As a fact of history, Spartans were tough, gritty, and formidable opponents in battle. As a fact of present times, the Michigan State Spartans are tough, gritty, and formidable opponents in athletics. Coincidence? I think not.
Obviously the original Spartans had nothing to do with the state of Michigan; having them as the mascot of Michigan State University seems to be quite random. The Michigan Wolverines of evil Ann Arbor have a more logical mascot when you think about how Michigan once had a decent number of the wild animal. However, I guarantee you won’t find a wolverine anywhere near Ann Arbor today.
This is my tame manner of once again sharing that I’m a Spartan fan. Typically it comes out more as “If I ever meet a Wolverine, I’m going to kill it!” (kidding… mostly!) Why on earth do I have such a strong aversion to the University of Michigan and love for Michigan State University?
Glad you asked.
If you grow up in Michigan and have an interest in sports, you’ll probably be raised supporting Detroit’s teams. Some are clearly easier to support than others. Recently the Lions (NFL) have picked up their game, but really, finding the positives in a team that can make history by going 0-16 is difficult. The Pistons (NBA) seem to be one of those teams that can go either way. We have the Red Wings of Hockeytown. Need I say more there? Historically the Tigers (MLB) haven’t been particularly special, but baseball is as much about history, fan base, and families as it is about records. For about the past decade they’ve been pretty interesting to watch.
Now we can move to college athletics. While there are plenty of universities in the state, primary Division 1 athletics come down to Michigan State and Michigan. We’re a very divided state.
For whatever reason my dad tends to support the Michigan Wolverines. My mom honestly doesn’t care much about sports, but if she has to pick one of the colleges, she generally supports Michigan State because it’s typically the underdog. Unfortunately my brother followed my dad’s lead in rooting for the Wolverines. I really have no idea why, and I’m glad he didn’t end up going to college there. The thought of being directly blood-related to a Wolverine is just awful.
That leaves my decision to support the Spartans. My family claims I like State because Jeff likes Michigan. I will admit that originally sibling tension was a large factor in choosing my team. So thanks, Jeff, for helping me pick the better all-around school. However, the Spartans definitely became my team over the years.
Since Jeff’s birthday is in July, our family would often be off on vacation in neat places for his birthday. With an early December birthday, I was always just stuck in our Detroit suburb. My parents decided to surprise me with a birthday trip when I turned 10, and we drove west to East Lansing to spend the weekend on the banks of the Red Cedar River at the beautiful Michigan State University.
While there, our family took a campus tour for prospective students, met Sparty, went to a hockey game, and ate ice cream (made on campus) from The Dairy Store. It was a wonderful weekend that solidified my support for the Spartans.
Ever since that trip, there’s been no turning back. With my love of animals and interest in being a veterinarian, MSU’s fantastic vet school became another reason for my support of the Spartans. I even was a “graduate” of the 2003 Vet Camp, a program that accepts 100 just-graduated 8th graders to a week of behind-the-scenes veterinary experiences.
While following sports, I’ve recognized that Michigan has an arrogance issue in academics and sports. When you hear Michigan talking, it’s all about how they have the “winningest” football program in the country. Their obnoxious fight song sings about how they’re the victors, the leaders, and the best. The school thinks it’s awesome, and I can’t stand it.
Michigan State may not be as prestigious as UM, but its students and players have more heart. The basketball program, led by Tom Izzo, has a reputation for peaking at the right time: around March Madness. Mark Dantonio has turned the football program around by recruiting 3 and 4 star recruits and creating a family out of a team.
Even in basketball – where the Spartans are respected – they have to earn their wins. And Izzo doesn’t appear to smile or coddle his team. If they’re not playing up to snuff, he tells them. When they play their best, no one’s prouder than Izzo.
I see so much cohesiveness in the football and basketball programs that I can’t help but smile. The videos of Dantonio dancing with his team in the locker room are wonderful because they show how goofy the guys can be together. As a result, no longer are the Spartans the “little brother” of the Wolverines.
Because of that community atmosphere and hard work ethic, the Spartans are my team. They usually enter games as underdogs and come out having gained more respect from the sports community. Although with their recent record-setting success as the first NCAA school EVER to win 4 consecutive bowl games and make it to the Sweet 16 in the same 4 years, some of that underdog feel is leaving as it’s replaced by higher expectations.
For my nerves’ sake, I almost wish they’d stick to being average so that I can just be pleasantly thrilled when they pull off big wins. Being respected teams means that losses are a lot more damaging.
That brings us to where we stand today. Last night I watched Izzo’s Spartans claw their way to victory by pulling off the upset over Oklahoma, thereby securing standing in the Elite Eight. I’m with most of the community in being surprised that they’ve made it this deep into the tournament, so these games are highly taxing on my emotions. According to most articles, this basketball team just didn’t seem to be putting the pieces together very frequently this year, and it showed in their record. Now I’m along for the unexpected ride in hoping the team chemistry keeps clicking this weekend.
With all of this sports talk, I’ll be perfectly honest and say that I don’t recognize most plays or a number of penalties in football. I’m rather clueless about basketball; for me, it’s just 2 teams running back and forth on the court as they make me extremely nervous with their shots or lack thereof. Regardless, I enjoy getting all worked up when I watch. Last night Kelsey enjoyed watching me watch the game. I murmurred, “ahh”ed, and squirmed throughout the game. Fortunately I was able to end the game with some happy pounding on the table.
A few highlights from the game:
“No no no no no no… I don’t even know where the ball is!” – me (I think Oklahoma was in danger of shooting.)
“No no no no. Ahh!! I can’t watch.” ~opened my eyes~ “What happened?” – me
“Stop blocking your eyes! Your team has the ball.” – Kelsey
“Just don’t let them score for the next 10 minutes. I don’t ask for much, do I?” – me
“Why does our bench keep moving back?” – Kelsey
Although I did not take my offered place as a student at Michigan State, I’m thoroughly invested in the school and cheer for its teams. Whenever the Spartan hockey team would come up to play the UAF Nanooks, I didn’t know who to cheer for. I’d wear my Spartan hat with my UAF sweatshirt! I may have left my home state for college, but I didn’t leave behind my Spartans.