Answering Your General MSU Athletics Emails & Questions...

Answering Your MSU General Athletic Questions… Hondo I would like to say that I am very glad that these question and answer articles are back. Thank you. I

Answering Your MSU General Athletic Questions…

Hondo I would like to say that I am very glad that these question and answer articles are back. Thank you. I was looking at the
Frozen Four and noticed that Michigan State had played all four of them. Seems like a terrific stat and more importantly a great way to judge how far we have come as a program in one year with Anastos. –Rick

Let me say first you are welcome. I love the Q & A articles. During the regular season they are hard to do with so many other things going, but I enjoy them also. Secondly the Spartans did play all four teams going 1-4-1 in those games. These are a great measuring stick. I think Anastos
inherited a team with so many weaknesses and shortcomings, but the fact that they played all four teams and played all four tough did give the program a good look. Playing them isn’t as big as they played all four tough.

Hondo I know you have said that MSU hockey had an amazing year, but was it against a schedule like Syracuse in basketball or an Izzo type
schedule? Sorry I don’t know much about hockey. –Allen

Great question Allen and it was definitely an Izzo type schedule. They were #2 in the nation with strength of schedule. That is what
made the success even more amazing.

Hondo I am thrilled with the job Jake Boss has done with MSU baseball. I have even made every home game and the showdown so far. Do you
think there is a chance we lose him to pro ball or a bigger school? He really has us on solid footing. –James

James I agree that Jake has done an amazing job. Do I think we have to worry about Jake leaving MSU today? No I don’t, but with any relationship you have to make sure that both parties protect it and value it. Because baseball is a non-revenue sport there will be a ceiling on resources that other places do not have. MSU (and they will as long as we have Hollis) must guard and protect the program while at the same time being mindful of its
status. I can tell you that Hollis doesn’t want to lose him and he doesn’t want to leave so for now it is all good.

Hondo you have mentioned previously how OSU and Michigan don’t have the money issues for all of their money losing sports.  Why is that when we are all in the same league? –Jim

Great question. First it starts and ends when it comes to athletic money with football. They have OVER 30,000 more seats and many more suites in their football stadiums. On top of that they sell out. What a joke to see MSU last year in key games with empty and at times unsold seats. Also how many games were there thousands of empty student seats? Sure many of the empty seats are purchased, but went unused. As far as student seats those are discounted so if the students aren’t going to use them they must look at making the corner blitz smaller so they can not only sell those seats at a higher price, but also because of the location of them they can get donor money on top of the seat cost. I was told by someone I trust at UM that
their athletic department t makes OVER $1 million dollars per home football game more than MSU. So if they have seven home games that is over $7 million more for the athletics checkbook for the non-revenue sports. Hollis is ten times the AD that Brandon is and I can only imagine what he would be able to do with that much more revenue to use.