With the MSU football team having just finished its second straight double-digit win season and the men’s basketball team having just ripped off a 15-game winning streak, student spirit should be at an all-time high.
So when students left East Lansing during winter break, one might expect it to be a little quieter at Breslin Center. But the way men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo saw it, when the students were gone, the atmosphere was even louder.
During the break, the Spartans knocked off then-No. 13 Indiana at home, 80-65, with the help of a crowd consisting of alumni members of the Izzone. In that game, Indiana went on a 25-2 run to claim the lead, but the Spartans rallied back to win.
“In my eyes, that swing in that Indiana game was so drastic, I don’t think you come back from that normally, emotionally,” Izzo said during his weekly press conference on Jan. 9. “But that crowd just willed that back. It wasn’t the coach; it was the crowd.”
Major Tom to Izzone
Izzo said he believes the alumni crowd that occupied Breslin during break should serve as an example to current members of the Izzone.
He criticized the lackluster energy and the number of students who spend time texting on their phones instead of watching the game.
“It’s time to re-up and realize that tradition means you’re playing for the people that set the standard for you,” he said. “(They) gave you an opportunity, a national reputation like you’ve got. … That’s what tradition of players means. And tradition of students means the same thing.”
In addition to the comments made to the press, Izzo addressed the Izzone directly in an email sent before the Iowa game on Jan. 10.
In the message, the coach let the Izzone know how important its support means to the team, and asked that the group helped to leave their mark on the program.
Student Alumni Foundation Vice President of Sports Operations Brian Nekic said the email resonated with members of the infamous fanbase.
“I think that email really hit, especially with some of the older Izzone members because they know what the Izzone has been in the past,” he said. “After coach Izzo’s email, it was a much better atmosphere. Little things like that help out a lot.”
No fans in the stands
However, MSU’s problems with student spirit is not just limited to the basketball team.
The MSU football team hasn’t lost at home since Nov. 21, 2009, but there still are visible gaps in the student section for many games.
According to statistics from Associate Athletic Director Paul Schager, only 58 percent of student section football season ticket holders were in attendance for the Spartans’ 31-24 win over Minnesota, and only 68 percent showed up to watch senior quarterback Kirk Cousins lead the seniors to a 55-3 victory over Indiana in their final game at Spartan Stadium.
“When students who have purchased student admissions don’t show up to the games, especially in a sport like football, it reflects poorly (on MSU),” Schager said. “Even though the tickets are sold, programs that have the success that we are enjoying typically can fill those seats.”
While those numbers might seem staggering, student attendance at football games was even worse before the arrival of head coach Mark Dantonio. In 2006, the year before Dantonio was hired, the no-show rate for student admissions was 34 percent. In 2011, that number had dropped to 19 percent, with 96 percent of students who had bought tickets in attendance to watch the Spartans beat their in-state rival 28-14 on Oct. 15, 2011.
Spartan Stadium currently reserves about 14,300 seats for students, which include undergraduates, graduates and the band.
Student season tickets went on sale in June 2011 and sold out before the team’s home opener against Youngstown State on Sept. 2, 2011.
Kinesiology senior Ronnie Pluszczynski is one of many students who was unable to purchase season tickets before they sold out. He said while MSU’s recent success certainly played into how quickly tickets disappeared, he knows many students bought season tickets to make money off the headlining games.
“(Some) kids don’t have any interest in going to the games, but they know that if they sell the Michigan or Wisconsin tickets they can make a quick a profit,” Pluszczynski said. “It makes it difficult for kids who really want to go to the game.”
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Great expectations
When it comes down to it, it’s no surprise Izzo holds student fans to the same standards that he holds his players.
Izzone Co-Director Brandon Heins said members of the Izzone hold themselves to that same standard. However, he added that ticket renewal rates have been lower this season, and it becomes hard to educate the newer members about the importance of being a part of the Izzone.
“All year we’ve noticed it’s been a younger section,” he said. “The Izzone is one of the best college basketball student sections in the nation, and just with so many younger people, not everyone gets that.”
Heins added that the $180 price tag for Izzone tickets may have contributed to the low renewal rates, but also in the age of high definition television it becomes easier for fans to sit at home and watch games on TV.
“We’re always regarded as one of the best, but we want it to be widely accepted that the Izzone is the epitome of a student section,” he said. “It’s what’s expected of us.”
