Everything you’ll know if you’re a true MSU football fan

Football games are essentially a rite of passage at MSU. If you don’t attend at least a few games throughout your college years, did you really even go here?

So while we have plenty of amateur Spartan fans who may pick up on a thing or two about our team, some key parts of the football experience only ring true to real fans.

It’s a beautiful day for football!

This iconic phrase is the only appropriate way to start off a MSU football game. And let’s be real, when you’re watching the Spartans, it really is always a beautiful day.

The extreme importance of Paul Bunyan

If just reading this didn’t make you smirk thinking of how we annually crush the sniveling whiny bunch down the road, you clearly aren’t a true fan. The fact Paul has taken up a steady residence here in East Lansing is one of the Spartans’ biggest accomplishments, hands down.

Go green, go white

This iconic remark should be known by everyone on campus, but the true gravity of the statement isn’t understood until you’re on one side of the stadium screaming it back and forth with the other side for at least three minutes straight.

Even if the game is looking bleak, a good chant of our favorite colors can lighten spirits faster than you’d imagine. And we’d like to think it fires up the team as well.

Couches

Win or lose, us Spartans like to burn stuff. Specifically couches. Specifically at Cedar Village. Participating in such a sacrifice should definitely be on the bucket list for any true Spartan fan. Don’t forget your bagels.

The fight song

If you just try to jump into this ultimate power ballad, you’ll be lost. It takes games and games of practice to truly get a handle on this musical masterpiece. Its words have never rang more true than when you’re in the student section screaming the lyrics along with your Spartan brothers and sisters.

Chants

1,2,3 first down bitch.

Similar to the fight song, the intricate football chants are not something you can fake. It takes a lot of practice and attentive listening to guarantee you know exactly what to say after a certain play or when the band strikes up a certain tune.

Stripe the stadium

Perhaps one of the most iconic looks of Spartan Stadium are its stripes. Clearly we love both green and white and this is the best way to showcase both colors in all their glory. All true fans will abide by the color coordinating to ensure for the most dramatic results.

The value of Mark Dantonio

Coach D is a living legend. The man has lead us to heights unheard of in Spartan history; we’ve soared over our little sister, reached the CFB playoffs and gone from a basketball school with a football program to a powerful double threat. While we clearly have amazing recruits coming into our program, Dantonio is the Bill Belichick of college football: he could take a pack of kids off the street and turn them into a winning team.

The chip

Whether referring to our legendary coach as Mike DiAntonio, or asking said coach stupid questions on a radio show, or picking us to lose in every single controversial game, or not accepting our ability until the end of the season and then rapidly forgetting it again before the next one begins, the chip on our shoulder is everywhere.

While it would be easy to get caught up in the near universal doubt of our program, Spartans just keep grinding with that chip as constant motivation.

Spartan pride

No matter what happens, we’ll always love our team. Through the good, the bad and the horrifying, Spartans stand together.

RIH3 RIH6.