Editor’s note: Relentless

I couldn’t stop pacing. My dog was looking at me with confusion and I wandered around my living room wringing my hands. I wavered between watching intensely and covering my eyes with my hands. The internal struggle was real. And that, fellow Spartans, is how I watched most of the fourth quarter of last Saturday’s football game.

I wasn’t in Spartan Stadium, and I chose to watch the game at home by myself. There weren’t any tailgates, hotdogs or cheering crowds in my living room — just me, my pup and my anxious nervousness about how the game would end. I’ve been a Spartan fan a long time and, while there have been some great wins, I’ve also seen heartbreaking defeats.

There was more than one moment during that game when I wasn’t super optimistic. But I had forgotten that these Spartans are relentless. It’s right there printed on the back of their helmets. These Spartans don’t give up, even when they’re behind. No matter the challenge, their grit and determination helped them meet it and eventually claim victory. They were hoisting the Paul Bunyan trophy and Coach Harbaugh and the Wolverines looked, well, Tuckered out.  

"Relentless" isn’t just a word for our football team. It’s a word for all Spartans. No matter if we’re running down a field, working all night in a lab, teaching students, treating patients, searching for answers, creating beauty, running businesses, crunching numbers, serving communities or anything else — we are relentless. Our determination to change the world for the better drives us to never, ever give up.

It helps us achieve things like being named the College Radio Station of the Year, motivates us to create a greener world and become trailblazers and philanthropists who seed the future for new generations of Spartans.

For Dylan Miner, an artist, activist and art historian, Spartan resolve inspires him to use art to challenge students to see the world from new perspectives. Watch the beautiful video in Spartans bring the power of art to life to learn how he’s using his teaching to create a more just and equitable society.

If you, like me, watched the game on television, you missed the incredible halftime show put on by our extremely talented Spartan Marching Band and the equally talented University of Michigan Marching Band that brought the art of music to life. While we’re rivals on the game field, the music (and dancing!) partnership on the halftime field was something to behold. If you missed it, we’ve got you covered with video.

No matter how relentless we are, there will still be disappointments. No one wins every game or beats every challenge. Even if social media makes it look like everyone else’s life is perfect, I’m here to tell you it isn’t.

And that’s where being relentless really matters. There’s no simple shrugging of the shoulders when faced with failure or a setback. Instead, accept it, learn from it and move forward with renewed vigor to take on the next challenge. It’s never about how you fall. The real power comes in how you rise. Spartans Will.  

Lisa Mulcrone