On this episode, the SOS team explores about how sports, music, and community bring people together through shared experiences. They discuss events like the 2026 World Cup and the College World Series, along with ways Lansing Community College can create a fun and welcoming game-day atmosphere. The conversation also highlights Japan's tradition of cleaning stadiums after events as an inspiring example of community pride and respect.

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Website: LCC Athletics

Related Podcast: Coach Cut’s Corner

It's time for Stars on Sports. A podcast radio show dedicated to sharing stories about our athletic program at LCC, past and present. Lansing Community College athletics has a strong tradition: 25 national championships, over 190 All Americans, 19 MCCAA All Sports Trophies. Stars on Sports will introduce you to individuals that have contributed to our program success and give you the backstory on what it takes to develop it. We'll also dive into and break down the topics and issues facing athletic departments across the nation and right here at LCC. This is Stars on Sports.

Hello and welcome to another episode of Stars on Sports. I'm joined today by our A team assistant athletic director Steven Cutter and our producer, Daedalian Lowry.

And gentlemen, I'm excited about this podcast. As we record this podcast. The World cup is going on across our country in Mexico and Canada.

And I just read an article in Time magazine that was called why Watching Sports Makes people Happy.

And we've talked about it before, but with these events going on in our life, we talked about how sports and music bring people together, but we never really dived into it.

So reading that article and watching the World cup and even some other things, the college baseball World Series, there are things that happened that really just like make me love sports. And we're going to dive into them. But the couple one that I really want to emphasize is Japan.

And we've talked about Japan before, but I want to dive into it more. I've learned more.

They clean the stadium when they're done playing, all their fans bring garbage bags and they clean the stadium after the World cup event. And then the other one isn't World cup related, it's actually college baseball related. But I'm rooting for West Virginia.

And the reason I'm rooting for West Virginia is when they win, they play Take Me Home Country Road afterwards and the team lines up on the baseline and the whole stadium is just belting it. And it just, I love it, you know, so. And I love sports and music bringing each other together. So, you know, and I think that's important.

I mean, you know, like my job as an administrator is put on a sporting event and at the end, most of us focus on the scoreboard. But even at lcc, we've really worked hard at improving our game day environment. And it is about building a community.

And you know, I want, my mantra is I want them to this the best place they go all year. When they come to lcc, it is the best place they go all year. And we're going to talk about Walt Disney more.

We've hit on him on every podcast recently about how important parking was or other events at their park that he's really hit on. But I want them to come in and be happy if you overcharge them or if you charge for parking. Some are coming in mad and I don't want that.

I want them to be happy. But it's all encompassing and music is a big part of that. Cleanliness is a big part of that. Got a lot of different ways we can go.

But what your initial. Have you followed the World cup at all or college baseball World Series or.

Yeah, yeah.

This is definitely an interesting topic and we have hit on it before about just the sheer magnitude of what sports and music and how many people they actually bring together.

You were talking about what you try to do at LCC in the game day, making it the best possible, how it's not always, it's not all about the scoreboard and stuff like that.

You know, one thing to hit on is the stars and LCC just won the all sports trophy again for the mccaa and I think that's a huge award that says a lot about all of the programs, not just one program, but about all the programs.

Yeah. And again, we can do some year end stuff, but as I've said before on this podcast, that is a goal of mine.

I feel that the good measurement of our program across all nine sports and again, we did have a great year athletically on and off the field. You know, our GPAs were higher. We've emphasized that. We have tried to improve our event experiences.

We have a mascot now that we'll get on this podcast eventually. Lance the Astronaut. So exciting things here at LCC as we reflect on another year. The Dallian. What do you think about?

I mean, you go to a lot of music events, but what about sporting events? Do you notice the music, Adam? Do you notice that sense of belonging?

Yes, the music for sure. I always notice that no matter where I'm at, no matter what I'm doing, because I love music.

But the funny thing is this question actually came up yesterday at another place I was at where they were asking about the World cup. And do you watch it? Are you into it? There was a guy there that mentioned something where I was like, yeah, I could see that.

And it actually ties into exactly what you're talking about. Like I would. I don't watch it personally. However, if I knew somebody who was really into it, I would watch it and enjoy watching it.

And that goes back to kind of what you're saying is just a sense of belonging, and that's the reason I would watch it.

That's a good point, because I think we've lost that a little bit with free agent society. But you used to identify with an athlete or someone, and that's probably even the music side of it. You have an artist you identify with.

You go to those concerts or similar genres where in athletics it used to be your favorite athlete, that was your favorite team, and that's who you identify with. I think it's bigger than that, though, because I think, you know, like, when you go into a stadium, you might not meet another person in there.

And a stadium can be anywhere from 100 people to over 100,000 people. But you come together, you're connected, you're, you know, you're strangers with a common purpose.

And the colors that you wear, the traditions that go on in that stadium, songs, rituals, they all communicate that we're together and talking a little bit about the World cup, and I think it has been exciting for this country and helped grow soccer here. But these cities have embraced. The whole city that hosts certain World cup countries, like Lawrence, Kansas, is hosting Algeria, their national team.

And before Algeria came, they studied it. They have the flag, the Algeria flag all over their city. Everything is green in their city, green and red for the week of the color of their team.

They've learned the national anthem and they've really got to know the team that I saw like an update every day on the news that there are people that will now go to visit Algeria when they are done, and they're just rooting for them and really became like their family away from home. And that's what we are. Even, you know, our student athletes at LCC that come here from close. I'm far away. We're their family away from home.

And events like the World cup help embrace that because teams coming from far away.

But we even see it at our level, like, you know, when our baseball team goes to the World Series, Enoch, Oklahoma, does a great job of hosting each team and having a youth team support them.

When our men's basketball team went to Danville, Illinois for the basketball national tournament, a host team and a host that took them around town or shared with them. And again, so it's true at every level. I mean, even at the youth tournament, travel is huge in host cities.

We got these sport commissions and we work. Let's put a plug out there for the Lansing Sports Commission.

They bring a lot of great events to the greater Lansing area and we work closely to them, and they do a great job. Archery, skeet shooting, clay, target shooting, figure skating, you know, just so it's all levels that sports bring people into the community.

But I really think it tightened with the World cup being in our country because you have 30 nations and their teams coming over to the US and, you know, we have our own pride of, you know, I'm thinking, supporting our US Team. But you know how those cities have embraced and supported those teams that they are close to.

You see it in minor league baseball with, you know, players come and they have hosts, family that host them. I was watching back the World Cup, Scotland, last night. They went to one of the recent Red Sox games, and they just took over the stadium.

They were singing constantly, which is a constant in international soccer. They sing the whole game. So I think you'd like international soccer daily. And they're just. They have their own song.

They sing like a team song ritual. But they were just singing an American song. The music was stopped, and they sang for, like another three minutes.

And then they were singing in the tunnels as they were walking out. And, you know, I love that. I mean, when I go to. I'm a Michigan fan. Mr. Brightside at the end of the third quarter, it's a hit.

That's a popular song now. Every stadium seems to play Mr. Brightside by the Killers.

And, you know, I love sitting In Michigan Stadium, 100,000 people, they play it for like two thirds, and then they stop it, and then the audience sings the rest of it. And it just. It's special to me. So you guys have any of those experiences?

I have. Not personally, I don't think I have at concerts, so. You're right.

At concerts where there's a song, you know, I mean, you've seen it, where the singer doesn't even sing anymore. The audience just takes over. And really, they could just go behind.

The stage and just hang out for.

The rest of the show because they're just.

I agree with you. That's a great example, because some of my favorite concerts, again, at the balance there, I get mad when they take over and the singer never sings.

But there are some cool songs that I've attended in the last couple years at concerts where, again, just a lot of people singing the chorus of. Of the artist song. What about you? Cut.

And they put on Don't Stop Believing, you know, and played just a little bit about it. You know, it's got a Detroit reference. Yeah. In there. And then the whole stadium singing it after they clipped it off. You know.

And that's just what you're talking about in the tunnels or wherever else you think about. Like college football has some absolutely incredible environments at the power four level.

And they rock out with some incredible this now nostalgic songs that they'll open up with and Inner Sandman being one of them and you know, just some of that stuff. So yeah, music and sports are. Are very much intertwined and very much bring people together.

Still do like the staple sing alongs like Take Me out to the Ball Game. Right?

Yeah, they. Yeah, they do that in the seventh inning stretch of baseball game.

But this has become even seems like more powerful popular of teams finding a song for their stadium to embrace and sing at some time during the game. Like Wisconsin does jump around in football and it's bigger than just Wisconsin.

Like Michigan football team was singing it and doing it in the fourth quarter a couple years ago when they visited. And that's the key. It's bigger than the game. You know, it's not about anything else going on, the statistics or the rivalry.

It's about just everyone coming together and just, you know, belonging and you know, even if you're not a. I'm not a good singer, but I'm singing, you know, people singing at the top of their lungs, you know, and it just, it just creates a memory and like, you know, just a special thing that I think people go away feeling good, you know, that it, you know, I, you know, not that I sang or that the song I like, but I think you end up liking the song of your team or whatever, but that you were just part of everyone else doing it and it just sounds, you know, cool. I'd encourage you again. The West Virginia. That song wasn't a favorite of mine, but now I love the song.

We'll be playing it at LCC Sea game this academic year because it is a popular song at athletic events. But Take Me Home Country Road, it has West Virginia in it. Just like don't stop believing in the big one for Detroit. But it just cool.

I mean, and it's just fun to hear everyone just sitting and listening and letting West Virginia people sing it and win, but they gotta win. So now I'm rooting for them.

They're in the elimination bracket, but as you mentioned, yeah, there are a lot of other teams with them and I think, you know, people really feel excited about that particular song when they go to that environment. So. Yeah, so I would encourage you to listen to that. Any other ones out there, they're pretty cool. I try and find them.

I try and, you know, I try and add them to our playlist even when I'm at lcc sometimes, like your, your DJ at your game does a great job of playing song that the crowd gets into, like Dancing Queen's Another One or Shut up and Dance or Cotton Eye Joe. All common ones. But it's fun.

Like if I, if I'm in charge at a basketball game, I, I get a kick out of seeing people dance like, hey, that's a good one. Play it again. But you know, there are people up in the, the bleacher dancing, but taking it to the next step.

Dancing's hard too, but singing is just a whole nother level.

And seeing West Virginia and the in the College World Series at this time and reflecting on my own experiences as a fan and then as an administrator at games, how much it makes the event better is pretty cool.

Very cool.

So the last one we're going to hit on is Japan. You know, we talked about it a couple years ago in the Olympics, but now we have the World cup going on and Japan is in the World cup.

And the other night they played their first game and they were cheering the whole game with these blue bags, which I hadn't seen before. But then after the game, you know, they went through and cleaned the stadium, their soccer team.

And you pull this up at some time, cleaned the locker room and let the. Thank. You know, and it is cleaner than when they started. And I'll tell you, you've been to a concert, you've been to sporting event.

My kids were in National Honor society at their high school. And one of the community service events is we'd have to go clean Spartan Stadium the next day after a football game. And it was the worst.

It's humbling. It is a mess. I mean, it takes us three hours. We have, you know, hundreds of kids. They each have to bring a guest to get service.

And it's a humbling experience how bad we are at sporting events of just leaving trash throughout that stadium. And it teaches my kid that, hey, pick up after yourself when you go to event.

And even when you go to a lug nuts game, they like have people Walk around with trash bags, and at the end of the game, I think they pass it on. But as a society, I think we're really bad at picking up after ourselves, especially at sporting events.

And that you can argue convenience, which we talked about before at the. That they're not garbage cans right next to you, so you actually have to walk and put it away.

I'd argue that at a movie theater. I mean, come on, it's not that complicated to take your popcorn bucket and put it in the trash.

Yeah, sorry.

I didn't mean to.

No, that's a great analogy, too. It's simple as that. And people just expect others to pick up after them.

But my point is, at a World cup event, there's probably 50 to 100,000 people there. It's a mess. And here you got the Japan people going around and cleaning it up.

It's just impressive to me, you know, and it's not like they're doing it to get credit. They're doing it because of the respect, the responsibility. What I learned is they have a little idiom in Japan that says birds leave nothing behind.

And there's a little. It's like a Latin saying, but it's a Japanese saying. Birds leave nothing behind.

And their kids in school have to clean their own classrooms and serve their own lunch.

And I think, you know what that helps teach kids at a young age, that maybe, you know, they learn as they get older that their stadium will be cleaner when they pick up, but that's not what the one they're going and cleaning up, because they are not clean when they're done. And I just don't think, you know, that gets enough credit, because I just think, you know. And I know, Coach, you and I have talked about it.

I've complimented you on doing it.

But it's an emphasis of our own program that our student athletes clean that locker room when they're done, clean their bench area when we're done, and most teams do an okay job of it that come to Lansing, but we all could do better.

And it's just sad that we leave something worse than we found it when it's a pet peeve of ours that we want to leave something better than we found it. So I just, you know, it's not something they have to do. It's not a fun thing to do. It's not a.

It's a messy, dirty thing, but it's interesting because that's what their culture has instilled in them. And it goes way beyond the game, whether they Win or lose, they do this, whether it's a big stadium or small stadium.

And, and from what I've researched, they. I thought maybe they just did it at international venues, but it sounds like it's pretty common over in Japan to do that.

So again, you've had a lot of experiences traveling the locker room, their bench areas, or even having teams come to your place. I mean, I'm not wrong. Right. There can be. It can be a mess out there.

Yeah, you've got all kinds of different areas on the spectrum. You know, I'm still picking up garbage at our field, you know, after men's league games, you know, and with garbage cans really close.

And so I don't think it ever really goes away.

But you do have a certain amount of more respect for the people that do take care of their stuff and maybe leave it a little bit cleaner than they found it because ultimately somebody has to sweep that locker room. You know, somebody has to take care of that garbage that's left under the bench.

And, and that just shows a little deeper appreciation for others and a little more selflessness. So for sure.

And then you, you mentioned something, you know, not to, not to go off here, but you mentioned something like birds don't leave anything behind, but if there's, if there's a car coming, they will le it. Yeah.

Especially if you just watched it.

I'm just saying that's an interesting point.

I wonder they do the, the smart ones do. I mean, some unfortunately end up in a, you know, in a bumper or something. But I wonder if they come back and. But that, that's a good point.

So you might want to reach out to the Prime Minister of Japan and let them know that. But, but anything else, I'll close up a little bit about those things. So I'd encourage you, but it is important.

You know, we focus so much on the scoreboard and we talk about again, our all sports trophy is more art success on the field. Again, we've had some. We won some sportsmanship awards this year, too, which is exciting and something we want to do.

We've done well in the classroom. The sense of belonging. Sports and music can create how people feel committed to those organizations if they're connected in them.

Service is an important part, you know, we've talked about before, and I don't think we've hit on enough. You know, the only way to really feel good about yourself, do something good for someone else.

And I mean, I think, you know, I don't think Japan's doing that to feel Good about themselves. I think it's more about pride and responsibility, but it's a culture.

And then the last thing is just the tradition, the song, the, the, you know, the thing that bring people together. That, you know, we feel human, I believe, just feel like together, like we're one.

And it's a purpose and it's an experience that as we focus on our results that remember that success is measured in many ways and that a culture determines on is much greater than when the game is over. You know, it's, you know, long lasting.

It's that connection and we've talked about it here at lcc that we want to provide a lifelong connection here that their two year experience, if we engage them, if they feel like they belong and they, they feel connected, that it'll last much longer than the two year they're here. All right, so good stuff again. Hope you watched the World Cup. Hope you watched the College World Series.

I probably jinx West Virginia, but that song played a lot. And they played at football games too. I think they probably played at a lot of. And again, that's something I'd like to do here.

Like I think of like, you know, I know some schools have a song they play after their game. Like I've tried All star counting stars, A sky full of stars.

You know, just a, a song with stars in it that when we win a game that that becomes our, our victory song after every team. I haven't gotten there yet. I haven't really found that song. But you know, maybe we'll get there. Maybe that's a goal for this coming year.

Yeah. You think you'll be able to pull it off?

Yes.

Yes.

Rags food question. Kind of like our song music song. All right.

This wasn't, you know, this wasn't my original question for the day, but it's hit me up the last week or two and you know, I had a hot dog at any. And we've talked hot dogs before. But the question is, and I struggle with it, is hot? Is a hot dog a sandwich? You know, I had a hot dog at an event.

I work in the soccer state finals this last weekend for the Michigan High School Athletic Association. And you know, I like getting hot dogs at events. I like getting hot dogs at Sam's in Costco.

They're.

There's good ones and bad ones out there. But it led to the conversation of is it a sandwich? So I researched it and by def. I don't believe it is.

I just never thought of a hot dog or a hamburger as A sandwich for some reason. But when you read the definition of a sandwich, it meets the definition. So by the definition, it is.

But culinary experts exclude it for some reason, too. So, Cutter, is a hot dog. A sandwich?

Yeah. It's a piece of meat between two. Between some bread. But it's not a sandwich if you're just eating it. Dog without a bun.

Interesting. So do you think that's why it gets confusing? I'm not sure that it's the exact definition. A sandwich.

A sandwich is a dish consisting of fillings like meat, cheese, or vegetables placed between two or more slices of bread or split roll.

A split roll, like a sub is a split roll. So that's what I thought. I thought I had them by. It had to be two slices, but then they stuck in there.

Yeah. Yeah. Because I would define a sub as a san, but I don't think of a hot dog as a sandwich. Yeah.

I wonder why we. I don't either.

It's.

But I also don't think of a hamburger as a. I don't either.

I don't either.

So maybe the bun.

I don't know.

It gets listed under menus as sandwiches.

That is true.

Yeah, True. I never even thought of that. Yeah. Are tacos or burrito sandwiches?

I would say. No, I would think you are. You aren't dealing with bread.

You're not dealing with bread.

Well, I mean, you are, but just a different style of bread, I guess. Yeah, in a way.

So the things that make you go, hmm, so I throw all three. So the dallian and the real game of things. You don't think it's a sandwich? I don't consider it.

I do not consider it a sandwich. I just can't even with the definition right in front of me. No, I'm gonna say it's not a sandwich.

Me too. Cutter, is it a sandwich? Do you consider it a sandwich?

It depends on the music that's playing at the time.

But I would say probably why we keep him here. So you do consider it one?

If I was to think about it, yes.

Okay. Very good. So until next time. Go Stars.

Stars on Sports is recorded live at the WLNZ studio. Engineering and production assistance are provided by Daedalian Lowry and you can listen to the episode and other episodes of Stars on Sports on demand lccconnect.org to find more information about our athletic program, visit lccstars.com thanks for listening. Be sure to join us next time for more Star on Sports. Go Stars!