I got chills this summer when I watched U.S. athletes standing on the Olympic podium with their medals around their necks as the National Anthem played. It’s the same feeling I get each time I walk into Spartan Stadium for a football game. It’s a sense of pride, a sense of belonging to something great, a sense of being part of a nation, the Spartan Nation.
With football season just starting, there’s excitement in the air and anticipation for another incredible season. What better place to share that excitement than at Spartan Stadium with 75,000 other fans?
According to Michigan State University, Spartan Stadium opened in 1923, and it’s in its 93rd season this fall.
For anyone who has been to a game at Spartan Stadium, you know it’s magic, and here’s what makes it is so special:
1. That exhilarating moment when you see the MSU football team and Mark Dantonio on the jumbo screen gives you goose bumps every time. You then get to watch them emerge from the smoke-filled tunnel and charge onto the field like true Spartans.
2. Our lovable Sparty running with the MSU flag onto to the field and firing up the crowd with his dancing makes him the best mascot around.
3. The fabulous and adorable Zeke the Wonder Dog. Who doesn't love watching this cutie try to catch frisbees during half-time? (Fun fact: MSU reports he is the only non-human athlete to have earned a MSU Varsity Letter).
4. The incredible Spartan Marching Band. These students are some of the most talented musicians I've ever seen. What Spartan fan doesn't look forward to their half-time show and the drum line with their perfect precision?
5. The spirited, enthusiastic Spartan cheerleaders and pom pom teams. You can always count on these students to get the crowd pumped up during every MSU football game with their cheers, spirit and acrobatics.
6. Being part of the student section and standing throughout the game and enjoying every minute of it. What Spartan student doesn't love our beloved cheers after a touchdown or a first down? Oh, and let's not forget the MSU Fight Song. Most Spartans learn it, word for word, after being at their first MSU football game.
7. Weather is never an issue for Spartan fans. If it pours, sleets, hails, or is brutally hot out, no worries! This is all just part of the Spartan Stadium experience.
8. "Striping Out" the stadium in green and white according to your section for special games and occasions (think back to the home opener last fall against Oregon or the upcoming game against Wisconsin in honor of former MSU punter Mike Sadler).
9. Seeing all types of Spartan fans -- from the very young to the not-so-young -- completely decked out in Spartan gear and being proud to wear it. Who doesn't love seeing a cute little old man wearing a MSU beret with a pom pom on top or a little girl whose head is covered with MSU bows?
10. And, competing with other Spartan students and fans to see which section in the stadium can cheer "Go Green, Go White" the loudest (the student section always wins, right guys?).
Let's get ready for another exciting season of MSU football at our very own Spartan Stadium, and fight for the only colors "Green and White!"
