The Harbaugh Effect: A Spike in Michigan Allegiance Displays in a City with Divided Loyalty

This manuscript discusses coalitional behavior from an ethological perspective and tests a hypothesis regarding displays of group allegiance using observational methods. Tinbergen’s Four Questions (T4Q; Tinbergen, 1963) is a powerful explanatory framework for building a comprehensive understanding of behavior in humans and other species. Following T4Q, coalitional behavior is examined regarding evolutionary adaptiveness, phylogenetic history, proximate causation, and developmental ontogeny. Team sports are an intuitive domain for the illustration of patterns and principles in coalitional behavior. Athletic team loyalty is often communicated non-verbally though the display of apparel and paraphilia featuring university or team names and logos. Previous research documented increases in apparel displays after winning games. Toledo, Ohio is on the Michigan-Ohio border and was originally considered within Michigan Territory. The area contains a mixture of Ohio State University (OSU) and University of Michigan (UM) football fans and merchandise featuring each school is widely available. An observational study in the Fall 2013 collegiate football season found a ratio of approximately 3:2 for individuals displaying OSU and UM branded items. The hiring of Jim Harbaugh as Michigan’s new head coach in 2015 was expected to generate an increase in displays of UM branded items. Observations in the 2015 and 2016 seasons found equivalent rates of display for UM and OSU branded items, and a significant increase in displays of UM branded items from 2013.