Michigan Football: New Uniforms? Follow the Money

Was it just me, or did I miss something in the unveiling of the new Michigan Football uniforms this week?

The new Michigan football uniforms are nice of course, and the players seem genuinely excited about wearing them, but what was the big deal?

First, there was the media hype. For weeks news services played along with “is this the new uniform?” stories, as though they had stumbled on national security secrets. Then there was the star-studded unveiling event in Detroit on Tuesday night. And since then there’s been a steady stream of almost breathless articles about – well, about new uniforms of the Michigan football program.

Oh, and Michael Jordan. He plans to attend Michigan’s season opener against the Rainbow Warriors of the University of Hawaii! Isn’t that exciting? (It’s Jordan’s own Jumpman Brand, with its iconic logo, which is being introduced this season.)

I get it. Michigan Football is back. And excitement is building for the 2016 season, with the Wolverines having their best chance in years to be playoff contenders and quite possibly national champions.

But do the new uniforms warrant so much coverage? (Did I mention that Nike is also going to market a smart new line of khaki pants, so that Harbaugh doesn’t have to wear the $8 pleated version he reportedly finds at Walmart? That was also a story to which we were treated this week.)

Frankly, it’s all a bit of sideshow. Like the Signing of the Stars event back on National Signing Day in February, when head coach Jim Harbaugh welcomed his new recruiting class at the university’s Hill Auditorium. Like the sleepovers and a satellite camp in American Samoa. Like a lot of things we’ve seen since Harbaugh became head coach. We can all agree that Harbaugh knows how to draw attention to this program.

So, what’s the real story here? It’s the money, isn’t it? Forbes Magazine reports that with this new deal the University of Michigan will receive $169 million through 2027. In addition to a $12 million signing bonus, Michigan will receive $10 million annually, which should more than pay for those satellite camps and keep Harbaugh in khakis for years to come. And then there is the new apparel itself which is said to be worth $82.2 million. Those numbers are hard to ignore.

Some Michigan Football fans might be wondering what former head coach Bo Schembechler would have to say about all of this. It was Schembechler after all who insisted on a hard-nosed, smash-mouth, toe-meets-leather-at-noon approach to the game. That has been Michigan Football for more than generation. What mattered was what happened on the field.

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But times change. Football programs now require lots more money than they used to. Top recruits seem to like the show business. And if Michigan wins this year, then all of it will have seemed worthwhile.

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