Sports

Michigan Student Paper Dunks On Michigan State’s After It Backs Out Of Rivalry Flag Football Game

#College Football
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The Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans have one of the best rivalries in all of college football.

It’s a rivalry that extends far beyond of the confines of the football stadium and is ingrained in the culture of both schools.

As such, the student newspapers at Michigan (The Michigan Daily) and Michigan State (The State News) play an annual flag football game for bragging rights.

This is a very serious game for Michigan students.

But it appears that Michigan State does not feel the same way.

Michigan Daily sports editor Paul Nasr revealed Monday that The State News has opted not to play the game this year.

A State News alum then stated that the reason for doing so was because the Michigan students would “go too hard.”

But the State News had a solution. Instead of playing football, the two schools could work together on a collaborative journalism project.

Doesn’t exactly have the same sort of sting to it, does it?

But that’s only where things began. As it turns out, The Michigan Daily has won 18 (!!!) consecutive flag football games against The State News.

“I played exactly one snap in one State News game and it was still a highlight of my time at the Daily. The best rivalry in sports — though, is it still a rivalry when the Daily has won 18 straight,” Michigan Daily alum Bailey Johnson tweeted.

Somehow it gets worse!

“I mean, we all knew they were going to lose 8-0 for the fourth straight time. But you still gotta play the game. Cowardly from @thesnews,” wrote another Michigan Daily alum, Kent Schwartz.
Eighteen consecutive losses including three straight shutouts is a lot of come back from. And I’m not sure we can even fault Sparty for tapping out at that point. But Michigan Daily writers both past and present weren’t letting them off that easily.
“2 of the best nights of my college experience were playing in the state news game. Don’t deny these kids that chance. Don’t be a coward. Maybe if snews started practicing they’d actually have a fighting chance,” tweeted @IsraelLily.
Even Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic had a say.
“Come on, @thesnews. This is a great, unique tradition and something that is important to alumni on both sides of the rivalry. Play the game,” she wrote.
Losing is not a good reason for giving up.
Let the kids play!