Michigan Football: Jim Harbaugh Sums Up UM Boycott of Friday Nights Perfectly

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Recently, the Big Ten Conference announced it will play games on Friday night and here’s why Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh was right to speak out against it.

We all know that college sports are about money. That and television ratings. But for Michigan football, there is a legitimate reason not to play football on Friday nights.

And Michigan Head coach Jim Harbaugh sums it up perfectly.

I think we all understand the reasons why media executives and conference commissioners want Friday night games. They have worked well in the Pac-12 and other conferences have also had success with games on weeknights.

For years, the Big Ten has stayed traditional. There have been a few Friday night games early in the year, but never in conference play. That’s why the league wants to change.

It doesn’t take a genius to realize if you put teams like Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State or Nebraska against each other, in prime time, with no competition — people will watch — in droves.

That means more exposure for the Big Ten and maybe less exposure for other conferences like the Pac-12.

For me, that’s not really an issue. That’s just the business of sports.

But on the other hand, in my opinion, Harbaugh was right to say we should leave Friday nights to the high school kids.

That’s been the biggest reason why the NFL hasn’t gone to Friday Night Football, because lord knows they could and make truckloads of money doing it.

Friday night is for high school, Saturday college and Sunday the NFL.

As someone who regularly attends High School games, I can agree with Harbaugh that it’s disappointing to make fans choose.

Because trust me, if Michigan football or Nebraska is playing, at home or on TV on a Friday night, it will take fans away from local high school games. How could it not?

High school football offers something special to local communities. It should be cherished, celebrated and encouraged, not as Harbaugh says, infringed upon.

But that’s exactly what the Big Ten is going to do and why? Well, it’s all about the benjamins.