Mason Carrier all in on MN: We would rather MAKE a better team than FIND a better team.

Is the overall view of the Gopher football program more positive, generally, outstate, and more negative in the metro?

If so, it would be interesting to try to figure out why that is.

Do they get less exposure to negative inputs (media) in the hinterlands?
I don't know if there's one answer but when you aren't crammed together like fish in a can you have a different relationship within your communities. Everyone is generally friendlier towards one another and everyone knows everyone. It's probably a lot easier to both feel obligated to your community and be influenced by your community, but not negatively. It's pride.

The antithesis of that are all the "If my kid could get 100k right out of high school I'd tell him to go do it" kinda people. Yeah, you've got money now, but you're teaching your kid money is more important than everything, including human connection that is the primary thing that you help develop in your kid from infancy through childhood. 🤷
 

Back to the topic of the post, who is Mason Carrier? Where is he from, what position, etc?
 

And for kids in the metro, it's the same thing - moving away to somewhere else is a new experience away from home. I could have gone to the U - at times I wish I had - but I didn't want to go to school only 30 miles away from where I grew up.
It’s this.

Truly wonder how many high end recruits go to a first school that’s less than 100mi from their home. Less than 50?

Gotta be low
 

Oh it was worse before, I am friends with a lot of people who worked there. I grew up with Mick Anslemo's son. They all said there was not one Gopher fan working there, this was the 2005-2015 range. They can be negative but in and out of every break with negative Gopher moments made me turn it off, They reveal in a Gopher downfall.
Ok but have you listened to those stations? I drive for a living I would say most of those stations have limited range. Have a cabin on vermilion cannot get Ely station 20 miles away. Plus in the metro there is Karan signage everywhere. I was thinking more as a kid riding with your parents. I don’t think many 16-22 year olds are listening to Sports talk if driving themselves.
 

Also Gaard is outstanding and does a great job. Cares quite a bit about doing a good job and the success of the team.

Was a particularly trying year for him, having to manage PJ’s paper-thin fragile ego and irritability after losses. Almost impossible to directly challenge him on a single decision he made and get a straight, non-defensive or combative answer.

Does a great job on the podcasts.

People complaining about him have their head up their asses.
 


And for kids in the metro, it's the same thing - moving away to somewhere else is a new experience away from home. I could have gone to the U - at times I wish I had - but I didn't want to go to school only 30 miles away from where I grew up.
I've always wondered what the general view of the U/U athletics would be if the U of M was located in Rochester or somewhere else outstate? What would game days be like? Would there be a mad rush down Highway 52 on game days?
 


Back to the topic of the post, who is Mason Carrier? Where is he from, what position, etc?

Linebacker, Detroit Lakes. He is the fourth-ranked player in the state per 247.

Most daily talk radio is just…flat out awful, unlistenable crap. Kudos to you guys for toughing it out. I’d listen to the Glen Mason bits.
 

People have called it out in the thread but yeah - Carrier has serious Cashman/Coughlin/Barber vibes about him. Seen him plenty up here throughout the years in hoops and football. He looked like a Division 1 linebacker.... as a sophomore - just different. Having my boys' HS FB team play against DL and Esko in the past 3 years - You instantly know where Carrier is - all the time. I didn't get the same perception when we played Esko and Perich - Super excited to see this outstate kid at the flagship university
 



Also Gaard is outstanding and does a great job. Cares quite a bit about doing a good job and the success of the team.

Was a particularly trying year for him, having to manage PJ’s paper-thin fragile ego and irritability after losses. Almost impossible to directly challenge him on a single decision he made and get a straight, non-defensive or combative answer.

Does a great job on the podcasts.

People complaining about him have their head up their asses.
Do you work at Kfan? Agree to disagree. Gaard is boxed mashed potatoes. Did you listen before he got the job? Brutal towards the gophers. He’s an Iowa fan and has held an axe to grind since the u didn’t recruit him for Tennis. He’s really bad at what he does. He has the personality of burnt toast.
 

It’s this.

Truly wonder how many high end recruits go to a first school that’s less than 100mi from their home. Less than 50?

Gotta be low
Athletics is vastly different than the general student. Studies show 55-60 go to school within 100 miles and only 15% over 500 miles.


And cannot wait until carrier gets here saw him twice his motor was unreal. Guy that wants to be here and have that c on his chest
 
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This is wildly overexaggerated.

This is wildly underexaggerated. Hell, the Gophers football head coach from 17 years ago probably spends more than 5 minutes each week talking about the Gophers by himself.

Also, it's a business. They don't talk about Gophers football because outside of a small dedicated fanbase, no one cares. I am an alum and maintain friendships with dozens of other alums. Out of the scores of them, there are two others I know who give a shit, at all, about Gopher football. They both used to post here quite a bit, but I haven't seen them on here in ages. And these are alums we're talking about - people who went to the school and love it. And if alums for the most part don't care, why would non-alums? You earn the coverage you receive, it's not gifted to you.

And meanwhile, the Vikings have a huge, rabid fanbase that consumes a ton of media about the team. Of course they're going to talk a lot about them, and flatteringly so, because they're interested in making money. I don't get what is so hard to grasp about this concept for so many people.

It's 100% true that their mission is ratings. I'm under the impression that the KFAN 'schtick', if you will, has been quite successful as far as ratings are concerned.

Look, if I was in charge of an operation like that, I'd consider myself very lucky. They basically run the exact same content, over and over, every day and it continually brings in the listeners. They would be nuts to change anything.
 

Carrier represents the type of athlete the U needs/wants.

With NIL, will Fleck be able to find enough players like Carrier to maintain a certain level of success?
 






Do you work at Kfan? Agree to disagree. Gaard is boxed mashed potatoes. Did you listen before he got the job? Brutal towards the gophers. He’s an Iowa fan and has held an axe to grind since the u didn’t recruit him for Tennis. He’s really bad at what he does. He has the personality of burnt toast.
Well someone's got an axe to grind, lol.

As a longtime fan who quit listening to the Outhouse of he Air back in the '90s, I've never heard Gaard be brutal towards the Gophers. I only hear him on gamedays, and he's positive and professional.
 

Well someone's got an axe to grind, lol.

As a longtime fan who quit listening to the Outhouse of he Air back in the '90s, I've never heard Gaard be brutal towards the Gophers. I only hear him on gamedays, and he's positive and professional.
Gaard is solid. I don't know what his ambition is beyond radio but I could see him developing further if he wanted to.
 


Go Gophers!!
This is the kind of mental make up that leads to playing on Sundays. Don’t know if it will happen but it won’t be because of a lack in focus, hard work, and determination. Regardless, this is the type of leadership this team needs right now. Love to see it, go gophs!
 

For some reason, this kind of loyalty to the state flagship and passion for building it up and actual desire to come to Mpls, tends to exist in Outstate kids far more than Metro kids.
It would be interesting to investigate this phenomena with regards to other states. Is UGA pulling more kids from rural Georgia than the Atlanta metro area? Are kids from large metro areas more likely to explore other schools? Overall, I agree with you. Perhaps it’s the way people talk about Gophs in the twin cities, these kids grow up wanting out
 

I've always wondered what the general view of the U/U athletics would be if the U of M was located in Rochester or somewhere else outstate? What would game days be like? Would there be a mad rush down Highway 52 on game days?
I've thought that Mankato or St. Cloud might have separated the University from the major city and the capital and resulted in more campus feeling. However, the constant in Minnesota history is that the administration will always make the wrong choice. True in 1858 and true now
 

It’s this.

Truly wonder how many high end recruits go to a first school that’s less than 100mi from their home. Less than 50?

Gotta be low
Probably depends on if a high end program is within 100mi from their home.
 

My first thought when I read this:

Blake Cashman.
If so, hopefully Fleck sees that and doesn't make the same mistake he did with not playing Cashman more. Many out here said he was too small and too slow but he was always around the ball making plays. I have my doubts with Fleck seeing that.
 

I've thought that Mankato or St. Cloud might have separated the University from the major city and the capital and resulted in more campus feeling. However, the constant in Minnesota history is that the administration will always make the wrong choice. True in 1858 and true now
Completely disagree. Love that the U is here.
 

I think Carrier has a lot of potential, glad he'll be a Gopher. Hope he maybe has some influence on Perich.

Off topic, but criticism of KFAN Gopher coverage is moronic. And Gaard is really good.
 

I don't know if there's one answer but when you aren't crammed together like fish in a can you have a different relationship within your communities. Everyone is generally friendlier towards one another and everyone knows everyone. It's probably a lot easier to both feel obligated to your community and be influenced by your community, but not negatively. It's pride.

The antithesis of that are all the "If my kid could get 100k right out of high school I'd tell him to go do it" kinda people. Yeah, you've got money now, but you're teaching your kid money is more important than everything, including human connection that is the primary thing that you help develop in your kid from infancy through childhood. 🤷
Your community is what you make of it and your decision to engage or not.
 

Completely disagree. Love that the U is here.
Fun to diagree. While nice the U is close think about how separating might help the amateur versus professional feeling could be. Vikings vs Gophers if the distance is 100 miles or 1?
 

I think Carrier has a lot of potential, glad he'll be a Gopher. Hope he maybe has some influence on Perich.

Off topic, but criticism of KFAN Gopher coverage is moronic. And Gaard is really good.

Any criticism of KFAN Gopher coverage is 'moronic'?

Wow.
 
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I've always wondered what the general view of the U/U athletics would be if the U of M was located in Rochester or somewhere else outstate? What would game days be like? Would there be a mad rush down Highway 52 on game days?
Rochester would have been an outstanding choice. As the capital of the state, too.

Would've been similar to Madison.

Great college town, world class medical research destination with Mayo, legal/law center of the state. With U computing there, maybe IBM & the U could've made it a computing and now AI center as well. What could have been
 

He’s an Iowa fan and has held an axe to grind since the u didn’t recruit him for Tennis.
OK? He's been doing a great job since the 2011 season, so whatever axe you're making up, the handle has fallen out and it's sitting in a field somewhere rusting away.

He’s really bad at what he does. He has the personality of burnt toast.
LOL not even close
 




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