When Michigan State won its Elite Eight matchup on Sunday against Louisville, coach Tom Izzo said that he hoped the team’s victory would be a glimmer of hope in what’s been a difficult year for the state. He said he hoped the fans could rally around the success of the team to restore some happiness and pride in the community. It makes you think that the Final Four being held in Detroit couldn’t be happening at a better time and that it was almost imperative for the Spartans to make it to Ford Field. With the condition of the automotive industry, the state will now receive a significant boost in the form of tourism for the upcoming weekend. Additionally, Sports by Brooks points out that ticket prices will likely ascend because of the Spartans’ presence in the Final Four. As Darren Rovell tells it:
StubHub spokesman Sean Pate told me that the Spartans getting in should be worth at least a $50 increase in each ticket sold on the site.
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Pate says that, thanks to the close proximity to their East Lansing campus, MSU fans will be willing to invest more in a ticket since many don’t have to worry about booking a plane flight.
I hope that doesn’t mean more debt-spending for folks, but if people get out there with positive thoughts and start opening up the pocket books the way they used to, it will be good for everyone. And if the folks from Carolina, the Northeast, and Philly make their way to Michigan, it could serve as a nice stimulus package for an economy that needs it so badly. All those times Tom Izzo was rumored to take a job elsewhere (Kentucky, anyone?), maybe he never left because he knew the people of Michigan needed him more than anyone else (and MSU knew that too, that’s why they paid him top dollar). I feel the same way about the town of Memphis and John Calipari, but it doesn’t seem like that’s going to stop him as of now.
