Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said on Monday that outside sources have hyped up the nature of the Wolverines rivalry with Ohio State. (AP Photo/David Dermer) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry isn’t as intense as people want to make it out to be. The way that it is annually portrayed some sort of “life-or-death” bloodbath doesn’t sit right with Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.
He actually thinks the way that “outside sources” turn the rivalry into this over-the-top hatred between the Big Ten rivals is unhealthy.
“It’s not healthy,” Harbaugh said on Monday. “It’s not healthy for the student-athletes on either side when you’re trying to put that much [pressure]. … That somebody’s practically thinking it’s life or death … I would say it’s not healthy for the young people.”
It was probably easier to say with Harbaugh’s team beating the Buckeyes for the third consecutive year on Saturday afternoon. The Wolverines used their run game and defense for a 30-24 win over Ohio State at Michigan Stadium.
Harbaugh was asked the question about the disdain on both sides ahead of the game. He punted on answering then, but shared his feelings in the aftermath and once his players were able to have their moment.
“I’m not going to go as far as to say contrived, but it is hyped up to no ends,” Harbaugh said. “And these are student-athletes that are young kids, young adults, that are playing this game. And all we ask them to do is go out there and play the very best.
“I think that it’s very manufactured for the TV show that people want to watch and see.”
With Harbaugh was serving the final game of his three-game suspension, spectators saw Sherrone Moore at the helm. Michigan’s offensive coordinator did such a great job running the show, that Harbaugh said he called the interim head coach to tell Moore he was “a stone-cold…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-coach-jim-harbaugh-says-rivalry-with-ohio-state-is-very-manufactured-220655846.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2023-11-27 22:06:55
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
