I wrote this last summer but never posted it. Since Uniscorn is starting to creak under the pressure of 4,000 posts, I figured this would be a good time to do another edition of WLA B-Sides.

In the roaring 900s, Vikings led by Erik the Red settled in a then hospitable Greenland after being chased from their previous settlements, most likely for murder and general hell-raising unacceptable even to their marauding brothers.

The Greenland Norse carved out a European style settlement along the coast of the frozen island, relying upon intensive work, imports, and luck to survive. They maintained the latest European fashions, practiced Christianity, and survived for 500 years before disappearing. Looked upon now as a failed or collapsed society, the Greenland Norse survived in the intimidating landscape for a longer period than Europeans have lived on our much friendlier and resource abundant North American home; leading me to question whether they were a failed society or a society that had merely exhausted their use to the world and themselves, succeeding for a period far longer than they had any right to. A massive success, in other words.

When Fielding Yost arrived at the University of Michigan, the Midwest was a fertile region aching for a true football power. The east coast had dominated the game since its inception, but change was inevitable.

Yost settled the Michigan campus, turning a good football team into a point-a-minute monster, devouring competition in ways never seen before. They slaughtered their competition in the original Rose Bowl, forcing the organizers to replace the football game portion of the festival with chariot races to ensure a more competitive athletic competition in the future. Michigan had risen from a relatively unlikely home to be tremendously successful. Changes, however, were on the way.

The Greenland Norse society found their conditions changing as well. The hospitable climate that welcomed them was turning colder and considerably less friendly. Norse citizens had difficulty continuing their European society in the face of declining resources. Their hunting methods were more and more outdated. An inability to whale or catch seal that weren’t sitting on the ice begging to be clubbed shortened the food supply further.

The venerable Michigan program entered the 2007 season a national title contender and the most successful (in terms of wins) program in college football. Lloyd Carr had over 100 victories as Michigan head coach, a national title, several Big 10 titles, but was perceived by a large portion of the fan base as a loser. A failure in critical situations.

Michigan observers had seen the marks of change in the college football landscape. Midwest football had once had two dominant powers in Michigan and Ohio State, but slowly things were shifting. Schools were innovating, competing with the resources they had. Ohio State had adapted to this new world with grand success, except for title games. Michigan had the appearance of an aging cathedral, beaten down by the elements and a clergy unable to fund full repairs. The recruiting game pressure showed on the faces of the Michigan leader.

In The Horror, Michigan saw the new world of college football. It rose up, slapped them in the face, pissed on their rug, and threw them in the bathtub with a marmot. The reigning 1-AA champions came to the Big House, beat the #5 team in the nation, and served notice that parity was here. Any Given Saturday.

Inuits had arrived in Greenland around the time the Norse did. Slowly, the Inuits made their way closer and closer to the Norse. Historical records, what little that remain, from the Norse mention that they slaughtered several of the Inuits in one of their first encounters. They wrote of the way in which the Inuit bled, how they died. The Norse had the upper hand.

When the climate conditions changed, the Inuit suddenly had the advantage. Expert whalers, able to adapt their lifestyle to the cooler conditions, the Inuit were thriving. The Norse were withering away, cut off from their European homeland, and finding it tougher and tougher to stick to their traditions.

It’s easy to look back on the history and say the Norse should have adopted the ways of the Inuit, and continued to survive in their Greenland home.

Unfortunately for the Norse, there was no “coaching search” where the society could vote on whether they wanted to be Inuits or continue their European lives. Adaptation and change aren’t that cut and dried. The Inuit most likely harbored resentment from the actions in previous years. The Norse were not trained and raised the way Inuits were – and therefore they were one bout of failure in the changeover from either being forced to abandon the new ways or die out due to starvation.

Norse leaders and citizens stuck to their European traditions, the way they knew. Eventually, they disappeared.

With Lloyd Carr out of the picture, Michigan had the chance to evaluate their ways. Hiring Les Miles would have done Michigan the same amount of good that the Norse would have received by changing priests instead of changing their lives, Michigan chose Revolution – to create a new society from the ashes of the old.

It is the bold choice. It holds the potential for failure, but all worthwhile endeavors do. The test of the Revolution is approaching, comrades, as the end of August moves ever closer. Hold your faith in The Revolution, in Comrade Rodriguez, and stay steady through these final trying weeks. The beginning of our rise to glory is imminent, the end of the old era. Let us not go the way of the Norse, lost to history as we bicker among ourselves over the best way to honor our old traditions. Embrace the new. The days, they are numbered.