Lansing’s Love

I think Huey Lewis said it best in the 80s.

“The power of love is a curious thing

Make one man weep, make another man sing

Change a hawk to a little white dove

More than a feeling that’s the power of love

Tougher than diamonds, rich like cream

Stronger and harder than a bad girl’s Dream Nails

Make a bad one good make a wrong one right

Power of love that keeps you home at night”

With the Tom Izzo situation brewing in the mid Michigan area and now around the country, I have to wonder if the power of love will be able to keep Tom Izzo home in East Lansing. A large contingent of fans from local businesses, the creative community and (of course) the MSU nation came together over the weekend to send a simple message as Tom Izzo is making a difficult decision – We Love Izzo.

If you live in the Lansing/East Lansing area, you were well aware that the community was set to make sure this emotion … this curious thing … weighed into the very personal discussion among his family members. This group took a Sunday afternoon and plastered the town with yard signs, banners and social media messages in everyone’s “in” box.

This love even made headlines here and around the region and country. The Chicago Tribune covered the event, as did the USA Today and many areas in between. There are video clips of people moving signs from area to area all day long – a herculean effort to say the least.

Mission accomplished … I would say. Even if Tom Izzo chooses to take the next step in his career path, he can leave this town knowing that we truly appreciated and well, loved his contribution. And, if he stays, we know that he is fully aware that he is valued not only as a member of the MSU Men’s Basketball program, but also as a member of this community.

Good luck with your decision Tom.