Jim Harbaugh's Power at Michigan Evident in School's American Sniper Controversy
In college football, it's not rare for a coach to double as an ambassador for his school.
With all due respect to President Michael Drake and Gordon Gee before him, Urban Meyer has been Ohio State's best fundraiser since arriving in Columbus in 2011. And it's not a coincidence that Alabama's application and attendance rates have seen a dramatic increase with the Nick Saban-led resurgence of the Crimson Tide on the football field.
The reality is that a head coach's responsibilities extend far beyond preparing to coach for 60 minutes on Saturdays in the fall, especially at successful programs where so much of a school's image is linked to its football program.
But what about at a school that hasn't enjoyed national relevance—at least not in a positive way—for the better part of the last decade?
What about at a school like Michigan?
When a school goes through a coaching change—as Michigan did for the third time in eight years this past offseason—it's not uncommon for the new coach to be placed front and center in the school's P.R. plan, a symbol of optimism for its most visible pillar. But since arriving in Ann Arbor at the end of 2014, Jim Harbaugh has already done that and then some, cycling through the hats of coach, breadwinner, advocate and peacemaker in the matter of fewer than five months.
The new Wolverines head coach's involvement in the controversy at Michigan involving the film American Sniper is just the latest example of Harbaugh's unprecedented power at his alma mater.
Harbaugh's involvement with the blockbuster biographical about late United States Navy Seal Chris Kyle dates back to early April, when Michigan canceled a scheduled viewing of the movie amidst a student protest claiming the perpetuating of "negative and misleading stereotypes," per the Michigan Daily (h/t MLive.com). Never one to back down, Harbaugh took to his Twitter account to voice his support for the film and to let it be known that his players would be watching it anyways.
Harbaugh's tweet was posted at 9:38 p.m. on April 8 and clearly didn't go unnoticed. Just more than an hour later, Michigan's vice president for student life, E. Royster Harper, released a statement saying that it was a mistake to cancel the initial viewing of American Sniper and that it would go on as planned, per John Counts of MLive.com.
"The initial decision to cancel the movie was not consistent with the high value the University of Michigan places on freedom of expression and our respect for the right of students to make their own choices in such matters," the statement read.
Whether the university's decision to change course was based on Harbaugh's tweet or recommendation is unknown, but it's hard to imagine it wasn't taken into consideration. Here was the school's most recognizable public employee disagreeing with a controversial choice, taking a pro-freedom-of-speech, anti-censorship stance on a polarizing subject.
If a coach like Meyer or Saban would have been able to use the same sort of pull at their respective schools is beside the point. The reality is that neither would have likely even tried or taken interest in the non-football matter.
And Harbaugh's on-campus involvement didn't stop there.
Although the former San Francisco 49ers head coach didn't owe it to anyone to explain his tweet—or even tweet in the first place—Harbaugh opted to take the discussion a step further. On Wednesday, MLive.com's Brendan F. Quinn reported that Harbaugh, along with Harper and interim U-M athletic director Jim Hackett, met with a small group of Muslim students for what was described as "a good discussion."
Before you write off Harbaugh seeing both sides of the story as a P.R. stunt, Reason.com reports that the media was barred from attending the event.
Whether you agree or disagree with Harbaugh's stance on the movie is irrelevant, at least from a big-picture perspective. Here was the school's football coach, not only exercising his power to influence a university decision, but also taking the time to play peacemaker more than a month later for what was clearly a touchy topic on the Michigan campus.
All this, while Harbaugh is yet to even coach his first game for the Maize and Blue.
It's no secret that Harbaugh's reach in Ann Arbor has already extended to well beyond the football field, whether it be a rise in merchandise sales or visibility for the school. In April, former Wolverines linebacker and president of the Letterwinners M Club, Bob Stites, told Bleacher Report that even area real estate developers have seen an uptick in business since Harbaugh came back to town.
"It is amazing what an impact he's made," Stites said. "I talked to some people who worked at the M Den [bookstore], and they were definitely selling more items for it. Even around town, real estate developers and real estate people are saying condos are selling a little bit faster, and they think think there's a 'Harbaugh effect.' It's definitely taken over the area as far as the optimistic attitude of having a new coach here."
As Brady Hoke and Rich Rodriguez showed before Harbaugh, the goodwill that comes along with being Michigan's new head coach will only take you so far. But neither Hoke nor Rodriguez managed to make as much of an impact as early in their Wolverines tenures as Harbaugh has, as he continues to go above and beyond what's expected of him as a public figure at the school.
Whether his ability to act outside the constraints of even the most successful head coaches in college football will work to his benefit or detriment in the long run remains to be seen. But through his first four-plus months on the job, this much is clear: In Ann Arbor, Harbaugh is already more than just a football coach.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
.jpg?w=600 "Report: Lawrence Wants Out of NY")
.jpg?w=600 "Browns GM Speaks on Trade Buzz")