When Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh recently announced his intention to move a week’s worth of the Wolverines’ spring practices to Florida, it didn’t exactly go over well in SEC country.
This is what SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told CBSSports.com:
“Our primary reaction (is) that, in the face of the time-demand conversations, we've got one program taking what has been ‘free time’ away. Let's draw a line and say, ‘That's not appropriate.’
“This seems completely counter to the dialogue. We have work to do on (giving athletes a) day off. We have work to do on, how do you provide a postseason break? It seems where this is one where reasonable people could say we just shouldn't be in this space.”
Which of course prompted this perfect tweet from Harbaugh:
Question of the day: Does anyone find whining to be attractive? Just curious.
— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) February 10, 2016
In the aftermath of the controversy, a reporter asked Arizona Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez whether he approved of cold-weather schools relocating to warm-weather climates for part of spring ball. Rodriguez basically shrugged.
“Sure, if they allow it to happen,” he said.
Then he added this:
“But what we can say is, we don’t have to leave to do that. We can do it right here in our own deal. If that’s a recruiting tool for them for one week, it’s a recruiting tool for us year-round. If you want to come to where the weather’s nice, you don’t have to wait till spring break. We’ve got spring break every week.”
Harbaugh’s obvious ulterior motive is to promote Michigan football in the fertile recruiting ground of Florida. It’s a brilliant ploy, one I’m sure countless coaches in the Midwest and Northeast wish they’d thought of first.
Roughly half the Pac-12 has desirable weather year-round. The ongoing challenge for Rodriguez and his staff is to make recruits from other parts of the country aware of how nice Tucson is in winter (and spring and fall).
“He talks about it all the time: If we can get them to visit, our closing rate’s really good,” UA athletic director Greg Byrne said.
Byrne was speaking after the groundbreaking ceremony for the new C.A.T.S. Academic Center. He stood on the lush green grass of Sancet Field. It was about 75 degrees and sunny.
“Look at this,” Byrne said. “Is it hot in the summer? Yeah. So it is in about 80 percent of the country. But it’s not like this in 80 percent of the country in February.”
