Michigan Denies Michigan State Senior Right To Kiss The Logo, Scuffle Ensues

Michigan and Michigan State hate each other in sports, and that was evident Sunday at the end of a men’s basketball matchup.

The Spartans had the game in hand in the waning seconds of the second half, and Wolverines guard Justin Pippen was at the line shooting a pair of free throws. Pippen’s teammates L.J. Cason and Phat Phat Brooks were standing at midcourt on the Spartan logo. Evidently, his teammates were inhibiting a well-known tradition at Michigan State.

Spartans senior Szymon Zapala was about to head to the logo to kiss the logo at midcourt, a tradition started by Shawn Respert 30 years ago that was meant for all outgoing seniors. But when Zapala was on his way, the two Michigan guards would not let him. 

That’s when the pushing and shoving started, though it didn’t get too out of hand.

After the game, Spartans head coach Tom Izzo told everyone present that no one was going to prevent the senior from their birthright.

"We have a freaking tradition here. Nobody — NOBODY — is changing our tradition," Izzo said.

It should be noted that Izzo let junior Tre Holloman kiss the logo as well, though he’s an underclassman. But an exception was made because he stuck up for Zapala.

In an ensuing press conference, Michigan head coach Dusty May said that he had no idea that this was something Michigan State did (it is his first year in Ann Arbor). It should be noted that he was pretty defensive in his response.

For the most part, Izzo was gracious to Michigan and said that stuff like this always comes out in rivalry games.

"It wasn’t the end of the world," he said. "Maybe they did what they wanted to do if it was right, and we did what we needed to do. And that’s what rivalries are all about. If everybody’s out there, hugging and kissing, it’s probably not a rivalry."

Ain’t that the truth? These two schools have just reignited their hardwood rivalry.