If you expected Jim Harbaugh to take the NCAA’s ban on satellite camps in stride, then you were sorely mistaken. Harbaugh spoke with Sports Illustrated on Tuesday, and he did not hide his disdain for this ruling and the organization behind it.
The Michigan coach made waves last summer with his satellite camp crusade dubbed the “Swarm Tour,” which traveled all over the country, hosting top recruits along the way. This irked many schools including members of the ACC and SEC, and the NCAA responded this week by banning programs from hosting camps on secondary sites.
While this may even the playing field for schools that do not allow their coaches to work camps outside a 50-mile radius of their school, it also works against high school athletes. Players will now be forced to use official visits to get a feel for programs and coaches that would otherwise come to them. This also limits the chances of an unheralded recruit catching the eye of a big-name program that would normally overlook them.
Echoing this line of reasoning, Harbaugh lit into the NCAA.
“During the NCAA basketball tournament we discuss the term ‘student-athlete’ ad nauseam in promoting our governing institution and our member institutions. Then, when we have an opportunity to truly promote the ‘student-athlete’ with a concept shared by educators and football men from all backgrounds, our leadership goes into hiding.
“I suggest we drop the term ‘student-athlete’ for consistency.”
Harbaugh also went on to target the conferences he felt most responsible for backing this new ruling.
“It seems to be outrage by the SEC and ACC,” Harbaugh says. “They power-brokered that out … the image that comes to my mind is guys in a back room smoking cigars, doing what they perceive is best for them. It certainly isn’t the best thing for the youngsters. It’s not the best thing for the student-athletes.”
Ole Miss Head Coach Hugh Freeze went on the record saying he felt the satellite camps would cut into his already condensed family time. Apparently Harbaugh caught wind of Freeze’s statements, and he interpreted those words a little differently.
“You’ve got a guy sitting in a big house, making $5 million a year, saying he does not want to sacrifice his time. That is not a kindred spirit to me. What most of these coaches are saying is they don’t want to work harder.”
As fiery and reactionary as Harbaugh can be, he does often make good points. This ruling results in overly broad consequences to recruits and their families, all in the name of competitive balance. The NCAA voters may have had good intentions, but the decision comes off as a self-serving attempt to keep power in the hands of the schools and away from the student-athletes.
