Ben Mathis-Lilley on the Mystery-Wrapped Enigma that is Jim Harbaugh
Friend of the blog, MGoRadio guest, and Michigan alumnus Ben Mathis-Lilley just posted an article at Slate examining the many contradictions of Jim Harbaugh. I found it to be an excellent summary of the many different positions that Harbaugh espouses all at once and a persuasive explanation of how Harbaugh accommodates all of their apparent contradictions.
August 4th, 2022 at 12:00 PM ^
This will not end well.
August 4th, 2022 at 12:10 PM ^
Cheers, I'll look forward to reading it. People paying attention have, I think, kinda absorbed the fact that Jim harbors his share of contradictions, and despite thinking of myself as a political progressive, I've always loved the guy anyway. I do think it's possible for people to discourse thoughtfully about these subjects without moving to the styrofoam barricades--I live in a college town, and find myself doing it (talking, getting along with people of divergent views) quite a lot, in fact. It used to be how we thought about getting to consensus. . . Place shrug thing here.
August 4th, 2022 at 12:22 PM ^
He's only a "contradiction" because he actually develops his own thoughts/opinions on issues and doesn't follow a party line. More people should strive to do that.
Exactly. It's called,"being your own man!" Not AI. He's actually human and can you believe it, he's actually normal because; he's not perfect.
GO BLUE
GO COACH
Update: Jim Harbaugh is a person. Albeit a weird person.
Chickens cheer him, cows fear him.
Spot on.
The expectation anymore is that if your beliefs align with a political side on a certain issue, then all your beliefs must also. Case in point… why is it so worthy of discussion that someone both supports BLM and the pro-life side of the abortion debate?
What a sad commentary on us as a society. A truer “contradiction” would be Jim Harbaugh waffling between sides on the same issue, not choosing for himself his opinion on each individual matter.
If you can both agree and disagree--even vehemently--with a free-thinker and iconoclast like Harbaugh and still champion his boldness of spirt, then our free society wants you. If you cannot, we don't.
I’ve never found anything contradictory about Harbaugh. All of his beliefs go back to his core ethical principals. And those principles seem to combine his faith with his more progressive social views on human rights and a certain sense of loyalty to those people he has known and believed in.
The one thing that seems to be wired differently is that he is obsessive when it comes to achieving something. Examples of this appear throughout his childhood. And when you are that obsessive about something, there is less time and thinking available for things we might take for granted when we interact with most people.
From what I can tell he does have his priorities straight. And they seem to include his career, family, and human causes he feels strongly about. I do not agree with all his points of view (choice), but i see his support for both Kaepernick and unborn babies as coming from a consistent ethical core.
If someone wants to write an article about someone else, they need to make sure they write it from the subject’s perspective and not the author’s. That is the flaw of this author’s article. Because Harbaugh is absolutely consistent and principled. He is only inconsistent based on the writer’s beliefs.
August 4th, 2022 at 12:11 PM ^
*Dead Man Walking*
August 4th, 2022 at 12:16 PM ^
When did someone thinking for themselves become a contradiction.
August 4th, 2022 at 12:24 PM ^
In a vacuum, it's not. But Harbaugh's independent thinking certainly leads to apparently contradictory results, like citing both Woody Hayes and Malcolm X as inspirations when switching to don browline glasses.
I just take that as Jim having respect for both men for different reasons, which is well…reasonable.
August 4th, 2022 at 12:26 PM ^
Exactly. Let's put this in perspective. What would Harbaugh's point total be if he was a normal person and posted his thoughts on this board? Would he be hailed as a well respected poster or someone with a one way ticket to some South American country known for their blow and famous hats?
Another thought is that Jim is a master troller.
August 4th, 2022 at 12:16 PM ^
FYI Ben is not a Michigan alum. He’s from Michigan and is a Michigan sports fan, but he went to Harvard.
August 4th, 2022 at 12:20 PM ^
I would have sworn that someone described him as a Michigan alumnus on MGoRadio. I'll edit accordingly.
E: FFS, I forgot that I can't actually edit my OP. Just mentally insert "-of-the-East" to the bio and we'll call it a day.
We’ve been over this. Flint, Dearborn, and “Michigan of the East” are all still equally Michigan. So yes. He went to Michigan (of the East).
August 4th, 2022 at 12:25 PM ^
What does that make him... a Whole Foods Wolverine?
August 4th, 2022 at 12:45 PM ^
No. That would be an Arc'Teryx Wolverine
I believe that's pronounced "Ahc'Teryx" Wolverine.
.....so he is Eric Adelson 2.0.
Probably wanted to attend Michigan but couldn't get in.
Better known as the eastern campus of UM …
August 4th, 2022 at 12:22 PM ^
Best part of the article is a link to this tweet.
Michigan 42, Ohio State 27. You would have cried, too. https://t.co/umm87c9T93
— BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL (@edsbs) July 15, 2022
August 4th, 2022 at 12:23 PM ^
I don't see contradictions. His beliefs aren't tied to one political party. I find that refreshing in the era of battle politics where people don't really care about the issue as long as they are fighting. Many are economically aligned with the right and socially aligned with the left.
August 4th, 2022 at 12:27 PM ^
well, also, individuals like Malcolm X receive praise and criticism from all parts of the political spectrum. Martin Luther King, Jr. was strangely unpopular amongst many Americans for a long time.
we are a country of nuance, no question, and attempting to brand anything and everything as "political" usually contributes to these bifurcations...almost self-fulfilling in many ways.
MLK is probably less popular now than at any point in my adult life (I'm in my 50s). Or at least his beliefs seem to be. I do remember a large number of people did not believe he should be put on the same level (or above really) as the great Presidents (with a holiday), but that's hardly being unpopular.
X will always be controversial, as he advocated violence to obtain his ends. But that doesn't mean what he believed in didn't have merit.
It's not strange at all that MLK, Jr was "unpopular" for a long time. One, a huge percentage of this country was racist. And add the right-wing's efforts/ the US government's COINTEL program to tie MLK, Jr (and the civil rights movement in general) to communism during his lifetime and it's hardly strange.
No idea why you were downvoted for the facts, but yes, I agree. It's more of hindsight than knowing the realities of what was happening socially in the country at the time.
I think this is exactly correct, GoBlue96. Harbaugh just cares genuinely about the people in his life; his players, his family, and his staff. The contradictions are in how the US organizes politically, not in Harbaugh's consistent people-first beliefs.
August 4th, 2022 at 12:25 PM ^
How does a person end up like this?
By mostly staying off twitter and facebook, probably.
this was actually a pretty great article -- doesn't try to explain things away, but sums up the age old American pastime to try and stuff everything and everyone into one of only two boxes.
August 4th, 2022 at 12:26 PM ^
Think I will pass on reading any of this. I care about his abilities to coach the team back to the B1G championship and a rematch at the CFP; I don't care about his politics, quirks, mannerisms, etc. His players seem to love and respect him. They seem to want to play for him. That's what matters to me regarding his "character".
Not much longer until the first game. And, as our "esteemed colleage" likes to post: Can't Wait!
August 4th, 2022 at 12:50 PM ^
No no no! You must put him into a predefined box and label him so you can appropriately judge him. There is no "grey area", no nuance, no "seeing it from both sides". Only right vs wrong, good vs bad, good vs evil, etc.
Lol. Okay, my bad. Lemme put that in my calendar and make it happen!
👍😉👍
August 4th, 2022 at 12:30 PM ^
42-27
August 4th, 2022 at 12:34 PM ^
I only skimmed the article, but it just confirms that Harbaugh marches to his own beat. Dude is genuine, which is more than can be said for Hillbilly Brian Kelly and his faaaaamileee.
August 4th, 2022 at 12:52 PM ^
Thanks for sharing. Reading this was actually enjoyable. You rarely read an article that touches on social issues, and the author does not go out of their way to attack or inject their own opinions. Presenting the facts about your subject and allowing the reader to come to an opinion themselves is quickly becoming a lost art.
"...won last season’s Big Ten championship on the strength of a snowy, cathartic, decisive, dominant, and obliterative 42–27 win over the Buckeyes."
I love this line. I do generally enjoy Mathis-Lilly's articles, and this one didn't disappoint.
"An obliterative 42-27 win" is how I'm referring to it from now on.....great stuff there.
I read the whole thing and it is well written. It is refreshing to see a guy like him, whether I agree with his views or not.
I don't really see contradictions. I just see a guy who knows what he believes in, and the sum of what he believes in is comprised of ideas that gravitate to both sides of the aisle. You can be conservative in some areas and progressive in others. Many of us are. Doesn't make you wrong. It makes you open to differing thoughts.
This whole idea of "contradictions" is part of the problem this country has right now. Its so hyper-polarized to where being a centrist, a moderate, or being open to compromise somehow makes me "complicit," "part of the problem," or a "silent enabler." If we're not all fully on one side or fully on the other, then apparently we're destroying this country. All largely perpetuated by the media (both sides), politicians trying to rile up their bases (both sides), and social media allowing people to express their worst thoughts and be their worst selves.
Harbaugh and I have differing thoughts on different areas, but I appreciate and respect the fact that he is open to honest dialogue, listens to both sides, and puts his money where his mouth is. Just because I have a differing view on abortion than he does, it doesn't mean I wouldn't love for my son to one day play for him.
If I had to pick, I'd honestly rather associate myself with people who comprise their beliefs/ideologies across the spectrum. Tells me they are well-rounded and are open to honest discussions about why its not "their way or the highway."
This whole idea of "contradictions" is part of the problem this country has right now.
I agree 100%. In a sense, I don't like the concept of the article in centering ideological conformity as normal and casting Harbaugh as the weird one for going his own way. It reinforces an idea that one must be one tribe or the other unless you are the oddball that JH is, and have a secure job and family to back it up.
It's also not even true! The number of people actively engaged in politics on social media (Twitter mostly) and traditional media is a small minority of the country. The rest of us just want to be normal and get along with as many people as we can. The unifying thing about public spectacles like football games is that people can get together and eat, drink, and watch together, and see each other as human beings. I know that the group sitting down the bench from me probably don't agree with me on everything, but that's okay because on Saturdays we both want Michigan to win. We can coexist and life moves on.
It's not a bad contradiction that Bo attended Woody Hayes's funeral, or that Ohio Stadium has maize and blue flowers, or that there is a Jesse Owens plaque on Michigan's campus. Respect, even love, for others and their differences is an essential part of life. It shouldn't be that hard to see.
Contradictions are only unusual in a polarized world where everything is examined through a lens of "my team vs. yours" politics. It's one in which the actual object-level issues are less important than whether a certain position helps secure victory over an opponent. Harbaugh is admirable in avoiding or ignoring that nonsense, and taking every issue, every person, at face value, and (I assume) giving due consideration to each.
I'm sure he has neither the time nor inclination to closely examine whether appearances on Barstool podcasts, or hosting Kaepernick on campus with the team, indicate anything about his opinion on the broader culture war. He does it because he likes the people involved and has fun doing it. That's perfectly fine.
Seems to me he's basically a Democrat who is anti-abortion, rather than a total "contradiction." Yes, being aggressively anti-abortion is antithetical re mainstream feminism. That's one big contradiction. But otherwise he doesn't generally seem so enigmatic sociopolitically speaking.
That's always been my take as well. Although I would use the words pro-life Liberal instead. Democrats and Republicans change their beliefs quite a bit over time. Until the 80s being pro-life wasn't really associated with a party.
In fact, I am curious post-Dobbs if pro-life/pro-abortion ceases being party defining. It should be clear already that there are only small minorities at both extremes of the abortion debate driving the argument. Most people are in the giant squishy middle.
I don't think it's a bad thing to agree with some more progressive stances and some more conservative stances. It's good that people have the ability to do that and not just follow along with everything a party stands for
I read the article and an editor should’ve cut it down by at least half and still make the points the author was going for. If this is a foreshadow of that book he’s writing I’ll pass.
This was a good read. Nothing too preachy, just telling it as it is.
This country needs more people like Harbaugh and less of people who severely judge him. I still think this country is toast in about 10-15 years, but this gives me hope.
August 4th, 2022 at 10:04 PM ^
This Ben guy sucks