Jim Harbaugh Is No Hero

I’m not much of a college football fan. But I wanted to say something about the College Football Playoff championship game last Monday night, which saw the University of Michigan defeat Washington, 34-13. This tremendous victory was Michigan’s first national title since 1997.

The Wolverines, as the Michigan football team is known, have a national following that numbers in the millions. They boast one of the premier sports programs in all of college sports. 38 former students are currently playing in the NFL.  The university has the largest stadium in the United States at 107,601seats, larger than any stadium used by an NFL team, and the third largest stadium in the world.  (By comparison, the largest NFL stadium, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford NJ can seat 82,500.) They have sold out every game except one for the past 48 years. 

The team deserves praise for their hard work, efforts, and stunning progress on the field.  Yet the Wolverines are not exactly a rags to riches story of hard-working young men overcoming great odds together to achieve victory.  Despite the talent of the players, the leadership of the team is indicative of the larger malaise in American sports. 

The University of Michigan football team is led by its controversial head coach Jim Harbaugh. He was suspended twice this season for a variety of NCAA infractions, missing six of the 15 game season. His first suspension was in response to accusations of violating NCAA recruiting rules during COVID-19 era.  This was a Level 1 NCAA violation, the most serious infraction that can occur.  The second was the result of a major sign stealing scandal. And he faces further the possibility of punishment next season as well.

You might have thought that such flagrant violations of NCAA rules would have led to his dismissal. But Jim Harbaugh wins games, so not only does he achieve amazing accolades for his leadership despite these tremendous ethical, moral, and managerial lapses, but many reports suggest that he will likely make a move to the NFL as early as next season. If he chooses to do so, there will be many teams who will be interested. 

Which all leads me back to a Jewish lesson which I have held throughout my entire adult life. This is a lesson that I have tried to share with the community throughout my career, one that I believe is as important for our times as it was when the Torah first taught it 4000 years ago.  A great nation or a great society or even a community of average people who are striving for greatness must establish clear standards of appropriate behavior, as well as appropriate punishments for infractions of those standards. The higher up the food chain you go, the more significant the penalties must be.

Those standards must apply equally to all, whether you are running for president, leading a synagogue, teaching our children, or managing a college football team.  Holiness is not winning football games, but rather, behavior consistent with Judaism’s high moral and ethical standards.  Jim Harbaugh may have won a national championship, but measured by that standard, he is no hero, no matter how many games he has won.