Sparty's Grab and Go at MSU’s Brody Hall in East Lansing, Michigan, on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025.
As the spring semester kicked off at Michigan State, a new lineup of energy drinks was added to Sparty’s Markets across campus. Celsius and Alani were replaced by Ai Energy and Bum Energy following a price increase caused by Pepsi's acquisition of the brands.
Associate Director of Marketing and Communications Cheryl Berry said the decision was purely financial, noting that after Pepsi acquired Celsius and Alani, the drinks became too expensive for Sparty’s to carry.
"What happens is we try to fill the majority of the Sparty’s stores with items that fit within the combo exchange parameters," Barry said. "Unfortunately, when Pepsi made the price increase, they would not work with us on it. We couldn’t carry them anymore; it was just too expensive."
The replacement drinks have more realistic prices, with Ai Energy's unit price being $1.89 and retailing for $2.89, and Bum Energy's unit price being $1.69 and retailing for $2.59.
However, Ai Energy has been met with some skepticism since its release. The company’s CEO, Jack Owoc, previously led Bang Energy and was removed from his role in 2023 after a series of lawsuits, including a $270 million settlement with Monster Energy, and reports of financial mismanagement. Bang later filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Sophomore nursing student Bella Hagen says she isn’t interested in trying the Ai Energy drink and wants Sparty's to bring back Alani and Celsius.
"It looks insane," Hagen said. "It looks like it is full of chemicals, which everything is but it still makes me a bit weirded out. I also don’t like the fact that there is artificial intelligence art on the can. It just does not look very appealing to me. I don’t understand why we can’t just bring back Alanis and Celsius. We are a multi-million dollar school, and we can spend a couple of extra cents on the name brand."
Berry noted that while they realize the drink isn't as popular as Alani and Celsius, it suits the needs of Sparty's Markets and provides students with an opportunity to try something new.
"We thought we would bring that in and give it a chance to fill the spots from Alani and Celsius. It could be that students decide they do not want these. If they are not purchasing it we will look at other options," Berry said.
Some students have shown interest in trying Ai Energy and Bum Energy. Junior game design major Owen Guzal said he would give it a shot regardless of the pushback he has noticed.
"A lot of my friends hate the fact that there is AI art on it, which is kind of the main thing drawing me away," Guzal said. "I still think I would like to try it at least once. I liked the Bang Energy drinks, so I am assuming they are similar."
It remains unclear whether Ai Energy and Bum Energy will remain long-term selections at Sparty’s, though they will stay on shelves for now.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
