Sports: Where the Action is Before the Kickoff
What is the MSU Alumni Association pre-game tent? If we’re playing “Jeopardy,” that would be the answer to this question: Before a home football game at MSU, where can one get free food, win free prizes, get face-painting for the kids, play games like “football toss,” buy all kinds of special MSU merchandise at a discount, and hear a celebrity analyze the upcoming game?
More and more Spartans are discovering that the MSUAA pre-game tent, located just northwest of the Stadium next to the Geriatric Six bandstand, is the place to hang out before the game. Traffic to the MSUAA tent has been increasing by leaps and bounds, with some alums coming from as far as Chicago to visit us. “We’ve created a place where members of the alumni association can feel at home,” says Sharon Radtke, MSUAA assistant director. “In fact, members who show us their membership cards receive free gifts. But we also welcome nonmembers, so we can show them all the great benefits of membership. Anyone who joins the MSUAA at the tent will receive a real nice premium item, like one of our MSU T-shirts.”
At each pre-game tent, a local food vendor will serve free food—whether it’s pizza, baked items or turkey. Special MSU merchandise is available at a huge discount for members. And there are free gifts for anyone who can show their MSUAA membership cards. Families love bringing their small kids to have graphic artist David Giordan paint their faces with a variety of MSU symbols. Our beloved mascot Sparty always makes an appearance and will pose for photos, which are later posted on our web site (www.msualum.com). At each tent, one of MSU’s colleges, schools, departments or programs will have a special display, along with a representative who can answer questions about the program.
Many Spartan celebrities stop by our tent—folks like Steve Smith, Tom Izzo, and Tico Duckett, to mention just a few. This year, we started a one-hour program at each tent, where a celebrity answers questions about the upcoming game and about many topics of general interest. The celebrities have included Jack Ebling, Lansing State Journal sportswriter and co-host of the daily radio program “The Sports Page” (92.7 FM), Earle Robinson, sports director for WKAR and host of a daily sports call-in radio program, and Jim Comparoni, editor of Spartan magazine and generally known as a guru of MSU sports.
As the person conducting these interviews, I can tell you this—talking to these experts before a game really helps me enjoy the game more, since they alert me to what to watch. Next time you attend a home football game, make sure you stop by and check out the action!