YPSILANTI -- The Eastern Michigan University football team continues to brand itself as a hard-working, blue-collar squad under new coach Chris Creighton.
In a 31-28 win over Morgan State Saturday, it debuted its new gray field and "The Factory" nickname for Rynearson Stadium.
Creighton views the branding less as a marketing tool; although the school is certainly using it as one, and more as a way to rally his players to be the team he wants them to be.
As an extension of that effort, the team incorporated "The Factory" idea into its entrance Saturday by having players come through a cinder block wall.
A lot of media outlets used the clip as a way to mock EMU and its football program.
It all left me a little baffled.
The players needed 15 seconds to knock down the cinder block wall. The three players with sledgehammers -- captains Pudge Cotton, Lincoln Hansen and Pat O'Connor -- needed around 20 swings.
It's hard to see how many O'Connor took on the video, so that number is plus or minus a couple.
Hansen gave the wall a nice little kick to finish it off.
The entrance was meant to get players, and fans, pumped up taking the field. As the captains were swinging away at the concrete, their teammates were behind them -- along with coach Creighton -- jumping up and down.
ESPN used video of the entrance on Sportscenter's "Not Top 10," and the network titled the clip "field-entrance fail" on its website. When I picture a failed entrance video, I imagine a player running into a concrete wall.
EMU senior defensive back Michael Denson holds the 65 lb. wrench in "The Factory" at the EMU vs. Morgan State football game on Saturday, August 30, 2014, at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti. Katie McLean | The Ann Arbor News
One local news organization that I won't name, used "Eagles win game, lose at coming out of tunnel" as its headline for an online recap of the game.
A nice little snarky headline; especially considering that news organization didn't even bother to cover the game.
The clip made the rounds on Deadspin, Bleacher Report and similar sites, all with the same kind of cynical tone.
But again I don't get it.
From the press box, I heard one fan turn to another, and say, "that was pretty cool." There was no snickering among reporters covering the game. I can't help but think most people clicking on the video will be disappointed when they watch it.
So why all the headlines mocking EMU? It fits an easy narrative about the down on its luck Eagles football team. Easier to pile on at the slightest perceived misstep than do a little work.
This won't bother coach Creighton or his players, who have developed a thick skin for this sort of thing.
The group came together last season as they dealt with a horrible tragedy in the death of teammate Demarius Reed, and coach Ron English losing his job for using homophobic slurs to address the team.
People slinging arrows won't upset them, especially when there's plenty of work to be done.
But it irritates me.
There was plenty to criticize football-wise about EMU's performance Saturday, including a defense that gave up 450-plus yards, but that requires more work than just trying to come up with pithy headlines.
I'd love to take a sledgehammer to those. See what I did there?
Michael Niziolek covers local sports for MLive Ann Arbor News. Email him at mniziole@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+