August 28th, 2023 at 2:14 PM ^
Can't watch the video at work, but it already sounds amaizing! I have no doubts that this will turn out to be a Jim Harbaugh-esque shot at the NCAA.
And I love it. (I don't even know what it means, yet!!!)
August 28th, 2023 at 4:12 PM ^
Does anyone have a link to the entire press conference? I could only find a couple short clips of this and of the baseball bat to the kneecaps bit about the suspension.
Much appreciation for anyone who can give a link or even an embed to the full video here. Thank you!
August 28th, 2023 at 2:18 PM ^
this, one hundred freaking percent. NIL and the transfer portal are killing the sport. at least the NFL is an organization that organizes the teams and, oh by the way, has a labor union that protects the players contractually. (not that the nfl wouldn't loooove to kill the NFLPA).
power five college football - effectively a professional minor league if there ever was one - doesn't have that. without it, the players are screwed and ever shall be. revenue sharing would necessarily create the beginnings of a legal commitment tfrom school to player and vice versa.
August 28th, 2023 at 5:52 PM ^
Am I the only that likes the transfer portal? I get why it's bad, I'm a big Ohio U fan and they lost their place kicker to Wisconsin this off season, but I think players should be able to go wherever they want 🤷
August 28th, 2023 at 6:31 PM ^
Harbaugh supported one transfer without having to sit out and eventually the NCAA permitted this. The NCAA has tirelessly fought to deny athletes compensation / revenue sharing. The NCAA has pissed off the wrong person and Jim is going straight for their jugular. He is going to use his bully pulpit to accelerate the players getting their fair share of the TV money.
Goodbye NCAA, we will not miss you.
August 28th, 2023 at 7:44 PM ^
I agree that players should always be able to go where they want, but they should only get to play right away one time. Well, twice if they take a grad transfer. And then another freebie if their HC leaves. But that's where I'm drawing the line.
August 28th, 2023 at 9:45 PM ^
i didn’t say that players shouldn’t have the freedom to go where they want.
August 28th, 2023 at 2:24 PM ^
Attaboy, Harbaugh.
August 28th, 2023 at 2:25 PM ^
Substance aside (which I wholeheartedly agree with), this is also a politically savvy move from JH. Now if the NCAA tries to punish him more, it could look like speaking out about this had somethin to do with it.
On the other hand, his speaking out about it also could indicate he in DGAF mode because he knows he's leaving next year.
August 28th, 2023 at 3:07 PM ^
He had previously argued this.
August 28th, 2023 at 4:03 PM ^
Seems like today was done much more prominently and in a way that generated national headlines (currently one of the top stories on espn.com). Don't think it was quite like that when he made the point in the past, but I may be wrong.
August 28th, 2023 at 4:43 PM ^
JH has a bigger megaphone now, with the on-field success and expectations for this year. I love his willingness to put ideas out there to better the game and take care of the players.
August 28th, 2023 at 8:15 PM ^
DGAF is the only mode Harbaugh knows.
August 28th, 2023 at 2:25 PM ^
Harbaugh raised this point a while ago - and, I certainly hope it's something that can be advocated and agreed to. I think this is a great example where the B1G can actually LEAD as a conference - determining an equitable model that all student-athletes can benefit from.
I could imagine the structure including:
1. A "base" - equal - distribution to ALL student athletes - in all sports - men's and women's. This would complement their grant in aid / scholarship. It would seem the conference media agreements could be structured to support this - OR - at least, fund this aspect of it.
2. Clear definition of individual player NIL associated contributions. This would reflect my definition of Name, Image, and Likeness. For example, if a player is included in EA Sports "NCAA '25" - then, they would receive a stipend from EA Sports - equal distribution. If a player's name is on a jersey - then, a portion of the jersey sale would go to the player.
Hopefully, this could help alleviate the "pay for play" which we all know is going on with certain teams.
I'm very receptive / open to other ideas for revenue sharing. There are sports that draw more fans and contribute financially to the Athletic Department's operations. The question becomes - how to balance it.
Looking forward to Michigan taking a lead on this.
Go Blue!
August 28th, 2023 at 2:38 PM ^
Totally agree with Point #2. And I agree with Point #1 and always thought all football and basketball players should be paid the same so the Alabamas of the world can't throw insane Yankees-style free agent contracts at players. And I think it should be on a scale - freshman get X amount, sophomores get more and so on. And give them all a bonus for graduating. I fee like that would keep college sports somewhat equitable.
I think big schools could also compensate non-revenue athletes at minimum wage during their respective seasons at the very least. .
August 28th, 2023 at 3:19 PM ^
There's one significant difference in football - between the NFL and NCAA - particularly when it comes to "marketing" players - which I view as an extension of NIL - or - NIL for professionals.
So, what is that difference?
At a professional level - the companies that develop agreements / contracts with athletes have an expectation that the recognition of the athlete will benefit their company - revenue and profit. Patrick Mahomes is involved in advertising for State Farm Insurance - among other companies / brands. Do you know what issue I have with that agreement? None - nada - nothing. Mahomes offers his support / endorsement for a product - the company is willing to pay him for that - and, I'm pretty sure - State Farm tracks just how effective Mahomes relationship is.
At the college level - NIL dollars appear far more often than not - to be offered to attract a player to a given team - and to bring their abilities there - in hopes of "athletic prowess and glory" to the school - not the business they are endorsing. Sure, there's going to be a minor interest in helping grow an NIL booster's business - but, at the college level - it's about playing for a school that has boosters who will toss in a bunch of money - primarily expecting a return on the field of play - wins over rivals - conference titles - national championships - etc.
What's the value of an autograph? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. A Honus Wagner baseball card is worth a lot. And, at the college level - five boosters can get together and say - "Young man, I've got ten "head shot photos" of you in our uniform - if you sign these photos - and commit to our school - we'll give you $100K per autograph."
One other little difference is - representation. At the professional level - the vast majority of athletes who endorse a product or service will have agents / attorneys that review an agreement before they commit / sign it. I doubt this happens with the frequency it should at the collegiate level - and, we're just starting to hear stories about how players get very little of an agreement and others who are perched to take advantage of the make a ton.
The difference between the collegiate and professional levels is huge.
For anyone who feels there's actual enforcement by the NCAA to prohibit "pay for play" - which is outside the current guidelines - well, there's this bridge in New York I'd like to offer to you at a tremendous bargain.
August 28th, 2023 at 5:09 PM ^
Why should players in other sports that generate zero revenue share revenue with the two sports that create revenue?
August 29th, 2023 at 4:48 AM ^
The problem you have with teams and/or conferences agreeing to do structured compensation arrangements is that IMO it starts becoming anti-competitive and raises lots of antitrust issues which are ripe for court challenges. Perhaps someone who does antitrust law would weigh in but I wonder if any type of restriction that doesn't allow free movement of players on an annual basis might be legally problematic.
You could do something like the NFLPA, a union, where the players are involved with the compensation arrangements but how that would be done across conferences would likely represent challenges of its own. I can also envision a scenario where one conference's union had better terms for its members than what was available in another conference and use the advantage as a recruiting tool.
Once the genie got out of the bottle with the SCOTUS decision, short of congressional legislation and I don't trust congress any more than the NCAA to do things right, you can't put her back in her container.
August 28th, 2023 at 2:28 PM ^
That's our coach 🥰
August 28th, 2023 at 2:28 PM ^
Harbaugh sounds like a guy who finally got around to watching DS9:
For real, though, this is:
- Really well-explained
- A natural outgrowth of having NFLPA members coach teams
- Pretty clearly a shot at the NCAA's hypocrisy
Get 'em, coach.
August 28th, 2023 at 2:30 PM ^
I made a big post a year or so ago where I said Michigan needs to advocate for full player professionalization and a professional structure. I see this is as Harbaugh making a step in that direction.
But one needs to be honest about this and accept that this has consequences for the nature of the game and how it is organized and played. For Michigan in particular that means saying good bye to a few long-standing pretensions.
August 28th, 2023 at 3:09 PM ^
Let’s be honest it ceases to be an amateur sport decades ago. Anyone around college campuses know this even if they don’t want to admit it.
August 28th, 2023 at 4:42 PM ^
Yep, if you want to run, market, sell, and profit from an "amateur" league, there should be serious limits on what you can make by doing that. Like you said, this isn't an amateur league, so guess what, the people actually doing the work should get the spoils of their labor.
August 28th, 2023 at 5:17 PM ^
And it means further losing some of what made the greatest sport in America what its was. It's rapidly losing much of what made it special. The games themselves between teams will still be good, but the equity of college football, the charm, is disappearing.
I'm for players getting money, we have capitalism applying to them now, but it still makes me sad. Apparently Arch Manning is making as much as some NFL QB's.
August 28th, 2023 at 10:44 PM ^
the college football you’re describing goes against the very notion of a capital-u University. it shouldn’t exist, at michigan or any other university that takes education as its primary objective.
August 28th, 2023 at 2:34 PM ^
Beautiful.
Even the playing field. Make it all or mostly above board and the SEC loses it's financial "edge"
Only thing favoring southern schools at that point is geography, but that fades quickly if UM $ cannon actually ever gets rolled out.
August 28th, 2023 at 2:35 PM ^
Leading from the front.
Love this man.
August 28th, 2023 at 2:35 PM ^
Having a former player as a coach is a big help here for Michigan as well. Harbaugh was pretty outspoken as an NFLPA member and player during the NFL's strike in 1987. Players Associations are some of the strongest unions out there - Michael Jordan went back to playing basketball in 1994 because he wasn't going to cross the MLB picket line.
August 28th, 2023 at 3:02 PM ^
On an aside - I don't think Michael Jordan played baseball for a bit because he wanted to see if he could cross the Mendoza line. There's a LOT there that no one will ever mention or admit to.
August 29th, 2023 at 7:57 AM ^
i’ll mention it. i’ll bet you seven dollars that it was a “silent” suspension for gambling.
August 28th, 2023 at 3:02 PM ^
That and a .202 batting average in the minors.
August 28th, 2023 at 2:36 PM ^
I'm all for it but it'll just lead to more expensive cable/ streaming. We will always be the ones getting the dong punch.
August 28th, 2023 at 4:43 PM ^
So far, it seems to be the players that have been getting the raw deal, not the folks watching them get concussed from the couch or the stands.
August 28th, 2023 at 2:37 PM ^
This, in the middle of MGOBLOG content deluge. I might break this internet thing on sheer search and refresh volume all by myself.
August 28th, 2023 at 2:39 PM ^
The fact he's talking about revenue sharing with the players, recognizing that they deserve a piece of the huge pie whose existence relies on them playing, is good to hear and the type of wholesale buy-in that needs to happen. NIL is an imperfect solution to a problem the NCAA fostered and allowed to fester for decades, and the sooner them and the fictions they created around amateurism are dispensed the better and more fruitful the discourse will be around it.
August 28th, 2023 at 2:40 PM ^
"When a student-athletes call it a game, the corporate types call it a business. When the student-athletes call it a business, the corporate types call it a game."
August 28th, 2023 at 2:53 PM ^
That was a killer line. Its gonna be quoted a lot in future.
August 28th, 2023 at 3:32 PM ^
Harbaugh is a fan of North Dallas Forty. Great locker room rant from John Matusak.
Harbaugh should have ended with NCAA administrators are chicken sh*t co**suckers to get the full effect.
August 28th, 2023 at 2:45 PM ^
A very good idea and starting point. With the NCAA, it's like trying to turn around the biggest aircraft carrier. Things are moving much faster in today's college football landscape. We shall see if this gets any traction. Who better than Jim to make this kind of statement.
August 28th, 2023 at 2:50 PM ^
This is coming. It is the only logical step.
August 28th, 2023 at 2:53 PM ^
Harbs just dunked on the NCAA and rolled the ball to them. "Your ball bitch".
What would've made it better is if he woulda added - "most HS & college student athletes, especially the football & basketball players, come from very limited means and have little spending money, if coaches decide to take them to a restaurant or bring them to the grocery and fill their fuckin dorm fridge they god damn well should be able to".
August 29th, 2023 at 2:01 PM ^
If he added that... He'd be lying.
Most college student athletes are upper middle class.
August 28th, 2023 at 2:56 PM ^
a bit different than Melt Ucker's press conference
August 28th, 2023 at 3:05 PM ^
As this progresses - my hope is that Juwan and Jim would host joint sessions where they both comment.
Jim's seen all sides of sports - collegiate and professional athlete as well as coach. So has Juwan.
Juwan was a member of arguably - one of the most visible teams in college basketball - and, has a perspective on this from being a player during a most interesting time - when a small company known as Nike - realized significant revenue / profit from the Fab Five's NIL.
August 28th, 2023 at 3:07 PM ^
Haha coach trying to burn the whole thing down.
August 28th, 2023 at 3:11 PM ^
Here is a video of Harbaugh delivering those remarks:
August 28th, 2023 at 3:13 PM ^
Yeah, he's kooky sometimes, but Harbaugh is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers.
August 28th, 2023 at 3:22 PM ^
Maybe not everyone else is playing checkers. But, the NCAA definitely is. My feeling is - the NCAA may not even be playing checkers - it's more like "Candy Land" or "Chutes and Ladders".
August 28th, 2023 at 3:28 PM ^
That's giving them an awful lot of credit. Expecting the NCAA to understand and recognize numbers or colors and then act upon said information and move to the correct position? Ha!
August 28th, 2023 at 3:38 PM ^
I thought the NCAA was playing keep away.
Or is it pin the suspension on Jim Harbaugh?