Michigan State to resume athletic events this weekend; 'return to competition crucial part of recovery'
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State University announced on Thursday afternoon that Spartan athletic events will resume this weekend, both home and on the road.
The university said the decision remains subject to change, in the wake of Monday’s campus shootings which have left three Michigan State students dead and five hospitalized.
The university stated in a press release that the decision to resume sporting events was made “after discussions with mental health professionals and university leadership, and in consultation with Spartan student-athletes and staff.”
The Michigan State vs Michigan basketball game will be played as scheduled at 8 p.m. at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.
The Spartans are 16-9, 8-6 in the Big Ten, on a two-game win streak and working toward a 25th straight NCAA Tournament appearance (not counting the 2020 COVID cancellation year), which would match the third-longest in men’s Division I college basketball history. Michigan State’s streak is the second-longest active streak in the country, trailing only Kansas.
Michigan State’s previously-scheduled game against Minnesota on Wednesday was postponed and has not yet been rescheduled.
The Michigan State women’s basketball team will play host to Maryland at 3 p.m. on Saturday, as originally scheduled.
The Spartan hockey team will play at Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday. The traveled to Madison, Wis., on Wednesday in advance of the weekend games.
Michigan State‘s men’s tennis will not travel to Virginia for matches at Virginia Tech and VCU as originally planned. Instead, the Spartans will remain home and host Drake Saturday at 10 a.m., in a rescheduled event which was initially slated for Wednesday, Feb. 15.
“The safety and physical and mental well-being of our students and staff is the primary focus of Michigan State athletics,” MSU Vice President and Director of Athletics Alan Haller said via the media release. “In consultation with mental health professionals and in conversations with our student-athletes it became apparent that a return to practice and competition is a crucial part of their recovery. Student-athletes were given an active voice in the decision to return to competition, as well as the autonomy to make their own individual choices about participation.
“Athletics can be a rallying point for a community in need of healing, a fact many of our student-athletes have mentioned to me. The opportunity to represent our entire community has never felt greater. I also recognize that everyone grieves in their own unique manner, and there are some who aren’t ready to return to athletic events. Those feelings are incredibly valid, and as Coach Izzo so eloquently stated last night, I hope that we will all focus on taking care of one another.”
