Fall Saturdays have always been a big deal in East Lansing.
When Michigan State football plays at home, the academic-focused college campus that existed the day before is almost unrecognizable. Parking lots and lawns transform into a sea of tents, grills, and green-and-white-clad fans filling up most of MSU’s sprawling landscape, packing in to celebrate their favorite team.
As integral to the college football experience as the tailgate is, being inside the stadium is where most fans want to be during the game. However, due to the success of the team last season and the record number of over 9,800 freshmen on campus, student section ticket packages for the season sold out much earlier than usual. In recent years, tickets would still be available well into August. But with the hype surrounding the football team after posting a 10-2 record in 2021, many students were quick to grab their seats this summer before it was too late, and this message began popping up in late July on the MSU Athletics website:
“The student general admission season package for the 2022 Michigan State Football season is SOLD OUT.”
This was a devastating message to read for many students attempting to buy tickets this season. Still, buying the season ticket package is not the end-all-be-all.
“There are options and opportunities to attend Spartan football games even for those who missed out on the season tickets,” said Paul Schager, Executive Associate Athletic Director of External Relations for Michigan State Athletics.
MSU Athletics encourages students to buy tickets through Stubhub, where students who purchased the ticket package can safely attempt to sell individual games. Ticket prices quickly skyrocketed to over $100 on Stubhub for the first home game of the year against Western Michigan University due to the high demand. That is more than half the cost of a full-season student admission package, which was $185 before they sold out.
The other option besides buying a normal ticket outside of the student section is to do a ticket transfer online between IDs on their website. Students can do this with a friend, or even a fellow student trying to sell their ticket on a third-party website such as Facebook marketplace or Reddit. This way can be a way to not pay the Stubhub premium, but there are often users on those websites that may be looking to scam other students. Although Stubhub may usually be the more expensive option, it offers a level of security that the ticket swap does not.
Schager also mentioned there might be another chance down the line to get student section tickets.
“We try to offer a week of game sales as well to students as an additional opportunity,” said Schager.
The season is now in full swing, and the Spartans are falling short on the field of what many expected coming into this year. Tickets are now much cheaper and easier to find, occasionally dipping below $20 on Stubhub for the Ohio State game on Oct. 8.
Obtaining a ticket is one battle, but getting inside the stadium is another. After scanning a student ID or online ticket from StubHub at the designated gate, fans can walk up to any of the staffers holding colored wristbands and obtain one to be able to sit in the corresponding section. There is always a rush for the pink ones, which are needed for the closest seats in the house. The problem is, getting through the line at the gate can take a while.
“I think they could improve on the new line system for the student section,” said junior mechanical engineering major Jake Kunka. “The past two home games, many students were still waiting in a long line at kickoff time.”
Even with the big rush of students wanting to come to games, the student section footprint will not be shifting anytime soon. The athletic department has previously looked at expanding the student section, potentially even putting some students in a separate area of the stadium. When trying similar tactics in the past, according to Schager, they have learned that it alienates those students and doesn’t make sitting in the student section a great experience for them.