Springtime for Sparty

Michigan State University apologized for displaying a picture of Adolf Hitler on the videoboard during a trivia quiz before the school’s football game against in-state rivals the University of Michigan on Saturday.

“MSU is aware that inappropriate content by a third-party source was displayed on the videoboard prior to the start of tonight’s football game,” Michigan State athletic director Matt Larson said in a statement. “We are deeply sorry for the content that was displayed, as this is not representative of our institutional values.”

Photos began circulating on social media before kickoff of Hitler on the videoboard at Spartan Stadium with a trivia question asking where he was born. . .

MSU further said the video was from a YouTube page called The Quiz Channel. The same YouTube page has been used all season before each home game, the school said.

“Prior to last night, the content has not been objectionable,” the school said. “As the statement acknowledges, we will implement stronger screening of all content to better ensure something like this never happens again.”

CNN has reached out to the channel for comment.

The apology is part of a grim series of events for Michigan State’s football program, which lost Saturday night’s game against its rival Michigan by a 49-0 score. The university has also moved to fire head coach Mel Tucker related to accusations of sexual harassment, just two years after he signed a massive 10-year, $95 million contract.

I’m currently involved in the discovery process of some litigation I’ve initiated against my employer, and without getting too specific it has driven home to me the extent to which the administrative structures of contemporary universities are so often dominated by the three Shetland Ponies of the apocalypse: laziness, stupidity, and greed.

Think about the series of events that has to take place before a gigantic photo of a cheerful smiling Adolph Hitler appears on your new $3.5 million scoreboard, to regale the crowd at your football game.

Key terms: “intern,” “YouTube,” “third party vendor,” “oversight,” “football.”