RedRover
Freshman
Posts: 12
Age: 44
Reg: 02-16-12
|
02-16-12 02:11 AM - Post#120826
I'm a longtime Cornell fan, but absolutely can't stand that blog. Unfortunately, it's hard to not read the blog, because the owner does an excellent job compiling relevant articles on Cornell/Ivy basketball. However, pretty much any editorializing the blogger does is ridiculously biased. Does BigRedFan not think that we see right through his angles? I think BRF and his site insult people's intelligence; however, that's a relatively venial sin on the internet. On top of that, I think BRF insults the game and the players with his 'facts' and biased arguments, and that's far worse.
I realize BRF has been banned from this message board in the past, and some of you have been dealing with him for a very long time. In fact, the Cornell Basketball Blog appears to have been borne out of his exile. Does BRF really, truly believe all of the hyperbole about Cornell he writes? Or, does he see himself as some "Big Red warrior" on the internet defending the honor of his beloved alma mater, and figuring if he argues something strongly enough, it'll make it true? I'm actually curious if he's legitimately insane, and/or just a total d-bag lawyer.
Lunatics on the internet are nothing new, but what worries me is that this guy's blog gets a ton of hits, and he's consulted as an 'expert' on Ivy/Cornell basketball by other websites. Further, as mrjames has noted, the Cornell Basketball Blog is sometimes used as a blogging/journalistic source, which is problematic, because it's about as "fair and balanced" as Fox News. Finally, I'd hate to think that others think all Cornell fans are like that guy.
The fact that BRF is still insisting that Jeremy Lin is a circus act who doesn't belong in the NBA is both insulting (once again, to our intelligence and the game) and batshit insane. While this is only one of many ridiculous claims made on that blog over the years, it is the most mendacious and egregious. While there's benefits to sequestering him in his own Big Red sandbox, he's not getting negatively reinforced to the degree he should. I'd also hate to think that there's lots of casual Cornell/basketball fans that think that the discourse on the site is legitimate, or there aren't alternatives.
If there is a problem, is there anything that can be done, beyond parody twitter accounts (@CU_BB_Blogger / @Big_Red_Fan_IAM) and maybe getting this thread on the first page of a Google search? I can't imagine Cornell's SID is a big fan of the blog, and I gather that he's had issues with the Cornell Daily Sun.
I'm directing attention to the blog here with some trepidation. In a perfect world, this guy would be ignored by everybody. However, BRF's increasingly strident reactions (even by his standards) to Lin's emergence exemplify everything that's awful about him and the blog, and I had to see if anybody else has these concerns. Worst case scenario, perhaps this thread could be used to mention the blog, instead of diluting/derailing decent basketball banter in other threads.
|
pennhoops
Postdoc
Posts: 2470
Reg: 11-21-04
|
02-16-12 10:15 AM - Post#120831
In response to RedRover
Everything you've said is exactly spot on, though I believe Mike James would tell you that nobody is banned here. The Lin stuff is very upsetting, logically and morally, and the degree of reinforcement he's getting from his followers is distressing too.
I'm sure there are plenty of Ivy fans here who would welcome discussing Cornell ball beyond the context of that guy. We're not without our peccadillos/partisanships but the best thing to do is to start some sensible conversations. You'll get responses.
|
mrjames
Professor
Posts: 6062
Loc: Montclair, NJ
Reg: 11-21-04
|
02-16-12 10:37 AM - Post#120833
In response to pennhoops
As pennhoops mentioned, we had a great "unbanning" a couple years ago, where all of the people that had given Jake problems in the past were allowed back on the boards, so long as they agreed to some level of decorum going forward.
Some Cornell fans have posted here over the years and some recently. Everyone is more than welcome to post. I can't post the link to this site over there, because BRF won't approve any comment with a link in it and deletes any post on his message board with a link in it. He feels very mistreated by the folks responsible for this board, so he refuses to have any mention of it on his site.
The blog very much is Fox News or Rush Limbaugh. If you're an ardent conservative ideologue, you're going to cheer on the biased banter. If you're either a open-minded conservative or of a different political persuasion, you're going to find those sources to be a joke, or much worse, a pernicious force in our society (due precisely to the blurry blend of news and opinion, at least in the former's case).
I'd be speculating on BRF's specific relationship with the Cornell athletic department, but from what I know of Ivy ADs, the stance is far more conservative than "any publicity is good publicity." They have a job to do, and I'd bet keeping tabs on the behavior of a blogger isn't something they relish having to do as well.
|
TheLine
Professor
Posts: 5597
Age: 60
Reg: 07-07-09
|
02-16-12 10:52 AM - Post#120834
In response to mrjames
RedRover - welcome to this board. I hope you stay.
I used to read CBB but had to stop for a number of reasons.
1) Banning of postings that did not conform to CBB's opinion, not because they were inflammatory but because they would have exposed CBB's position as wrong.
2) The blatant stealing of other people's content. Mike can comment further on that if he wishes.
3) Back when Penn fired Glen Miller, CBB advocated that Penn recruits should decommit and perhaps consider another Ivy school. My guess is that the compliance folks at Cornell had as much of a problem with that CBB editorial as anyone else.
Any attack on Jeremy Lin is ignorant and petty in my opinion.
The sad part of all this is that I have sat next to Cornell fans at Ivy games on a number of occasions. I have nothing but positive things to say about them. Unfortunately there are a number of college basketball followers - and not just in the Ivy League - who have a negative opinion of Cornell because of CBB.
|
mrjames
Professor
Posts: 6062
Loc: Montclair, NJ
Reg: 11-21-04
|
02-16-12 11:51 AM - Post#120840
In response to TheLine
Yeah - I know some Cornell fans, and they're just like most of the other Ivy fans I know - ridiculously passionate about their program but generally happy with anything that makes their obsession with the league in general more justified (i.e. things that make the league higher profile). I don't think Cornell fans or many Ivy fans for that matter are in favor of tearing the league down in order to make it easier to conquer.
As for the cribbing of content... I know of complaints. I've never cared personally, because I write to be read, and any time he posted my stuff, I was happy for the extra readership. Others feel very differently - especially those who do what they do professionally. I understand that. But for me, I was glad to reach the extra eyeballs.
|
mountainred
Masters Student
Posts: 513
Age: 57
Loc: Charleston, WV
Reg: 04-11-10
|
 How problematic is the Cornell Basketball Blog?
02-16-12 12:26 PM - Post#120841
In response to mrjames
Oh good, another discussion about BRF. We haven't had one of those for a while. 
Mike's comparison to Fox News is apt, there is news there if you are willing to sift through the spin. I can't find a better source for all the news about my school's basketball team and can differentiate between news and editorial content, so it saves me time to check it out. The message board, as opposed to the blog comment section, is open for discussion. I can also certainly see why a non-Cornellian wouldn't want to bother. In the end, life is way too short to get worked up about an internet blog.
I know BRF also burned bridges over at elynah, the all sports (but hockey centric) website for Cornell. The issue there was more focused on his long-form pasting of copyrighted work.
RedRover, welcome. It would be nice to get more Cornell fans over here.
Edited by mountainred on 02-16-12 12:27 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
|
scoop85
Freshman
Posts: 62
Loc: Goshen, NY
Reg: 02-16-12
|
How problematic is the Cornell Basketball Blog?
02-16-12 02:37 PM - Post#120858
In response to mountainred
I'm a long-time lurker here and a 30-year Cornell hoops follower. I have some additional perspective having earned my law degree at Penn (really -- I did) and having spent many nights at the Palestra during the Lefkowitz era. I have found BRF and his blog to be entertaining, often informative, but frequently frustrating.
The Fox News analogy is a good one -- you really have to take a lot of what he says with a grain of salt, but he does provide a great source of Cornell and Ivy League basketball information.
As a Cornell fan I will of course use the CBB as a source of information. But I also hope Cornell fans can keep a dialog going here so we can maintain an informative (and hopefully respectful) conversation with fans from the rest of the league.
Edited by scoop85 on 02-16-12 02:38 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
|
umbrellaman
Masters Student
Posts: 475
Reg: 11-21-04
|
02-16-12 09:51 PM - Post#120881
In response to scoop85
First, I'd agree that his Jeremy Lin bashing doesn't make any sense, and just highlights his warped point of view.
Second, way back in the day, BRF justified his actions because Cornell needed the hype, as an up and coming program. Well, Cornell has arrived and has had one of the best if not the best Ivy basketball team in the 64 team tourney era. There doesn't seem to be the need for the hype now.
Third, when that really talented Cornell team was making its runs in the tourney - more than one member of the Ivy Hoops community remarked to me that the team was wonderful to watch, and that they wanted to root for them, but for one guy.....BRF.
Last, I suppose that's the power of the internet. Low barrier to entry, and BRF has his own site. But, by the same token, if someone else wants to make a better site, they can try.
|
SomeGuy
Professor
Posts: 6404
Reg: 11-22-04
|
Re: How problematic is the Cornell Basketball Blog?
02-18-12 11:46 AM - Post#121114
In response to RedRover
Am I the only one who presumes RedRover actually is BRF?
|
Silver Maple
Postdoc
Posts: 3770
Loc: Westfield, New Jersey
Reg: 11-23-04
|
How problematic is the Cornell Basketball Blog?
02-18-12 11:59 AM - Post#121116
In response to SomeGuy
That thought has crossed my mind as well. He has gotten us talking about BRF. And there's no such big as bad publicity, particularly if you're a narcissist.
|
RedRover
Freshman
Posts: 12
Age: 44
Reg: 02-16-12
|
02-18-12 01:19 PM - Post#121131
In response to Silver Maple
No, I am not him. He's too warped and arrogant to be able to list all of those criticisms of his blog anyways.
And, I think/hope there is such a bad thing as bad publicity. Like I said, ideally, this lunatic could be ignored, but it's too late for that.
|
Redfish
Masters Student
Posts: 767
Loc: under a bridge in Phoenix...
Reg: 11-26-04
|
02-18-12 04:27 PM - Post#121144
In response to RedRover
I rarely read his blog, but knowing him from the old Rivals site (circa late 1990's), it's entertaining reading if you take it for what it is. However, for Cornell fans, I understand that he is that embarrassing crazy uncle that everyone tries to hide - and better that he is from your family than mine 
|
SRP
Postdoc
Posts: 4910
Reg: 02-04-06
|
02-19-12 06:10 AM - Post#121316
In response to Redfish
Apparently, some folks have never watched MSNBC...
|
dperry
Postdoc
Posts: 2214
Loc: Houston, TX
Reg: 11-24-04
|
02-26-12 09:49 PM - Post#122652
In response to SRP
I enjoy BRF's attention and respect for the history of the Ivy League, and I've already picked up a couple of good facts from his site that are helpful in my researches.
That being said, my attitude towards participating on his site is about the same as one Appalachian Trail website I used to read (I'm an enthusiastically amateur hiker.) There was a lot of good information to be had on there, but I would never even have thought about trying to post, because if you deviated even 0.01% from the host's viewpoint, you could expect to be banned immediately. Beyond the fact that that's simply no fun, it also reduces the usefulness of the site over the long run, because it drives away anyone who thinks even remotely independently.
And SRP semi-beat me to it, but I think he's also a lot like Media Matters and Daily Kos. 
David Perry
Penn '92
"Hail, Alma Mater/Thy sons cheer thee now
To thee, Pennsylvania/All rivals must bow!!!" |
|
Silver Maple
Postdoc
Posts: 3770
Loc: Westfield, New Jersey
Reg: 11-23-04
|
How problematic is the Cornell Basketball Blog?
02-26-12 09:53 PM - Post#122654
In response to dperry
Really? You've been "hiking the Appalachian trail?" If you say so.
Also, are there professional hikers?
(Please don't read these little remarks as snarky. Just being silly. Several people have commented that I've been in an unusually good mood today. Can't imagine why.)
|
penn nation
Professor
Posts: 21193
Reg: 12-02-04
|
Re: How problematic is the Cornell Basketball Blog?
02-26-12 10:43 PM - Post#122658
In response to Silver Maple
(Please don't read these little remarks as snarky. Just being silly. Several people have commented that I've been in an unusually good mood today. Can't imagine why.)
So that explains your Kosher Chinese restaurant proposal. Too bad...I was getting really hungry.
|
dperry
Postdoc
Posts: 2214
Loc: Houston, TX
Reg: 11-24-04
|
Re: How problematic is the Cornell Basketball Blog?
02-26-12 10:58 PM - Post#122659
In response to Silver Maple
Really? You've been "hiking the Appalachian trail?" If you say so.
Also, are there professional hikers?
Well, I hike with my wife, so it's both literal and figurative, IYKWIMAITYD.
As far as professional hikers, I think this person and this person people qualify, at least. (The lady is the current record holder for the fastest hike of the entire AT, male or female.)
David Perry
Penn '92
"Hail, Alma Mater/Thy sons cheer thee now
To thee, Pennsylvania/All rivals must bow!!!" |
|
dperry
Postdoc
Posts: 2214
Loc: Houston, TX
Reg: 11-24-04
|
02-26-12 11:00 PM - Post#122662
In response to dperry
And SRP semi-beat me to it, but I think he's also a lot like Media Matters and Daily Kos.
This should have read, "And SRP semi-beat me to it, but I think BRF's also a lot like Media Matters and Daily Kos."
David Perry
Penn '92
"Hail, Alma Mater/Thy sons cheer thee now
To thee, Pennsylvania/All rivals must bow!!!" |
|
dperry
Postdoc
Posts: 2214
Loc: Houston, TX
Reg: 11-24-04
|
Re: How problematic is the Cornell Basketball Blog?
02-26-12 11:03 PM - Post#122663
In response to SomeGuy
Am I the only one who presumes RedRover actually is BRF?
Naah, BRF could never slag himself with a straight face like that.
David Perry
Penn '92
"Hail, Alma Mater/Thy sons cheer thee now
To thee, Pennsylvania/All rivals must bow!!!" |
|
Chip Bayers
Professor
Posts: 7001
Loc: New York
Reg: 11-21-04
|
03-03-12 01:54 PM - Post#123615
In response to dperry
For the latest evidence of BRF's dementia, he's now jumped on a Twitter reply I made to @AndyGlockner pointing out how much better the league is this year than in 2010. He can't stand for that, of course, so must come up with all kinds of convoluted arguments to pretend otherwise.
|
