The Genesis of Hardcore Husky

dnc said:

"They finally respect us. The University of Washington athletic department finally respects Dawgman.com."

Those words, said to me four months ago by podcaster Hairy Chestbeater, sounded the death knell for The Husky Fan Podcast, as far as I was concerned.

It goes without saying, HFP was never a very influential player on the Husky Football stage. But their philosophy changed profoundly. In my view, they became a satellite to the University of Washington as opposed to an independent podcast reporting on Husky football.

How bad has HFP become? After the recent Apple Cup loss to WSU, Chest told his listeners that they had criticized Peterman enough, and from now on any negative comments would be deleted or removed from the main board. Many people who've remained as subscribers are increasingly frustrated by not only the perceived censorship but also the condescending treatment from staff members.

In the view of many, the HFP we all knew and loved has officially gone full Doogman.

So a group of wayward Husky fans decided to create a podcast where open discussion was encouraged and where the common battle cry was to see Washington return to national prominence. This would hold true even if it meant openly questioning the head coach or administration. Be it the performance on the field or the questionable marketing off it (see above photo). After a decade of underwhelming football, we yearned for Washington to reclaim its rightful powerhouse status. A return to UW tradition. We also wanted a place where talking shit about podcasts could be fun again -- like the old days on the threads about the HFP.

Alas, Stalin and the Sweatpants General was born. Our primary focus is having a lively pod community. It's a given that we've got places to talk football, basketball and recruiting. But we've also given Mike Damone (a former legendary Dawgman poster) his own shoutout. We've also built a wigman for Swaye, aka Chief Joseph, in which he can talk tatted titties with other liked-minded folk.

We're not looking to compete with HFP per se, as their forte lies in @Cohen12, and we're not going there. But we're offering an alternative for anyone looking to a place where they can freely voice their opinions. A place to freely joke around without a grim-faced warden with an agenda shouting them down every time they don't properly toe the line.

In the weeks to come, look for periodic articles from @koopdog and myself. In the meantime, have a look around and feel free to join the conversation in our forums.