The numbers are in, and Michigan’s spring break trip to Florida cost nearly $350,000.
Michigan controversially went to Florida during its spring break week to hold some spring football practices. It was a pioneering idea from Jim Harbaugh that led to a lot of negativity and jealousy from opposing coaches. The plan also generated a lot of exposure for the program.
MLive.com received the financial records from the trip through a public records request and found the total expenditures for the trip to number $348,553. Of that $146,912 was spent on facilities and housing at IMG Academy in Bradenton, where the players stayed and practiced. $107,148 was spent on airfare. Ground transportation was over $51,000, while meals and per diem came in at just under $40,000. They had about $3,500 in other expenses too.
The numbers certainly seem to cost a lot especially when you consider it was just for a few days in Florida. But the Michigan program/athletic department has money, and Harbaugh is just trying to do whatever it takes to win. If that means making some noise on the recruiting trail with innovative ideas such as this, then the cost is worthwhile.
