Because of previous instances of vandalism — like, just last month — members of the Michigan State marching band annually stand round-the-clock guard of the famed Sparty statue outside of the football stadium during the week leading up to the Michigan game. That’s this week, although the band can’t be in all places at once so, well, the following happened overnight.
That would be the Magic Johnson statue outside of the home of the Spartans basketball teams that was tagged with the yellowish hue of the rival Wolverines. According to the Lansing State Journal, it will likely take multiple man hours and perhaps thousands of dollars to rid the statue of the paint.
Suffice to say, this isn’t sitting well with some connected to MSU.
“There’s a lot of great Michigan kids, and there’s some idiots,” Spartans men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo said. “And there’s some idiots on our side too that do some crazy things.”
“I would like to think that most fans of both schools have a little more class,” a school spokesperson told the State Journal.
With ESPN‘s College GameDay show in town to provide the backdrop, the Spartans and Wolverines will face off Saturday in Arbor in one of the biggest games the rivalry has seen in years.
