For those of us old enough to remember, it’s easy to be wistful about the days before social media when we weren’t facing a constant barrage of unfiltered thoughts from strangers. But the truth is those thoughts had an outlet long before the existence of Twitter or Facebook, thanks to the now-archaic realm of the message board.
Message boards have existed for nearly as long as the internet itself and have always been the domain of the hardcore, chronically obsessed fans of any given subject, which obviously includes college sports fans. Some of these online communities have existed for well more than two decades at this point but often remain pretty self-contained and unseen by the outside world.
Enter BoardGeniuses, a Twitter account specializing in giving the social media world precious glimpses into the unique world of the college football message board.
“I never belonged to any message boards or posted to them but I read them a lot,” says the man who runs the account, who has asked to remain unnamed to protect his identity and online safety. “I would read the boards of the teams that my team was playing against that week. I’m a Utah State fan, so I’m in a good spot to make fun of everyone else. Nobody really cares about us.”
The account, which was started in the summer of 2020, highlights some of the wildest and most hilarious (intentionally or unintentionally) posts on some of the most active college football message boards and started to gain a following after being retweeted by media figures like ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt. The man behind the account says that while there are a handful of boards that consistently give him great material, he doesn’t believe any of college football’s fan communities are any better or worse than the others.
“All schools have the exact same makeup of fans, it’s just that bigger schools have more fans and in turn have more extreme personalities in that fanbase. It really just depends on what they’re going through at that time.”
That said, BoardGeniuses says there are a handful of schools he can go to and expect to find good material at a moment’s notice.
“Texas A&M, Clemson, Oklahoma, Auburn, Tennessee, Ohio State. Those are the ones where if I need to find a post in the next five minutes, they’re going to provide.”
We asked BoardGeniuses to give us his picks for the wildest posts he’s seen this offseason and he did not disappoint.
Tough day at work for this #Auburn fan yesterday. Hope he is doing ok. #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/56EH2pwpai
— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) April 20, 2022
Apparently some people don't think it's cool to peel out at the bus stop in a Mazda 3. I am not one of those people. pic.twitter.com/5LZwAJesk9
— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) April 28, 2022
🚨URGENT!🚨
Please help this #OhioState fan save his daughter from going to #Michigan and becoming a 'snobbish prick.' pic.twitter.com/Hd23WJe9C4— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) March 2, 2022
“I’m an Ohio State graduate…I’m not sure what I’ve done wrong. I thought I raised my twin daughters (17) right, but one is seriously considering Michigan for college.
Stand up #Clemson fans! Satan is attacking Dabo and college sports. pic.twitter.com/DFDdqziqa3
— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) May 14, 2022
The worst thing Hitler ever did was make #Alabama a college football power. pic.twitter.com/6N6gRAm1YM
— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) June 7, 2022
#LSU is out here playing chess while you fools are playing Candy Land. #GeauxTigers pic.twitter.com/wuDgmCit0P
— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) June 28, 2022
This #Mizzou fan spilled his heart out to a recruit. I hope sure he gets his wish. pic.twitter.com/8K2bekOGkP
— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) July 5, 2022
#Nebraska fan wants to toughen up his four-year-old son. #GBR pic.twitter.com/DdnP2VY7li
— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) July 17, 2022
Elon Musk can turn #Rutgers into a blue blood! pic.twitter.com/Wkk8qSPMoB
— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) July 20, 2022
