Spartans vs. U of M: Will the Spartan Fans Be True to Form?

Many people believe that this weekend is “Michigan’s time” to triumph and beat the Spartans on their own turf. Being from Lansing and a Spartan fan at a young age of course makes me want to call these people out. But whether the game is a blow out or not, this is more about what kind of fans we will see on the Spartan side this weekend.

Michigan State has been criticized for having rowdy die-hard fans.

Their loyalty to the Spartans is remarkable but do they go to far? Most fans would obviously tell you no and that any other sports team has the same group of rowdy fans.

The University decided to conduct a survey and figure out just how far their fans will go. Over 70 percent of fans surveyed believe that it is perfectly normal to yell and chant to make it difficult for the other team to communicate. However, fans also believe that they do not like participating in chants that use vulgar language or insult the opposing team.

If you have been to a game, or any football game, you know that this point is not necessarily true.

There are numerous accounts of fans getting rowdy and cussing at the opposing team or referees. In response to this and the fact that most fans think there needs to be improvement in the way fans behave, MSU has asked fans to raise their SHEILD this weekend.

SHEILD, Sportsmanship-Honor-Integrity-Enthusiasm-Leadership-Dignity, is being used by the university to help preserve the Spartan tradition. If you live anywhere near East Lansing, MI, you know fans are loyal to their Spartans no matter the outcome of the game. Whether they win or lose fans stay true to their team.

The University spending a lot of time and money on this research might be in vein. Whether fans have good intentions, there will always be people that start out behaving and then forget all about the SHEILD when things go down for their team. Also, there are going to be a lot of fans participating in tailgating and drinking before the game. This will and always has had an impact on how a fan behaves.

The concept of SHEILD is a good one but whether everyone will jump on the wagon is a bit questionable. There are a lot of fans and a lot of students and it is very hard to reach and regulate everyone’s actions during the game. In a stadium full of die-hard fans that would like the Spartans to crush the Wolverines keeping themselves in check might be a challenge.

An example of just how far fans will go, even after a loss, is shown here in a video after a basketball game loss. MSU Riots. Though most of these fans are students, this proves the great lengths they’ve gone to in the past to support the Spartans.

It will be interesting to see what kinds of fans are present at the game on Saturday. Will it be he usual rowdy crowd or the more reserved SHEILD crowd?