The Michigan Wolverines are currently at the center of the college football world for both good and bad reasons.
The good reason, at least for Michigan fans, is that the Wolverines are ranked No. 3 in the country at 10-0 as they seek their third consecutive College Football Playoff appearance. The bad reason is that they are at the center of arguably the biggest cheating scandal the sport has seen in decades, with allegations of disgraced former staffer Connor Stallions going to opponent’s games and recording their sidelines for at least the last three years.
Despite the severity of these allegations, Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh doesn’t believe his team is deserving of the scrutiny it’s currently under. In fact, Harbaugh, who was suspended until the end of the regular season as punishment, believes people should be rooting for Michigan for overcoming “the adversity.”
“It’s gotta be ‘America’s Team.’ It’s gotta be ‘America’s Team,” Harbaugh said. “America loves a team that beats the odds, beats the adversity, overcomes what the naysayers, critics, so-called experts think. That’s my favorite kind of team.”
Disregarding the comical attempt to paint Michigan as the victim in this situation for just a second, Harbaugh is obviously using the nickname most associated with the Dallas Cowboys. Of course, the Cowboys have accepted and embraced that nickname since 1978, and despite many challengers, have held on as the most popular team in the NFL all that time. It’s unlikely Harbaugh meant to take a jab at the Cowboys, as the two teams obviously play at different levels at the sport, but the connection is worth mentioning.
Now back to the issue at hand, Harbaugh’s attempt at reframing the situation is downright laughable. He’s saying that getting caught cheating and receiving punishment for it is “adversity,” really? What about the other teams affected by this scandal? Did their “adversity” matter?
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, one of college football’s top analysts, found Harbaugh’s comments equally as ridiculous.
“I found it sad and pathetic,” Finebaum said on SportsCenter Monday. “Why? Because this isn’t ‘America’s Team.’ This isn’t what America’s about. Here we are, just days removed from Veteran’s Day where we honor people who are really representative of America. This team is not representative of anything other than a program accused of cheating. Cheating!
“Trying to steal signs to gain an unfair advantage. That’s not the way this country was built and that’s not what should be described as ‘America’s Team.”
The Cowboys earned the nickname “America’s Team” (coined by NFL Films) because they were and still are the most popular team in the country, not because of some fake “adversity.” Other teams have attempted to use the nickname for themselves, sure, but no use of it feels as insulting as this one.