made a reference to Alzheimer's and JK that's just wrong and I think insulting.