Overhyping the Game

[Reginald Rutledge]

I was compelled to write this post because of a question proposed to me right before the Texas Shootout about "overhyping the game of electric football". It's 5:08 am and few people are up. For most, waking up at this time is atypical. For me, my days usually start at 3 or 4 o'clock am. Most people who know me know that to every cause of my life, the dedication is deep. Whether it was my family, engineering, my business interest, my educational pursuits of law, spirituality, singing, or miniature football interest, or a plethora of other things I do, it was done with great passion. Some people have even accussed me of being "over the top", "a zealot", "over-hyped" or even "crazed". I approach each day like it is my last, for I do not know what tommorrow will bring.

I was taken back by the greatness of "Question Man". To me, the elemental writing style was obvious. I knew based on where the writing came from who likely authors could have been. But for me, there was no need for this great author to remain anonymous. Every author/person is entitled to freedom of speech. This right is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution. I have been attacked in the past by many on numerous message boards across the country. It has even persuaded and influenced people not to use my products and be apart of events that I host. For people who allow others to make that decision for "them", I am sadden by what they may never know or discover. They will have allowed others to influence and lessen their "Miniature Football Experience".

In the game of miniature football, I am just as passionate about this as I am any other aspect of my life! That's just me! When I tell people, we've got marching bands, blimps, lights, and many other things, it's true. I say these things not to cause envy but to help people understand the dedication it takes (in my opinion) for this game to garner the type of respect and attention it so richly deserve. Lynn "Weirdwolf" Schmidt and Corey "Mr. National" Johnson raised the question of "Was I Question Man?" the moment they saw me. It made me laugh because they said this seemed like something I would do. I thought to myself, "I wish I was that intellectually thought provoking as Question Man!"

What's interesting about that topic was that during that time of the comments by the great author, I saw a commercial on by EA Sports "overhyping" or "promoting" their 2008 game. I posed the question, "How hyped up is Madden 2008" when guys are willing to camp out at their local Best Buy store overnight to get the game? How hyped up is it when snowboarding becomes a national olympic sport? Or even paper, rock, scissors phenomenom invades ESPN. Somewhere along the line, inventors of these games/sports were openly willing to share their experience and further the advancement of what they believed in. I challenge guys like "Question Man" to do 1/1000th of the things that I do to advance the hobby! It is his obligation as a critic to show others that maybe the way I go about trying to draw interest is wrong and his way of "underhyping" the game will bring people to the game.

I found it interesting that the negative post was done for both the Seawall Brawl and Texas Shootout. These are two tournaments that have been instrumental in supporting one another in the past. Guys that are associated with the Brawl have been coming to Texas since its inagural year 14 years ago. Therefore, I made it a point to support what they do in the past as well. I tried to show similar kindness to the BAMA Blast in the past but it was never returned. In both the Brawl and TSO, negative post were thrown out right before the tournament. To me, I think that's wrong. But I also understand jealousy and raw emotions. In some respects, I can even appreciate it.

However, those type of comments do nothing of good for the game IF the critic does not come up with an alternative solution that advances the hobby. Kevin Boddie, one of my new coaches from the Washington/Baltimore area told me, guys told him "You don't want to use Reggie's products". They are no good!" Boddie said he began to ask the question "Why do so many guys discredit this guy at every opportunity?" Therefore, he did his own research. He came to Viriginia to meet me. He left Viriginia "P-Oed" at the people who handicapped his MF experience! For when he came here and spent time in Texas, his whole world of MF expanded ten-fold. Stories like that are many. It's difficult to appreciate something when you have never seen it. But it is oh so easy to criticize it when you offer no viable solution to the problem.

So I say to all miniature footballers, what I do is real. The hype is real! The passion is real! The only solution I know to getting respect in this hobby is to continue to move forward hyping it the way I do. I would also challenge "Question Man" to push the game forward by negatively hyping the game. Because for ever negative "hype" that is uttered by "Question Man", guys like him will be reminded of what we can have with the efforts of guys who try to further the game in a positive manner through "positively overhyping" the game. So continue to throw the barbs out there because it creates a firestorm of "overhpe" in itself.

I thank you "Question Man" for giving the game some hype.

Reginald Rutledge