With their Wild Card matchup against the Houston Texans getting the Nickelodeon makeover, Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh got real on one of the channel's most iconic characters: Spongebob Squarepants. Before Saturday afternoon's action between the Chargers and Texans, the Nickelodeon broadcast featured a graphic of Harbaugh's quote on Spongebob, expressing what makes him a hero of his, per Barstool Big Cat on X.
“I love his attitude, he attacks each day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind,” Harbaugh said, giving ultimate praise to the fictional sponge character. “He is a go-getter. He's always got a bounce in his step. He's got a pizzazz. I think he's awesome.”
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) January 11, 2025
This quote stems from an interview Harbaugh did with the Pardon My Take podcast in 2019. During the interview, one of the hosts, Barstool Big Cat, asked Harbaugh whether Spongebob was a hero of his, which elicited an incredibly unironic appraisal from the former Michigan Wolverines' head coach.
“Yeah, I love Spongebob,” Harbaugh said, serious as can be. “Just the way he attacks with enthusiasm unknown to mankind. He's always happy, always positive. He's energetic. … Sometimes he's flipping burgers, and he's got four or five or six arms. He loves it. He loves work. He takes pride in his job. What's there not to love about Spongebob?”
Spongebob is the ultimate lunch pail guy according to Coach Harbaugh pic.twitter.com/ycEZ5lWsnl
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) August 5, 2019
Now, while Harbaugh is a major fan of Spongebob, he doesn't have the same admiration for Squidward.
“Squidward, no,” Harbaugh said, shaking his head in disgust. “He's the opposite. Bad attitude!”
Considering Squidward's negative attitude towards Harbaugh's hero, it makes sense why he might not be the biggest fan of Spongebob's next-door neighbor.
However, while he doesn't have the best feelings towards Squidward, Harbaugh is a Spongebob fanatic through and through, and that was made evident before the first game of Wild Card Weekend of the 2024 season.