The University of Michigan and the head coach of their Division I college football program, Jim Harbaugh, have been the center of attention of late regarding a sign-stealing scandal that has led to Harbaugh being suspended for the final three games of the 2023 regular season. However, Harbaugh made headlines for another reason after speaking on player compensation.
The debate of whether college athletes deserve to be paid or not has been ongoing for years. Now, college athletes have been allowed to be compensated for their name, image, and likeness (NIL).
While it is nice to see that college athletes can earn some extra money for themselves, not every player has a NIL deal, which is why Harbaugh went on the record to advocate for further player compensation.
“Who could be against the players being compensated for what they do? At least even minimum wage,” Harbaugh said per Front Office Sports. Harbaugh also said he is “using his voice” to speak in favor of player compensation and that he’d “take less money for the players to have a share.”
It remains to be seen if/when collegiate athletes will ever be compensated for their efforts. NIL deals are a massive step in the right direction and so is a coach of Harbaugh’s status campaigning for players to receive compensation.
The fans come to watch the players play at the end of the day. They are spending money to watch their favorite team, led by their favorite players, in hopes of seeing them do well and win. Harbaugh is trying to shed light on the topic by using his platform as a head coach of one of the most prestigious collegiate sports programs in the nation.
