Every week, PowerMizzou.com publisher Gabe DeArmond answers questions from Tiger fans in the mailbag. This format allows for a more expansive answer than a message board post. Keep your eye out each week to submit your question for the mailbag or send them to powermizzou@gmail.com. On to this week's inquiries.
TooBrokeKids asks: 1) How much $$$ would it take to get a charity boxing match set up between you and an individual of the board’s choosing?2) Is the next commit someone instate that we’re actively following I.e. Buford? Or an out of state guy who is somewhat of a surprise I.e. Anthony Watkins?
GD: 1) Enough money that I could retire. I like to think I do a few things well. Fighting is not one of them. I have been in exactly one fist fight in my life. I was 11. It did not go well. Well, it went relatively well for the other guy.
2) My guess is an out of state guy. I just don't see the in-state guys being quite ready to jump in yet. I could be wrong, but I think we'll see an out of state commitment in the next week or so. Not a completely off the radar, didn't see it coming guy, but an out of stater.
JAGSports asks: I know you have been able to detach yourself from being a MU fan for your job but If MU made the Championship in Football or Basketball would that bring the fan in you back? Or what would it take for the MU fan to come back?
GD: I really could write a short book on this. And most people still wouldn't believe me. Honestly, I'd probably have to quit this job and then be away from it for ten years. And I'd still not be a fan that was invested the way I was as a 17 year old watching the unbeaten Big Eight basketball run. It's just different now. Again, I want to stress, not being a fan doesn't mean you don't hope they win. I want Mizzou to win. It's better for business, you guys are happier, the people I talk to are happier, more people read my stories, etc. So, yeah, I'd prefer Mizzou win. But it doesn't wreck my day if they don't.
I have no problem admitting I wanted them to win the 2007 and 2013 championship games because I want to cover a national title game. If basketball gets to an Elite Eight, I'm gonna want them to win because the top of the list of things I want to cover is a Final Four. But am I going to be actively rooting for it? Is my night going to be significantly worse if it doesn't happen? No. I'll still do whatever I've got to do.
The line between fan and journalist gets blurred a little more every year. No question there are a lot of people out there who absolutely are fans and don't hide it. I don't say I'm not a fan out of some sense of obligation or pride. It's just true. Honestly, I don't know how you could do this job if you were a fan. If I'm sitting in the press box at midnight mad that Georgia beat Mizzou on a fourth and 20 pass, I'm not gonna write a good story. And it's probably going to take me longer than it would if I just said, "They lost. That's too bad. Let's get to work." Like anything else, when you see how the sausage is made, you have a little less emotional investment in it. That's what happens to people in the media. We root for people. We root for unusual. We root for exciting. We root for stories. But rooting for teams? Not often.
