It didn’t take long, but Dan Bartholomae is on his way to legendary athletic director status if the first 1.5 months on the job are any indication of what to expect.
The new Michigan State AD has already said all the right things, but now he’s acting on them. Obviously everyone wants more spending on football, and that will come, but another main issue has been the attendance at Spartan Stadium — most notably the student section. Bartholomae came up with a genius idea to keep students in seats until the end of the game: the bars.
OK, that may not make complete sense out of context, but Bartholomae knows how to speak to students so he’s dangling a carrot that is Fieldhouse (one of the most popular bars in East Lansing) by offering free cover with a post-game stamp.
Not just free cover, but the first 100 students with a stamp get a free hot honey pepperoni pizza. Surely that won’t completely overload the kitchen, but that’s a good problem to have.
We've got your post-game plans covered 🏈🍕 pic.twitter.com/Yw62vCKUNZ
— Michigan State Athletics (@MSU_Athletics) October 16, 2026
It’s a miracle if Michigan State’s student section is half full by the end of the game and honestly a shock if it’s more than half full after halftime. Not only is this a great setup to get Fieldhouse some extra business (not that it really needs it), but it’s also a genius plan to keep students happy and in the seats at the same time.
Obviously this only applies to students of legal age to drink but the students at the game who stay are usually the ones who aren’t prioritizing the bars or who aren’t old enough anyways. This should keep at least the lower bowl of the student section packed on Saturday.
Free cover, a good time, and free pizza? Bartholomae absolutely cooked with this one.
Dan Bartholomae is just getting started
Bartholomae is obviously working on other ideas behind the scenes, but this is a fantastic way to show that he’s listening to fans. He knows what the issue is and he knows how to speak to students with free cover and pizza at a popular bar.
It can sometimes be that easy.
Him saying that he’s going to resource the football program to be competitive immediately is another huge step in the right direction. If he follows through on that promise, he’s going to wake this “sleeping giant” and turn Michigan State football back into a national power.
It’s nice to have an athletic director who realizes that athletic department success starts and centers around football — even at “basketball schools”.
Bartholomae is going to continue proving that he was an A+ hire. Hopefully Michigan State can hold onto this one.
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