Michigan State moved one win closer to college football bowl eligibility with a seven-point victory against Purdue on Friday night. Although the fans in attendance were excited by the final result, they were not enthused by the pregame giveaway upon arrival.
Discarded foam helmets were littered all over Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
Before we go any further here, let me be very clear that I am not familiar with the typical response to fan giveaways. Maybe this kind of mass repudiation is standard practice. Maybe the stadium cleanup crews are always forced to pick up hundreds of discarded giveaway products at similar events.
However, I have attended my fair share of college athletic functions and I have received a number of giveaways at a lot of different schools. Never before have I seen such carnage!
Michigan State gifted every fan that entered the stadium with a piece of foam headwear in the shape of a Spartan warrior helmet. You know the one:
I, personally, would be thrilled to throw a foam Spartan helmet over my beanie on a cold November night. Not only does it serve as an additional layer of warmth on the dome, free stuff is awesome— epecially after a few cold snacks prior to kickoff. I’d wear pretty much anything if I was all juiced up.
Michigan State fans must not share the same thinking because they littered the hallways with foam helmets. Fans then proceeded to stomp all over the discarded giveaways.
Some fans aren’t feeling the foam Spartan helmet giveaway pic.twitter.com/KzLHZ344MA
— College Football Campus Tour (@cfbcampustour) November 23, 2024
Needless to say, the giveaway was a total disaster. Fans threw them on the ground without any effort to at least find a trash can. There was an outrageous number of foam helmets all over the floor.
Even though Spartans fans were clearly uninterested in the giveaway, they were excited by the result. Michigan State will face Rutgers at home next weekend for a chance to make the postseason. Perhaps the foam helmets should stay in the box!