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College Rivalries, Summed Up Perfectly In One Soundbite

Sometimes, fans get more into rivalries than the players and coaches actually participating in them. The players and coaches might share the same lifelong, diehard allegiances of the fans. The players on opposing sides might be friends. Either way, when it becomes clear that fans are more intense in their loathing for rivals than the actual people involved in the rivalries, from a fan’s perspective it feels like something’s taken away from that rivalry. Do the players and coaches care too little? Do the fans just care too much? Are we all just overly wrapped up in this stuff, making too big a deal out of it?

But then, you see what Michigan State coach Tom Izzo had to say about intrastate rival Michigan, and you’re swept right back in:

Every Michigan State basketball fan can rest easy after hearing that one (well, the knowledge that Izzo reliably gets his teams to the Final Four every few years doesn’t hurt, either). But wait – the rivalry has to be intense on both sides. And last night, Michigan got the better of the Spartans. And confirming just how much this one means to all parties, both players and fans went crazy. One of thos fans: Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, unquestionably the big man on campus but here just looking like another euphoric student in the stands, celebrating wildly:

Yeah, rivalries are still worth it.