Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo and his players start the 201718 season ranked No. 2 in the country.
The Spartans are expecting a great year, and anything short of a deep tournament run would be considered a huge disappointment. Their strength is drawn from their unity.
Coach Izzo is adamant that the shirts he, his staff and all of the Michigan State players wore on Friday night were not a protest. They were a call for unity. The non-decisive, non-political shirts aim to spread awareness of inequality without causing a media stir that leaves their cause open for convolution.
Michigan State’s new shirts: “We talk. We listen.”
(https://t.co/AgoAkEYvm6) pic.twitter.com/etvqvDnolz— Brendan Quinn (@BFQuinn) November 10, 2017
“Coach Izzo’s motto from the beginning of the year has been, ‘Let’s change the world while we’re trying to do something special on the basketball court.’” senior Ben Carter told the Detroit Free Press after practice on Wednesday.
On the front, the shirts read “We Talk, We Listen.” And on the back they say “It’s not about me. It’s about us.”
Michigan State has plans to continue wearing the shirts this season. They aren’t sure how often they’ll wear them during pregame warmups, though.
Izzo says it’s not going to be a one or two-time thing, but conceded that they haven’t put together an actual plan yet.
