Michigan State University offered free football and basketball tickets to more than 100 state lawmakers, legislative staffers and government officials during 2025, The Detroit News reported Thursday, Sept. 3.

The newspaper reviewed hundreds of pages of internal emails from MSU's government relations team. Reporter Craig Mauger tracked 87 state lawmakers, legislative staffers or employees of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration who accepted tickets to MSU football and basketball games in those exchanges.

MSU is a registered lobbyist under Michigan law. That matters. Registered lobbyists cannot give public officials items worth more than $79 in fair market value under the state's Lobby Registration Act. The Bureau of Elections confirmed that $79 threshold remains unchanged for 2026.

MSU requested payment for football tickets it distributed to officials, the emails showed. Basketball was different. Those were usually given to lawmakers with no request for payment, according to the Detroit News.

MSU spokesperson Amber McCann defended the university's pricing method. She told the Detroit News, "In the event there is no price provided on the ticket, the value is assessed based on what it would cost a member of the public to purchase an event ticket through the MSU Athletics ticket office."

McCann said that put basketball tickets at $55 each, below the $79 threshold. But that flat valuation would price a game against San Jose State the same as a Dec. 6, 2025, matchup against Duke University, when both teams were ranked in the top 10 nationally. Media reports before the Duke game pegged the starting resale price at $119. MSU offered at least three lawmakers tickets to that game, the Detroit News reported.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's office ruled in August 2024 that gifts from lobbyists should be valued at fair market value, not face value. That ruling also said lobbyists must collect payment before handing tickets to lawmakers.

The University of Michigan said it has not provided complimentary tickets to state lawmakers, citing Benson's interpretive statement.

MSU's government relations office changed leadership during this period. Katie John was named vice president for government relations in August 2026, replacing Rebecca DeVooght, who left the university.

No ethics complaint, investigation or legislative hearing related to the ticket distribution has been publicly announced. The Detroit News obtained the emails through an open records request.