This year, not resigning to follow the Spartans vicariously through Facebook or ESPN ticker updates, I made a personal commitment to follow the Spartans live as long as they were still playing. It has been an interesting foray, and often a logistical nightmare. 

Over the Spartans run, I’ve watched them play in four different locales on four different live feeds. Let me explain. First, there is the issue of finding a channel or feed to watch the games. Since CBS Sports is not a cable channel in China, most local bars only are able to carry a few games on international cable packages like the Asian Sports Network. 

ASN did not carry our first game against Georgia, but using my VPN, which allowed me to watch the games on CBSsports.com from a U.S. IP address, we streamed the game live from my apartment. We have been lucky twice now watching the game at a local bar in Beijing playing the games live, which makes it a little easier. In the third round, it sure was a close call watching the Oklahoma game from a shoddy Internet connection while sitting the lobby at a hotel in downtown Guangzhou, but #Spartanswill!

If the logistical nightmare of finding a station to watch the games weren’t enough, there is of course the timing of the games. Frankly, we’ve just had to suck it up, most recently staying up until 5 a.m. on Monday morning to watch the Spartans cut down the nets to go on to the Final Four. The sluggish start on Monday’s work day was well worth the sacrifice of a good night’s sleep.

Overall, this March Madness season has been a very special one for me, and for many of the thousands of Spartan alumni we have across China. It has been a mix of traditional American college sports revelry and cultural fusion. 

I’ve even met new Spartan friends. Over the past few weeks of the Spartan’s magical tournament run, alums from around China have been swapping virtual high fives and pictures of celebrations at bars and homes around China, primarily through the Chinese social media app, Wechat. We have record of Spartans gathering all over China to watch the games in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong.

This upcoming weekend in China is a national holiday, and many people will be traveling. But rest assured, those of us that truly bleed green and white will have our hearts, minds, and spirits with the Spartans wherever we go. We believe!

Thank you to the MSU Basketball Spartans for making us all so proud. You give us a reason to gather and celebrate, which in turn gives us an opportunity to recognize the awesomeness of MSU’s global footprint.

Dan Redford is the president of the MSU Beijing Alumni Chapter.