Michigan State displays image of Hitler on video board before game

Michigan State’s athletic department, which has already endured a lot of bad publicity, something that happened at Spartan Stadium ahead of Saturday’s game against Michigan is not going to help.

So, what happened? An image of Adolf Hitler was displayed on the video board.

Well before the game started, trivia questions were being shown on the video board. It’s a fairly common practice among college and pro teams alike as a way to give the fans who get to their seats early something to do to stay busy. So far, so good.

But one of the questions asked which country Hitler was born in. When the answer (Austria) was displayed, Hitler’s likeness was also shown on the board.

This was a misstep.

While Michigan State’s athletic program (and specifically football team) has endured a lot of recent bad publicity, it seemed as though most of the bad press surrounding Saturday’s game was more focused on Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal.

But judging by the response, this flub did a lot to send the negative publicity back Michigan State’s way.

What the hell is going on in Michigan. https://t.co/XjuZiIpSPs

— Nolan (@VoidOfRoses) October 21, 2023

While not all trivia questions ahead of a football game need to be centered around football, topics like Hitler are best to avoid, certainly if his image is going to be displayed. Hopefully Michigan State (and anyone else who might operate a video board) learned that lesson on Saturday.

[Photo Credit: Alexander Haenke on Twitter]