Explaining Jim Harbaugh's 'Who's got it better than us?' rally cry as Michigan enters CFP
After Michigan won the Rose Bowl last week, Rece Davis set up Jim Harbaugh for a familiar call-and-response: "Who's got it better than us?" To which the assembled Maize-and-Blue-clad fans replied "NOBODY!" in unison.
It's a chant that has followed both Jim and John Harbaugh to their respective destinations, coined by their father Jack. Its roots are to remind the two to always be grateful, a message they have subsequently tried to instill into their players.
Jim explained the root of the slogan in an article for The Player's Tribune in 2016.
"When I was growing up, there was a local car dealer in Ann Arbor that had a program where the coaches at Michigan got to drive the extra dealer cars," Harbaugh wrote. "We didn’t have much money, and we didn’t have a car of our own, so my parents shared the dealer car. Sometimes my dad, brother and I would walk outside and the car would be in the driveway. Other times, if my mom was out, it wasn’t.
"'Hey Dad, where’s the car?'
“'No car today, guys. We’re walking … Grab a basketball: 100 with the right, 100 with the left. Let’s go!'
"So we’d dribble down the sidewalk, dad leading the way, yelling: 'Who’s got it better than us?!'
"'Me and my brother trailing behind, chanting: 'No-body!'"
REQUIRED READING: Michigan football's 'one-track mind' steamrolls through season, with one last stop to make
The chant is at the 2:30 mark below:
Why does Michigan, Jim Harbaugh yell 'Who's got it better than us?'
The chant has followed Harbaugh throughout his career, most prominently with the 49ers and Michigan, with the latter being a homecoming of sorts.
The point is perhaps best illustrated in Harbaugh's Player's Tribune article, after the intro.
"Never mind the fact that most kids wanted (and a lot of kids had) their own rooms," Harbaugh wrote. "We were lucky to share a room. We got to share each other’s stories, each other’s dreams."
To that end, the premise is relatively simple: Appreciate what you have, and what you have is enough.
REQUIRED READING: Michigan's Jim Harbaugh on possible NFL future: 'I'll gladly talk about it next week'
'Who's got it better than us' rap
College football has a sordid past with rap music (see: The 7th Floor Crew out of Miami), and Harbaugh and Michigan have a chapter in that book.
Rapper Bailey, who is actually from the Bay Area, put out a song entitled "Who's Got It Better Than Us" featuring Harbaugh in the video. It is, quite literally, exact what you would expect:
As the lyrics clearly indicate, the video was reshot in Ann Arbor after Harbaugh went to Michigan. It was originally a 49ers anthem. The only surprise is that it wasn't E-40.
The chant will obviously follow Harbaugh wherever he goes, but it will always have a home in Ann Arbor. And for this season so far, the cheer has rung truer than ever, as Michigan prepares for a national championship.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Michigan's Jim Harbaugh says 'Who's got it better than us?' in CFP
