Spartans Show Michigan That There Is a Silver Lining

Times are tough all over the country right now; the economy has been acting up and people have lost jobs, but it seems as though Michigan has been hit the hardest. So the Michigan State Spartans want to remind Michigan residents that there is still a silver lining in all of this.

Throughout the 2009 college football season, Michigan State will have a special decal adorning their helmets. The new decal is called "The Silver Lining" and is an outline of the state of Michigan.

The decal is meant to show that Michigan State University and all of its appendages, including the football team, are set on helping the state get through these tough times.

The symbol is the brain-child of Spartans head football coach Mark Dantonio, who said that it was a way of trying to show that Michigan State plays a large role for the overall benefit of the state of Michigan.

Dantonio submitted his idea to Athletics Director Mark Hollis, who immediately loved the idea of showing solidarity and bringing a sort of weekly release for the economically stressed state.

"The Silver Lining" is a simple design that has the ability to speak volumes. It encompasses the entirety of Michigan during this difficult time in the state and has the ability to tell them that things will get better. There is a silver lining in all of this chaos.

But the actions of Michigan State University don't just stop at words and helmet stickers; they go into the real heart of the problem: the auto industry.

Michigan is home to the "Big Three" automakers. With the decline of the economy, they have been hit especially hard, and in turn, the people who worked for those companies share the burden.

So, in an effort to help alleviate some of the monetary problems facing General Motors, Michigan State has reinstated its long-time partnership with the auto company by offering to waive the annual sponsorship fee the company owed for the 2009-10 season.

It may not be anything spectacular, but just as the Spartan basketball team brought the state together when they made their Final Four run in the spring, perhaps this small act will do something just as special.

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