Agree to Disagree: Why Conversations Matter

Why should I watch, read, listen to your work when we don't share the same opinions on Wisconsin football?

Well that's the point isn't it? The point is that we’re supposed to disagree sometimes because where's the fun in a conversation if we are always in lock step with each other. I enjoy making content around Wisconsin football, but it has never been my goal to you agree with, and it’s also not my job to get you to agree with me. Too many content creators today think their job is either to say things their audience agrees with or to convince their audience to agree with them. Conversely and equally the same creators think the only way to get their message across is to appeal to the lowest common denominator because negativity sells.

I am a fan, but I am a fan who has a baseline knowledge and experience in the sport that allows me to have opinions that are founded on what is going on on the field. My goal is to share my knowledge, express it clearly, and explain it in such a way that helps you better understand why you agree with me, or why you don’t. I call things as I see them and you walk away still disagreeing with me, but with a sharper, clearer understanding of why you disagree then to me that’s a win. It's an absolute win because you now have an informed opinion.

That’s what football fandom should be. We all look at and experience football differently. I don't actively seek out other creators who share my opinion or see the sport the same way I do. My criteria is simple. I'm looking for facts based on real on and off the field actions.

So when someone writes in to say, “I disagree with you half the time,” I think that’s great. If we didn’t disagree some of the time, there’d be no point in having a conversation. If they agree with my point of view than it can offer me a new set of ears and eyes that deepen my resolve. If they disagree with me I'm offered the outside perspective that could lead me to changing my mind or convincing me of the validity of my point of view even more.

"Why should I follow you when we disagree half the time?" You just answered your own question.

One response I get to my view on football especially when it comes to the offensive side of the game is "You just don't get it. It's obviously _______ that is the issue, but you can always find excuses to support what you think is right." No I get it, but what you're saying doesn’t make logical sense. I love the Air Raid offense but I understand it has its flaws. It is the same with every system in football, but football objective, measurable thing. Football is inherently subjective. If you don’t understand that fundamental principle, you’ll never fully grasp what the sport is about. Again using the Air Raid as an example we can discuss the X's and O's, the design, the theory, and the philosophy until we are blue in the face. But at the end of the day the goal of the offense is the same as every other offense in the sport: to score points. A lot of people don't see it that way.

You could sit a dozen people down with game film, and those dozen people will see 12 different things. Their unique experiences informed by their individual fandom, history, and temperament. So when I talk about football it is my job to share my opinion and explain why I feel the way I do. My job is not to convince you to feel the same way because that’s impossible.

I'm here to help you make your own decision. But make a decision based on facts not just on the status quo. At the same time believe it or not you’re helping me grow as a creator. I’m challenged to improve my presentation so that my content is easier to understand and more appealing to a wider ranging audience. There is the every day fight to take emotion out of my work and present it as factually based as possible. And at the end of the day I’m doing this as a hobby so while it can be a struggle at times it’s important to find the fun in it all.

So we can agree to disagree. But don’t hang on to beliefs for the sake believing in something that made you feel warm and fuzzy back in the day. I’ll end this piece with a quote from Chris Rock’s character in Dogma: "I think it's better to have ideas. You can change an idea. Changing a belief is trickier. Life should be malleable and progressive, working from idea to idea permits that. Beliefs anchor you to certain* points and limit growth. New ideas can't generate. Life becomes stagnant."