I'm going to have to disagree, on two points. My first point of disagreement is on whether we are "arguing". I don't think there is any arguing going on here. All we have is position statements. Some people expect maintenance of the status quo. Others expect the status quo but hope for better. Still others, myself included, expect continuing improvement.

By now we all recognize that we can't "win" an argument, and that we can't convince anyone to change their mind. The only thing that can change anyone's mind is the actual team performance. Where we are there is an intersection between the two perspectives as the team has risen from the low of 2014 back to winning the East again, but that won't last long. Either the team improves more from here, or it doesn't.

The second point of disagreement is that I don't think the discussion is the same as it has been in recent years. In this thread every post has been respectful, and no one has staked out the radical extreme position that there is nothing good at all about the program, and that anyone who disagrees is stupid.

I don't think most people are bothered by different opinions, so long as they are respectfully presented, and that's what has been lacking in recent years.

^^+1000^^ Monroe wants greatness for Ohio what's wrong with that? He could be a real pain thread highjacking sometimes, but it was nice having someone else who wasn't satisfied with mediocrity.

My hope is that Monroe will eventually recognize where he crossed the line, apologize for it, and return at some point to continue his message, but without the thread jacking and intolerance.

Per the Hustle Belt link you provided earlier Ohio's reported expenses and subsidy % were both ninth of 12. ....?

Per your Business of College Sports link Ohio Football is one of the best revenue producers while still living within their means? I was not around Ohio athletics in 2005. Did coach Solich inherit best in MAC Football revinue?

Per your Business of College Sports link Ohio Football is one of the best revenue producers while still living within their means? I was not around Ohio athletics in 2005. Did coach Solich inherit best in MAC Football revenue?

It seems like the article you posted actually bolsters his position. It looks like Ohio was at the top of the conference in getting their money's worth. And did those expenditures have anything to do with breaking ground on Walter Fieldhouse? If so then we are doing even better, right?
I can't tell if you think we spent too much with no MACC or we haven't spent enough to get a MACC.

Amen LC. It's almost like a shell game on 42nd street. I'm a fan but for those who aren't, this sort of accounting gives them fuel for fire to attack and lobby for drastic reductions in athletic spending. It's hard to make a point with them when the athletic powers that be continue to play this shell game.

I guess it depends on how much you stir and what spoon you use.

Attacking players has never been a proper way in my book to stir the pot. Even though I bleed green I see no problem in questioning schemes or time management or whatever. That doesn't make a fan
less of a fan.

I think most who post are fans...even Monroe.

What amazes me is that this thread has even been allowed to exist per the posting policy. There have been countless posts attacking a former poster. Kind of like the guy in charge in Washington - the rules don't apply when you're in charge. Sad.

Flames ("you suck!"), personal attacks, and profanity.

For kicks I counted through this thread and about 40 different posters have weighted in about no more Monroe. Probably the most in any football thread in years.

His constant ad hominem attacks got old pretty quick

What does the obsessed fan in all of us do when what we love becomes an addiction that can never be satisfied? Can it ever be enough? I always love the idea that we are entitled to one thing in this world, and that is absolutely nothing. That there is no frustration or anger if one did not already believe that they had something coming to them that may not be realistic to expect or even deserved. How many of us would have what it takes to reach the levels of these young student players and their coaches? Why football? Why not something else? For them at least, they don't just talk the talk, but walk the walk. They have turned their love and obsession into something hands on and very real. Like much that is real, the fantasy is quite often much better than the reality.

How close this group of people, both past and present, have come to achieving their ultimate goals and dreams. I don't think anyone expects Ohio to win a National Championship, and so the MAC title seems like the closest we might get. Whether the Bobcats reach this goal or not, I will still remain a fan, and that is regardless of who the players are and who the coach is. Coach Solich and his staff have far achieved expectations and thus turned this program into a nationally recognized one at the same time that MAC games can even be found being played in bars and gyms all across the West Coast. Who would have thought?

Jim Grobe almost took the Bobcats to Ohio State and beat them on their home turf. They were in that game for three quarters. Now that is a fantasy I would certainly like to see come true, though watching Rufus attack Brutus at a later date was a nice consolation prize.

I hope that my obsession for the Bobcats does not turn into an unwanted addiction. Being a Bobcat means that I have learned to be successful in other areas of my life, including jobs, family, and friends. Being a Bobcat means that I love Athens, Ohio, where I was born and raised. While it is fun to have a board like this where everyone can express their own opinion, it is not a lot of fun when those with common interests turn bitterly against one another and forget how we are much more alike than we are all different. Go 'Cats!!!

I'm not sure that one or two posts on this thread constitutes "countless". One post called Monroe a "jerk". That's probably flaming, but it kinda got lost among the preponderence of posts on this thread which are decent and thoughtful toward Monroe.

What is being lost in all this is that the Admins didn't exercise a quick trigger. This action came after years of striving with Monroe to rein himself in. The Admins are fine with opinions critical of the athletic department or of coaches. This action was taken due to persistent rudeness through thread jacking.