What makes it so great to be a Michigan State football fan anyway? This question is truly being raised now with the prominence and emergence of the football program in East Lansing (sans the 2016 season). Success can breed some serious and introspective questions, and the main one to ponder is this: What are the reasons it is so great to be a Michigan State Spartan?
1 THE PAINFULLY HUMOROUS MOMENTS
To truly appreciate oneself, a program must be able to laugh at the struggles and blunders and enjoy success. Nothing can be more prevalent than with Spartan fans.
We have had to deal with the comical blowups of John L. Smith, the rantings of Mike Valenti to the point of eruption, and numerous gaffes on the field as well. Each of these moments can be looked back on in cautious nostalgia as a “man; I’m glad we aren’t like that anymore” kind of way. Many of these moments are amusing, some downright humorous. Either way, having a sense of humor is important through the good and the bad.
2 THE MICHIGAN STATE FOOTBALL FIGHT SONG
While some south of our beloved campus may find theirs to be better, I personally adore the Michigan State Football Fight Song. It starts with such a bellow of pride and might, creating a surge of energy wherever it is played. When the Spartan Marching Band takes the field and starts to play that song, every Spartan fan’s heart beats with powerful music. There isn’t anything more encapsulating to College Football than the fight song. And we at Michigan State have a really good one.
3 THE MARK DANTONIO EFFECT
No amount of words will ever encapsulate how much I adored this man. The amount of pride and success that he has given our program cannot be understated. As previously noted, he took a program that had severely underperformed and was embarrassed under John L Smith, creating a terrifying, mean, green-fighting Michigan State Spartans team.
His hatred for Michigan burned like ours, and his fearlessness toward the Ohio State Buckeyes gave us hope in the years that passed. No other man could ever lead Michigan State football to the type of successful run we saw under Mark Dantonio. He was not only one of us but embodied everything we adore and everything we are at Michigan State. I know for a fact I’m not the only Spartan fan to believe this when I say this, Mark Dantonio… you are the best thing that ever happened to the Michigan State football team.
Every Spartan ever.
4 THE GREEN AND WHITE
This chant is heard throughout the campus on game day but points to something far greater: Michigan State football colors are unique.
We, as a program, have stuck with the Green and White color scheme since the 1930s, and it has been a distinguishing feature for the program since. No other school in college football can tout that color palette, which adds to the uniqueness. A sea of green and white at Michigan State Spartans Stadium or an opponent’s visitor section is a sight to behold. Every great program needs a distinguishing feature, and ours is the good ole Green and White.
5 BEST MASCOT IN COLLEGE ATHLETICS
Literature is pretty prevalent regarding the best mascot in college football; Sparty. He has been with the program since 1989 and has been a symbol nationwide of our rough and tough program.
Sparty has been touted for his rough but somehow welcoming design, along with the energy and might carried out by those who grace the muscle-clad mascot costume (sorry to break it to you guys, but it is a costume). Alongside the elegant statue of Sparty by Leonard D. Jungwirth, Sparty represents our university well. So well, he has won numerous top mascot awards and even got his own video game cover.
6 THE NFL TALENT
The likes of Plaxico Burress, Le’Veon Bell, Darqueze Dennard, Trae Waynes, Bubba Smith, Andre Rison, Muhsin Muhammad, Lorenzo White, and T. J. Duckett have filled the rosters at Michigan State.
The Michigan State football program has been rated very highly in its ability to create NFL-ready talent. The program has always been able to produce solid players despite team performance. Most of the credit must be given to Dantonio and his staff on player development for the rise in NFL talent.
[Be sure to check out our lists of the top 10 greatest Michigan State Football players of this century and of all time.]
This is all a testament to the staying power of the Michigan State program, especially on the professional level.
7 OUR BEAUTIFUL HOME
Having been a season ticket holder for 12 years, I can adamantly say that Spartan Stadium has always been a great college venue. The fans have always shown up to the games despite the team’s performance. The student section (on average) is alive and powerful in the southeast corner, along with the mighty Spartan Marching Band. Lee Corso even once called Spartan Stadium a “snake pit.” Nothing could be more accurate. The prime-time games are rocking and lively. Matchups against Ohio State, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, and Michigan always prove the stadium’s worth.
Despite being only No. 20 by capacity in college football, it is still among the most dangerous for opposing fans. Spartans always defend their home, and our home is Spartan Stadium.
8 THE HATE OF THE MAIZE AND BLUE
Nothing can encapsulate the Spartan fandom more than a burning, pure desire of the destruction of Ann Arbor. Like it or not, the current Spartan program was built upon this hate.
This is who we are, the antecedent of you. We are the Little Brothers who grew up and now wish to remind you of your mistakes throughout eternity. We are the green and white that flashes before your eyes before a 37-33, 35-11, 29-6, or 28-14 victory smacks you in the face. The fiery hate of Spartan fans will never cease as long as there is a Wolverine program. We won’t ever let any of it go, and that’s who we are, and that’s what we do.
