A Message to Spartan Nation about MSU Football and Beyond

For the past couple of weeks, I have been frequently hearing negative comments about the Michigan State football team.

And there’s no one on the team who is taking more heat than Spartan quarterback Tyler O’Connor. These comments are from the Lansing State Journal:

– From Kyle Suminski @Kyle_Sum at 11:12 p.m.: “How F—— bad are you? @TylerOConnor7”

– From Michael Carreras @NotTheFakeMikeC at 11:03 p.m.: “TylerOconnor7 hopefully you’re not as dumb as you look because you SUCK at football #findabackupplan”

– From Robb @TheRobbSkinner at 10:47 p.m.: “@TylerOConnor7 please do us all a favor and step down. You are an absolute disgrace to Spartan QB’s”

-From Daniel Lewis @C9Shat: “@TylerOConnor7 is the worst thing to happen to Michigan State”

This kind of talk is absolutely inexcusable and this repulsive criticism needs to stop.

These players are people too. They are working their tails off every single day so the Spartans have a football team with committed athletes.

Saying or expressing those awful things isn’t going to change anything. It gives MSU more unnecessary adversity to deal with and you look like a huge jerk. So think before you impulsively say or do anything that might be offensive.

This common trend of attacking players is becoming more prevalent with unlimited access to social media. This is a major problem that needs to be addressed not just from a national standpoint but from a global perspective as well.

They make mistakes like everyone else but it’s different because they do it on a national stage. The purpose of any sports league is for entertainment, yet so many fans go overboard by soaking it in as reality.

It’s an important life lesson to forgive for one’s mistakes, especially if it’s on the football landscape where perception becomes reality for too many people.

In today’s world, success is always measured by how much money someone makes or the magnitude and merit their achievements hold. And somehow, people always neglect to include effort into the equation.

There’s a reason why several corporations like Microsoft and Google reflect someone’s work ethic and credentials more so than the academic prestige of the institution he or she attended. The effort should and does speak more than the value of the degree.

The message is simple: Spartan Nation needs to rally behind O’Connor and the rest of the Michigan State football team. Anyone that calls himself/herself a Spartan has no excuse to turn their back on a group of young men that is striving for essential accomplishments not just for themselves, but for the entire team and Michigan State University as well.

From the coaches to the trainers to the medical associates to the players, they all devote their life to their job and the game they love. Everyone aims to unify the MSU student body and community with every ounce of energy and all the sweat, tears and toil that come with it. This goal in sight leads to these athletes making sacrifices and them pushing to their physical and mental limits.

Football is more than a game as it demonstrates real life lessons. Players who lead by example time and time again have had the ability to motivate and inspire people to work hard and to never give up, especially those who are less fortunate.

And because of that, I’d personally rather have a team in general who has a strong work ethic and invest a huge chunk of their life towards something they admire compared to a unit who experiences success but are very lackadaisical about their passion.

Not to mention the fact that these men are playing football because of the love they share with the game, instead of making a career out of it. These college kids aren’t in the NFL. They aren’t getting paid by their school or any sponsorships to play college football. All of the players have earned the right to play for a program through scholarships or walking onto a program. There’s a reason why they are labeled as student-athletes.

Speaking of which, for most students who are enrolled at MSU, their first priority is to get an education. That’s the primary reason why students are students at any university.

But the college experience comes with a huge bundle of bonuses. Developing friendships and bonds with new people, getting involved with clubs and organizations, volunteer work, a variety of internships, and athletics.

And being surrounded by 50,000 peers representing the same school you are with limitless opportunities makes it too easy to dive and endeavor into these experiences without the slightest hesitation.

So regardless of how the MSU football team performs this season or in the future, it does not have a direct impact on our individual lives. A loss doesn’t deteriorate our health. A loss doesn’t damage our academic success.

A loss can never take away or diminish our highest values: family, friends, health, and happiness.

The people who made those horrific comments above are not nor will ever be Spartans.

Real Spartans pride themselves on being dedicated, diligent, enthusiastic, humble, etc. In times like this where MSU’s athletes are being severely berated and bashed, students, faculty and anyone else who affiliates with the university, needs to reach out to the football team and show them the utmost support that they deserve.

Whether that’s attending football games or giving them compliments on social media, any act of encouragement will go a long way.

After all, that’s what being a Spartan is all about.