This is one of the last surviving active message boards...

[Ararar]

16 minutes ago, badrouter said:

I acknowledged that people will check out the occasional big game or star player. People may check out that one MD-IMG game.  But, that doesn't mean they really, sincerely care all that much. There is no real fan base for IMG. Nobody really gives a shit about them. But, they will keep an eye on their games. Similar things can be said about the other "dynasties". The programs that are really big will have their fans. But, that's it. Nobody outside of those specific fans really cares. They don't see the competitive landscape as really fair. The "consolidation" of talent has made a bit of a mockery of the game.

Again you’re trying to convince me that consolidation of talent equals nobody cares and that one sided games or champions decided before the season means nobody will watch.

The Patriots,Crimson Tide and Warriors shows just how wrong you are.IMG has no fan base yet everywhere they go people flock to see them.You are confusing your own lack of interest with the groups 

[badrouter]

16 minutes ago, Ararar said:

Again you’re trying to convince me that consolidation of talent equals nobody cares and that one sided games or champions decided before the season means nobody will watch.

The Patriots,Crimson Tide and Warriors shows just how wrong you are.IMG has no fan base yet everywhere they go people flock to see them.You are confusing your own lack of interest with the groups 

First, controls are in place to create parity to a MUCH greater degree in the pros and a still greater degree in college. You can't effectively argue about interest in HS football by citing the Patriots, Alabama etc.

Mostly, though, you're forgetting about all of the other games involving all of the other teams. When everyone knows that Team A is THE stacked team nobody else can touch, games like Team H vs. K now have very little interest. Why watch Team E vs. Team W when you know that if/when they face Team A, they'll get stomped, in large part because some of their best players from the previous year now play for Team A?

You may not be aware of it, but, in earlier years you had LOTS of teams with large, involved fan bases. You didn't have to have Team A in a game to generate interest.

[Ararar]

38 minutes ago, badrouter said:

First, controls are in place to create parity to a MUCH greater degree in the pros and a still greater degree in college. You can't effectively argue about interest in HS football by citing the Patriots, Alabama etc.

Mostly, though, you're forgetting about all of the other games involving all of the other teams. When everyone knows that Team A is THE stacked team nobody else can touch, games like Team H vs. K now have very little interest. Why watch Team E vs. Team W when you know that if/when they face Team A, they'll get stomped, in large part because some of their best players from the previous year now play for Team A?

You may not be aware of it, but, in earlier years you had LOTS of teams with large, involved fan bases. You didn't have to have Team A in a game to generate interest.

What are you talking about? Every College football team  can recruit and obtain the best players in the whole country only one HS can do that.Every professional team can draft,Trade or sign free agents no HS team can do that.If they could the talent disparity would be much greater 

All the other teams that have no chance against Alabama or the Warriors hasn’t affected the interest in these teams one iota.

If fans have abandoned their schools because they don’t beat these dynasties then I would suggest they weren’t fans at all and only cared about winning as opposed to supporting their school/community 

[BigDrop]

1 hour ago, badrouter said:

But 1996 Hampton, at the time, was a bit of a novelty, and Ronald Curry was seen as a once-in-a-lifetime type player. Had Hampton continued rolling over the roster with a bunch of players from other area schools year after year, and kept outscoring people by 700 points in a season, interest would have waned like we see elsewhere. 

Mike Smith had 484 victories and 12 state championships at Hampton along with being named the #4 hs coach of all time by Max Prrps.  Hampton has a huge following for decades in the Hampton roads area.  

[badrouter]

4 hours ago, Ararar said:

What are you talking about? Every College football team  can recruit and obtain the best players in the whole country only one HS can do that.Every professional team can draft,Trade or sign free agents no HS team can do that.If they could the talent disparity would be much greater 

All the other teams that have no chance against Alabama or the Warriors hasn’t affected the interest in these teams one iota.

If fans have abandoned their schools because they don’t beat these dynasties then I would suggest they weren’t fans at all and only cared about winning as opposed to supporting their school/community 

I'm saying college and the pros are not at all comparable to HS when it comes to fan interest or the way teams can be built. Colleges have scholarship limitations, and players at that level-now adults- are much more able to choose places that fit them the best in the first place. If they have to transfer, it is almost always a MAJOR undertaking, involving moving to another city/state, enrolling in a new university (much more complicated than a HS) and possibly sitting out a year. The pros have severe roster limits (53 players), salary caps, the draft favors teams with the WORST records. High school is not the least bit comparable in this regard.

The fans haven't "abandoned" their teams/communities. They just don't give a fuck about the sport anymore. At least not enough to be as involved as they used to be.

[badrouter]

3 hours ago, BigDrop said:

Mike Smith had 484 victories and 12 state championships at Hampton along with being named the #4 hs coach of all time by Max Prrps.  Hampton has a huge following for decades in the Hampton roads area.  

But, the point is, in 1996, that was a very rare team and Curry was seen as a rare phenom. 

As I've said, the very top programs will continue to have their fans. All of the other fans of the other schools, who have been stomped by the Hamptons of the world over decades (often with former players of their own), start to lose interest. 

[noonereal]

On 4/23/2019 at 12:46 PM, BigDrop said:

Wow!  

I have posted on audio and music forums as long as I have posted on high school football boards. I can't think of any that have disappeared. All the disappearing boards were on high school football. 

I have honestly never noticed much of a differance between then and now as far as participation. 

I guess a couple medical boards have closed down, that is about it. Most the political boards are still around.

Same soccer boards still around too.

[BigDrop]

42 minutes ago, noonereal said:

I have posted on audio and music forums as long as I have posted on high school football boards. I can't think of any that have disappeared. All the disappearing boards were on high school football. 

I have honestly never noticed much of a differance between then and now as far as participation. 

I guess a couple medical boards have closed down, that is about it. Most the political boards are still around.

Same soccer boards still around too.

Do you think there are as many topics and posts now as, say, ten years ago?

[Bones]

Twitter. It's like a message board without the board. Problem is you can't get in depth there, but most people aren't looking for depth.

[noonereal]

9 hours ago, BigDrop said:

Do you think there are as many topics and posts now as, say, ten years ago?

Let me just say, in all honesty, I have never noticed a downturn.

In audio one might think I would simple because audio gear is not used much anymore. It's all crappy MP3 and terrible sounding earbuds. (that is where I have always spent most my time)

Political boards and health boards I'd say are busier than ever and that would make sense. 

Could it be the subject matter we pursue?

Also, thinking about it, national high school football boards have simply changed where we accumulate. No? Seem we have only picked up folks over the years.

Look at GSB and all the GA guys, for example. They were never on national boards back in 2000. No one from AZ or NV were ever on either. Now they are. Lot's of new South Cal guys too. 

 

This is simply my perspective. I have zilch, just personal observations to back any of this up. 

 

peace

[noonereal]

1 hour ago, Bones said:

Twitter. It's like a message board without the board. Problem is you can't get in depth there, but most people aren't looking for depth.

Twitter is a new age National Enquirer. (supermarket tabloid)

 

[BigDrop]

14 hours ago, noonereal said:

Let me just say, in all honesty, I have never noticed a downturn.

In audio one might think I would simple because audio gear is not used much anymore. It's all crappy MP3 and terrible sounding earbuds. (that is where I have always spent most my time)

Political boards and health boards I'd say are busier than ever and that would make sense. 

Could it be the subject matter we pursue?

Also, thinking about it, national high school football boards have simply changed where we accumulate. No? Seem we have only picked up folks over the years.

Look at GSB and all the GA guys, for example. They were never on national boards back in 2000. No one from AZ or NV were ever on either. Now they are. Lot's of new South Cal guys too. 

 

This is simply my perspective. I have zilch, just personal observations to back any of this up. 

 

peace

It really may depend on the topic or particular board.  www.bogleheads.org is a personal investing website that is wildly popular as is wineberzerkers.com.  But both boards have had a great deal of competition in the past, with prominent competitors to each having folded.  It’s possible that Facebook, Twitter and other social sites have impacted this.  

Still, many of the high school football sites have little participation today. I also remember when this board and its predecessor had a huge NJ contingent-many of whom seem to be gone or only occasionally posting.  Same could be said for OH, too.  But it’s really encouraging that so many are on now to support GA, CA and other areas.

But these are only my observations also.  I just know that I don’t spend as much time on various boards today as I once did.  And, I also really value this board.  I’ll probably never meet most of those on here but I really enjoy sharing with yourself and others.  And sincerely appreciate everyone tolerating my endless opinions...

 

[noonereal]

9 hours ago, BigDrop said:

It really may depend on the topic or particular board.  www.bogleheads.org is a personal investing website that is wildly popular as is wineberzerkers.com.  But both boards have had a great deal of competition in the past, with prominent competitors to each having folded.  It’s possible that Facebook, Twitter and other social sites have impacted this.  

Still, many of the high school football sites have little participation today. I also remember when this board and its predecessor had a huge NJ contingent-many of whom seem to be gone or only occasionally posting.  Same could be said for OH, too.  But it’s really encouraging that so many are on now to support GA, CA and other areas.

But these are only my observations also.  I just know that I don’t spend as much time on various boards today as I once did.  And, I also really value this board.  I’ll probably never meet most of those on here but I really enjoy sharing with yourself and others.  And sincerely appreciate everyone tolerating my endless opinions...

 

 

Yes, less NJ and less OH. But there are wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy mor GA and south cal posters. The reason is pretty obvious. 

Anyway, I am not disagreeing or agreeing, I simply have not noticed much of a change.

[The Guru]

9 hours ago, BigDrop said:

I also remember when this board and its predecessor had a huge NJ contingent-many of whom seem to be gone or only occasionally posting.

I wonder what could've happened?

[BigDrop]

On 4/21/2019 at 10:27 PM, BigDrop said:

I have posted on internet message boards of one kind or another since the late ‘90’s.  For several I may have spent one to two hours a day on them,  freshly obsessed with the new medium, the internet.  For myself the boards included Chowhound, eGullet and Wine Berzerkers along with three or four high school and college boards.  Over the years I’ve even shown up on German fusball boards, united airlines frequent flier boards and even rollercoaster enthusiasts (I sold them) along with several local boards in the D. C. Area.

Today more are dead with others who contributed having moved on with more important or necessary ways to invest their time.

Several of the boards have led to enduring friendships as well as contacts and friendships to share a passion with.

i note all this because much of this type of communication, of basic  contact has now disappeared. Whether the message boards have actually folded or simply only have a fraction of the participants they once had-for many they are only a shadow of what they once where.

My Chowhound board (handle was “Joe H”) was the strongest with some posts having a million or more hits.  Like high school football there were a lot of opinions about where to have a good meal.

High school sports have long been a passion of mine.  With frightfully heavy travel literally all over America I developed a love for certain home towns and their teams.  I also met a lot of people many of whom I still talk to today.

Today, many of these boards have disappeared.  Many of those who posted have simply moved on and acquired a new interest or obsession.

My purpose in writing this is to say we’re  one of the few active boards remaining. For any topic.  I appreciate, respect and thank all of you for allowing our respective passions and beliefs to be peacefully (!) and respectfully pursued.  I value PrepGridiron and thank all of you for sharing with myself and others.  This is a great board whose future success and growth I loudly applaud and encourage.

Thank you, Gentlemen.  Appreciated.

Now to return to my many disagreements....😄

I was once a huge champion of this board as the post above-with 30 “likes”-illustrates.  But now there is a thread on the “other” board about Elijah Cummings which includes several posts which applaud his passing.

An editorial decision was made to allow that thread and the noted posts to remain.

But I will not.  I cannot support any forum which allows this.  

[THEOC89]

40 minutes ago, BigDrop said:

I was once a huge champion of this board as the post above-with 30 “likes”-illustrates.  But now there is a thread on the “other” board about Elijah Cummings which includes several posts which applaud his passing.

An editorial decision was made to allow that thread and the noted posts to remain.

But I will not.  I cannot support any forum which allows this.  

I Hear you on this!!!... I went and read that thread and the OP @HSFBfan is a pretty Dam Classless Dude Celebrating the Death of a Man who Dedicated his life to serving his Country just because of @HSFBfan Political Views.. This set the tone for the thread and many others piled on, defiantly a Black Eye for this great Message Board....

That is precisely why I stay away from that side of this board, there is too much hate and anger over there...

I think this Board is the Best HSFB Board around, hands down, and Your posts over here have been a terrific read and very informative about the DMV... I hope to read more in the future...

God Bless you Brother, and what you are going through... The Lack of Class by @HSFBfan in his OP is inexcusable and disappointing, which is surprising because he is a good poster....

We all have to have respect for the precious things in life though, no matter what political views we have or HSFB team we support.... 🙂

That is my opinion of it anyway....🙂🙂

Now Back to HSFB....🙂🙂🙂

[Wosinc]

1 hour ago, BigDrop said:

I was once a huge champion of this board as the post above-with 30 “likes”-illustrates.  But now there is a thread on the “other” board about Elijah Cummings which includes several posts which applaud his passing.

An editorial decision was made to allow that thread and the noted posts to remain.

But I will not.  I cannot support any forum which allows this.  

Why do you waste your time visiting that forum?

There is nothing of value there, and nothing that should affect your life.

You just cause yourself unnecessary stress.

[HawgGoneIt]

I'm trying to figure out who the editor is that made the editorial decision to leave the thread that upset my man. 

Those "gentlemen" over on that board have celebrated the death of more than one life-long servant to this country, along with fanning the flames of racism, nationalism and numerous other extremist societal issues. They've been left to their own policing and have no editor other than themselves. 

Freedom of speech and expression and all. 

Personally, my opinion of freedom of speech on the internet: it should not be allowed to be anonymous, no more than it is in real life. This anonymity is what allows the festering of extremism with no apparent societal repercussions and allows the furthering of extremism and allows the back page of Prepgridiron.com to be the breeding ground of extremism that it is. 

None of those "gentlemen" would post the way they do back there if their anonymity was taken away. A few of them would risk losing careers, as a societal repercussion, most likely. Whether that is fair or not.

In the meantime I would suggest that most stay on this Varsity Board side of Prepgridiron.com. Most folks found their way here for high school football, the fun loving personalities and banter of the majority of folks on the varsity board, and the general knowledge base that has accumulated here. 

The sole reason the OT section is allowed to remain is to keep the garbage from this side of the board and allow the membership on this side anonymity as well. For whatever reason, most wish to post anonymously on the Varsity Board, which does allow for the OT dark side of this as well. 

Good luck with grappling with these societal issues as you lift the curtain and look in the OT section. 

[ATLien12x]

Said it a few weeks and I’ll say it again... I’ve posted on the OT board once in my three years here and that was a few weeks ago after I heard old Sportsnut had a meltdown. That place, the OT board, is a dark dark place. It’s where my parents told me not to go as a child. It’s always after midnight over there, nothing good going on

[StJoesFanboy]

6 hours ago, ATLien12x said:

Said it a few weeks and I’ll say it again... I’ve posted on the OT board once in my three years here and that was a few weeks ago after I heard old Sportsnut had a meltdown. That place, the OT board, is a dark dark place. It’s where my parents told me not to go as a child. It’s always after midnight over there, nothing good going on

I'm afraid of going over there, even with the Metrosexual's chaperoning me.  He'll probably tell me to pack a bag in case I want to stay over and share a double.

HSFB is a good dude.  I didn't read that thread and haven't read anything on that side ever.

Rep. Cummings was as partisan as they come, BUT I felt bad when I heard the news, and I pray for his family and his soul's repose.  I have not taken and will not take any joy in his passing.  This environment brings out bad qualities or roughness in good people, and that applies to all us stone throwers.  Plus, posts can't do justice to the issues they take on, and the issues are politics, religion, and morality, which are the MOST emotional issues.  People think they're being rational in using their high IQs to justify largely emotional positions. (i.e., their inner lawyers come out, and they're really not aware that their position is largely based on non-rational reasons).

I used to think everything was on the level nationally, even coming from Hudson County in which almost nothing was or is on the level, and now, I think many on high (TPTB) are very happy with this divisiveness, which albeit is not easily controlled.  While a working-class young man living 50 miles north of NYC is arguing over a Rep from Baltimore, what's getting accomplished?

[The Guru]

10 hours ago, THEOC89 said:

I Hear you on this!!!... I went and read that thread and the OP @HSFBfan is a pretty Dam Classless Dude Celebrating the Death of a Man who Dedicated his life to serving his Country just because of @HSFBfan Political Views.

HSFBfan is a turd.

This is the same guy who decried schools that tackled less in practice and tried to avoid serious head injuries. He said it was destroying the game.

So trying to protect high school kids from potential traumatic brain injury was destroying the game.

He has no perspective and is just a knuckle-dragging fanboy.

[The Guru]

15 minutes ago, StJoesFanboy said:

HSFB is a good dude.

There's no evidence of this.

[RedZone]

I like to pop on that off-topic jungle and drop reality bombs every now and again (Boom)....said I'd never go back though, but damn it's hard seeing the same 5 people shitting all over themselves with this "trump winning and hating BS"

I'm praying to be much stronger.

[RedZone]

13 minutes ago, The Guru said:

HSFBfan is turd.

He's an idiot.... straight up!

[StJoesFanboy]

20 minutes ago, The Guru said:

There's no evidence of this.

I'll try to gather the "evidence" later today, or at least some of it.  (HSFB:  shoot me an email about some selfless acts of kindness you've engaged in and stuff like that.  Think George Bailey, and how this would be a lesser place w/o you in.)

You and the other piece of work might be on to something--he is arrogant, remorseless, openly shameless, demeaning as a rule, disregarding of others' feelings as a rule, a sophist, and entitled, and has a superiority complex and little sense of boundaries.

What do you think causes him to be this way?  Childhood trauma, abuse?  The water?  To go where he's not liked, and then engage in constant insulting with no redeeming value?  Do you think he's on the spectrum?  Suffers a personality disorder?

A whole man's life assessed and reduced by Board posters?  Maybe the corrosiveness has leaked on to this side?