Spartan Band Guards Sparty Before Michigan Rivalry
Michigan State Spartan Marching Band members stand watch over the Sparty statue each night ahead of the Saturday game against Michigan.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Philanthropy
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Michigan State University Spartan Marching Band members guard the Sparty statue on campus each night before the Saturday football game against the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The tradition began after University of Michigan fans vandalized the statue decades ago and has continued for more than 50 years.
Why it matters
The tradition ties the rivalry's history to student participation on campus, with band members keeping watch over the school's mascot during the week leading up to the game. It also connects this week's campus activity to a Big Ten We Give blood drive at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing.
The Big Ten We Give competition awards the winning school a $1 million grant for student or community health, with donors able to give blood anywhere in the country through Nov. 8. The extraction does not specify how many donations have been collected so far.
The players
Michigan State University
A public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, home to the Spartan Marching Band and the Sparty statue.
University of Michigan
A public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the Spartans' rival in the annual football game.
Josh and Jase
British YouTube personalities who visited Lansing earlier this year and are appearing at the Big Ten We Give blood drive.
The details
Band members sit and watch the Sparty statue each night during the week leading up to the Michigan game. Students in the Big Ten We Give campaign can log donations online or text "GIVE BLOOD" to 222-688, and British YouTube stars Josh and Jase will appear at the Kellogg Center Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Timeline
Decades ago: University of Michigan fans vandalized the Sparty statue before the annual game.
Earlier this year: Josh and Jase visited Lansing.
Thursday, Nov. 6: Josh and Jase appear at the Kellogg Center blood drive, 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 7: Michigan State and Michigan play football in Ann Arbor.
Through Nov. 8: Nationwide blood donation window for Big Ten We Give closes.
Season Context
The nightly guarding of Sparty has run for more than 50 years, turning a response to decades-old vandalism by Michigan fans into a fixed pre-game tradition. It places the current week within a long-running rivalry in which campus symbols have repeatedly been contested.
Students and East Lansing residents can donate blood at the Kellogg Center on Thursday or online through Nov. 8 by texting "GIVE BLOOD" to 222-688. Campus visitors should expect the Sparty statue area to be watched by band members through the week before the game.
The takeaway
Campus traditions like the nightly guarding of Sparty show how a rivalry's history can become an ongoing student ritual. Donors can still contribute to the Big Ten We Give drive by logging a donation online or texting "GIVE BLOOD" to 222-688 before the window closes Nov. 8.
What happens next
The band members will continue guarding the Sparty statue each night until the Spartans and Wolverines play Saturday in Ann Arbor, and donors can give blood through Nov. 8.
Further reading
Explore more local giving stories in Philanthropy coverage for East Lansing.
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Would you donate blood this week if a local drive asked you?
