Why all the UM hatred ?

Submitted by jtstag on November 12th, 2023 at 9:19 AM

Unfortunately the media manipulators are still hard at it controlling the talking points.. Most average fans don't look at the details. The see the title of an article and run with it. There was actually an article today that Michigan was too emotional after the win and playing the whoa is me.

i would really like to understand who has such an agenda against JH and such an obvious hatred for UM. Regardless of what they do on the field, that faction's talking points are going to try to diminish any accomplishments. Is hatred/jealousy mostly among fellow big ten coaches ? Has it spread nationally ?If so why ? Is it a psy ops orchestrated by Ryan Day?

Whether its sports or some other topic, these days people don't bother with details. They repeat talking points which eventually makes it true in the public spectrum. All UM can do is keep winning. AND LEAVE THE BIG TEN !! The hatred maybe national. But its definitely  the worst in our own backyard.

StuckinCO2

November 12th, 2023 at 9:45 AM ^

Agreed. This narrative that keeps popping up that the media is after Harbaugh because of his Catholicism and resulting social/political conservatism is BS. He's not even that easy to put in that box. He has been very supportive of Hilary Clinton and Michelle Obama to his team, for example. This is all about his revenue sharing comments.

The Blue Collar

November 12th, 2023 at 9:53 AM ^

Agreed. I didn't put him in any "box." 

But he is definitely not in lock-step with the media, which the media does not like.

He dares to have opinions of his own, that sometimes conflict with the media, which the media does not like.

He's not a sycophant for the entities "above him" (NCAA, B1G, etc). Which the media does not like.

StuckinCO2

November 12th, 2023 at 9:58 AM ^

All true. I think we also have to admit that he has a rather off-putting personality. There are a ton of very cringy interviews out there. It seems like he's very distant until the interviewer "gets him" or at least gains his trust. See Cowherd, or even local radio. As a fan base he's our weirdo, but he's definitely weird.

UMinSF

November 12th, 2023 at 2:57 PM ^

I grew up in Ann Arbor and went to Michigan with Harbaugh, lived in SF during his tenure with Stanford and 49ers. I don't know the man personally, but I've certainly been a close follower of his career.

The fact is, Jim Harbaugh has a real knack for pissing people off. He was wildly successful at both Stanford and SF, yet a whole bunch of folks were happy to see him go - and don't forget all the people who were calling for his head in A2 just a few years ago.

Lots of NFL people can't stand him - and I do personally know more than one guy who played for/with him who respected him but genuinely didn't like him. 

People are complex, and Harbaugh is a big personality. He performs a lot of truly good, admirable acts, but he also says and does things that get under people's skin.

IMO it doesn't have much to do with politics or philosophy about paying players. He can be a difficult, abrasive, weird guy. He's also a GREAT football coach - and it's likely some people dislike him because they can't beat him.

As for the Michigan thing - I've lived around the country, and Michigan people (myself included) seem to be more connected to and oddly obsessed about our school than most; my Michigan support/obsession is baffling bordering on irritating to my friends from other schools/countries.

 

 

Boomer519

November 12th, 2023 at 7:38 PM ^

Move to the SEC territory, Michigan obsession is nothing compared to fandom down here. Peopleake thier entire lives about the college they share a state with and make thier entire lives about that football team all while simultaneously knowing very little about it. I hate talking sports with the vast majority of them, especially living in Georgia given the recent success. 

chrisu

November 12th, 2023 at 9:33 AM ^

Beyond that though, there has been a lengthy disdain for UM well before the Harbaugh years. I get it - when you are always cleaning others' clocks, a healthy portion of people tend to go against you (See Dallas Cowboys, Tom Brady, Yankees, etc). What I really do not comprehend is those with disdain toward UM are actually siding with osu. Why is there a lack of negative feelings toward them with all their issues the last 20 years? THAT boggles my mind more.

Girlbleedsblue

November 12th, 2023 at 10:04 AM ^

People think we believe we are superior to them and that we have a false sense of entitlement. The whole”Michigan Man” and “Leaders and the Best” piss them off. It’s stuff like that. 

 The only thing I really don’t get is why it gets so personal. It’s fun when it’s talk directed at a school, but when friends and family bring it up out of nowhere, that’s just weird. I had no idea that I was an “arrogant asshole” until i told my boss I went to Michigan. “You’re one of those arrogant assholes!??”  

He was genuinely disappointed. And I had been working for him almost a year at that point.

 

Blinkin

November 12th, 2023 at 10:15 AM ^

I've experienced that too and it's bananas to me. If they want to form a bad first impression based on no other information - fine. That's lazy but at least you've got 1/1 "negative" data points. 

But when someone changes a long held opinion of a person, undermines a relationship that had some real foundation? Why would you do that? It says a lot about them. 

Wendyk5

November 12th, 2023 at 10:45 AM ^

I had an acquaintance who, when I told him I went to Michigan, was shocked and said, "That's usually the first thing Michigan people tell you about themselves." He held it slightly against me after that. It's crazy how you can know someone for a long time and then something that's been true all along, but known only to you, then changes how they feel about you. I could understand if it was, "Oh, did I not tell you I served time in jail for murder?" But "I went to Michigan" doesn't seem to rise to that level. 

Girlbleedsblue

November 12th, 2023 at 10:57 AM ^

And then they assume the worst of you when it comes to sports. When I worked in Lansing, one of my coworkers just went off on me, "Oh sure, you would do that today!"  When I finally convinced him that I didn't know what he was talking about (which took a minute), he told me I was cheering for OSU the day before they played MSU because I was wearing a red sweatshirt.

This was in the dark times, so I wasn't watching football at all. Admittedly, I wouldn't have let the MSU - OSU determine what I wear. But he never did believe that I didn't wear that shirt to spite him. It's so weird.

JacquesStrappe

November 12th, 2023 at 11:04 AM ^

TL;DR Resentment and Envy

People have not liked Michigan for way longer than when Harbaugh got here. It’s the same reason that people don’t like people from Harvard. In two words: resentment and envy.

It immediately brings a template to their mind about the kind of person that you are. Cue all the feelings that you got the free pass in life where others always had to overcome someone’s doubt. Plus the stereotype of the 1950’s Norman Rockwell-esque perfect TV sitcom All-American kid that’s smart, athletic, charming, popular, and well-rounded. That pisses them off probably because they either didn’t have that or did not feel they were treated well or fairly or could have do better if someone recognized their potential.  That resentment can sting. Many of us are guilty, myself included, of coming across on the surface as holier-than-thou hypocrites at times. That doesn’t help.

But it also should be noted that a lot of people who didn’t go there do like us. Because if you wear a T-shirt with the logo of an Ivy League school  it’s the equivalent of bragging about your accomplishment and smarts. But if you wear a Michigan, ND, USC, UCLA, Virginia, Texas, etc. you could be wearing it because you like the school or are a fan. It’s a lot more inclusive because these schools are good at both.

The downside is that being good at both just further inflames the sense of unfairness/inferiority to some people who have had a tough go at life. In a certain sense I can understand them and feel for them. No one likes to be second banana all the time.

theytookourjobs

November 12th, 2023 at 9:25 AM ^

I've been wondering the same thing.  It's  disgusting to me that a man who acts with such honesty,  integrity,  and human decency has been subjected to this character assassination.  I also hope we leave the Big 10 and the conference falls apart.

yossarians tree

November 12th, 2023 at 9:53 AM ^

These types of witch hunts and character assassinations happen in the media all the time. Some only notice when it's to someone they know or care about. The big media organizations are whores who only care about the clicks and the revenue. The first casualty is the truth and then let's start whipping up the rumors and speculation. Most people who consume media are either too dumb to dig beyond the surface, or they just enjoy the circus and like to pile on. Like in the old westerns where the whole town turns out and has a festival when the hangman's noose is raised in the town square.

huntmich

November 12th, 2023 at 9:27 AM ^

Seems like the tone is turning in the media I read. People viewing what the big ten did as shady and michigan overcoming adversity and bullshit to manball a win. It's a great narrative and it's true, too.

 

Read better media?

1VaBlue1

November 12th, 2023 at 9:28 AM ^

The headlines to start all this crap were intentionally misleading and were designed to gaslight people that don't pay attention to details (ie: the vast majority of people).  This type of messaging has been perfected by political parties over the last several years, and has now moved into sports.  It works - not a single person, including Desmond and Chuck - are saying that sign stealing is legal and that the 'in-person scouting' is iPhone videos by a friend of an analyst.  Nobody is saying that simple detail!

And there's been an avalanche of 'righteous Michigan has fallen' added in for good measure.

gustave ferbert

November 12th, 2023 at 9:30 AM ^

Easy, 

It's MSU and OSU.  

Last night at the MSU game both groups of fans were chanting F JIm Harbaugh.  

They are very much invested in our demise.  

They are the one providing the clicks and boosting the algorithm.