I was on Adams Field on Saturday morning when I looked up and saw the giant “G-O” being written in the sky above East Lansing.
My first thought was excitement. Oh cool! Someone’s writing Go Green in the sky on game day! I took my phone out to take a picture.
Then, as the “B” began to form after the “G-O,” my heart quickly sunk to my toes, and feelings of disbelief and embarrassment began to flood my cheeks.
Seriously, someone really paid THAT MUCH money, just to make a childish point? In a matter of minutes, “GOBLUE” was etched into the sky like a brand on the side of a steer. It made my heart hurt.
Of course, everyone around me was taking out their smartphones and cameras, snapping away at the message in the sky. And even though I’m a huge proponent of the power of sharing and social media, the “always-slighted 10-year-old Spartan fan” in me wanted to run up to every single one of them and swat their cameras away.
No one should see this! I thought. Us sharing it is just going to fuel U of M’s fire! But it happened, it was there, and people all around me were gawking and pointing.
That may have been in the only moment in my life where I wished that Facebook had never been invented…Shocking, I know.
However, in light of recent events, I’ve become incredibly thankful that Facebook DOES exist, and for the power of social media, and what a difference a little sharing can do.
If you haven’t heard about the incredible response to the “GOBLUE” skywriting, it’s about time that you did. Scott Westerman, a friend and a mentor of mine, posted this on Saturday, following the skywriting. 
“I saw the picture on my FB feed and tried to think of how to turn it into a positive for both UofM and for us,” Scott told me this morning. “Since this is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month, and since the Michigan Ovarian Cancer Alliance is headquartered in Ann Arbor, it felt like this could be a huge win-win.”
And so far, it has been. Spartans (and even some Wolverines too!) have been donating to the Michigan Ovarian Cancer Alliance, even causing their Paypal account to crash. Over $4,100 had been raised by Tuesday afternoon, according to recent MLIVE story. UPDATE: Scott has informed us all that donations have passed the $20k mark. WOW.
The story has exploded across social media, and it’s continuing to grow. Check out Scott’s side of the story on his website here.
Especially with rivalries, it’s so easy to get sucked into petty insults, dumb retaliations, and silly fights. I’ve done it, you’ve done it, face it; we’ve ALL done it. I distinctly remember a Valentines Day in elementary school where I made everyone MSU valentines, and didn’t give any to the U of M fans in the class. It happens!
I mean, there’s so much emotion involved–especially with the MSU/UM rivalry. But Scott did as my dad has always told me to do; he “killed ‘em with kindness.”
“When we focus only on one dimension of a university, like a football team, it’s easy to lose sight of what both UofM and MSU are all about. “ Said Scott, “We exist to enrich young minds, inspire our alumni and tackle the biggest problems. The positive response I’ve seen confirms that authentic Spartans take these ethics to heart.” Scott, I couldn’t agree more.
It’s things like this that make me beam with pride every time I tell someone that I went to Michigan State, that I’m a Spartan. It’s things like this that make me truly believe that, in the face of anything—hardship, sickness, or even smoke in the sky to fuel a rivalry…Spartans Will.
What do you think of this? Leave a comment below. Wondering who is responsible for the “GOBLUE” over MSU? Click here.
Every day By Tay: Life of a Post-Graduate Spartan 