Everything you need to know before your first MSU tailgate
Sing the fight song as much as possible
Michigan State football season is finally upon us, (g bless) and we Spartans couldn’t be more excited to wear our green and white while drinking excessive amounts. For those of you who are new to how we celebrate game days, be sure to read the tips below so you don’t look like a total newbie.
Use the buddy system
DO NOT walk around alone, not that East Lansing is an unsafe place but if you plan to be intoxicated to any extent you need to be sure someone is going to be looking out for you. There are over 50,000 students that go to MSU plus all of the alumni and fans that come to the games, you are bound to get lost and you don’t want to be stumbling around Grand River by yourself.
Attempt to go to the game
If you have season tickets you might as well go. From wherever you were tailgating on campus, it’s only about a 20 minute walk to the stadium and your first game in the student section is unlike any other. Pro tip: don’t be too drunk at the game – if you throw up you will get arrested.
Don’t plan on doing anything else that day
Football Saturdays (or Friday in our case this year) are a sacred holiday in East Lansing, once the game starts everything is dead. You are either in the stadium watching the game, at a bar watching the game or at home, you guessed it, watching the game.
As far as the night goes after the game, get ready to rally like you’ve never rallied before because post-football game parties are some of the best we have to offer. Make your way to a frat house or Cedar Village and dance til you can’t anymore.
Please eat something before drinking
Whether you plan to have a full gourmet meal before drinking or maybe just a turkey sandwich, please don’t think that you will be able to drink any type or amount of alcohol and not puke. If you plan on making it through the tailgate or going to the game, eat some food and you’ll be fine.
With all of the MSU dining halls being open before the games and all of the restaurants on Grand River serving food, you are bound to find something yummy.
Be prepared to drink crappy alcohol
Burnett’s turns into Ciroc when you go away to college. And Keystone Light becomes your best friend. Forget the days of smoothly sipping a vodka cranberry, grab that handle of bur-nasties and a two liter of fruit punch because that’s what your drink of choice for the day is.
Michigan weather has a mind of its own
We all know that no matter what time of the day or what month it is, mother nature could very much so release a terrible string of weather upon mid-Michigan. Be prepared to get rained or snowed on and have it be 60 degrees and cloudy during the tailgates and 85 and sunny at game time.