WATCH: MSU Gets Shout Out In Chevy Football Ad

Walter The Cat likes winter, and in an ad that ran during the NFL Playoff Games, Walter's owner is clearly a Sparty fan.

Walter is a cat that acts like a dog. He has a leash, loves chasing after stuff and leads his owner on winter adventures, driven around, of course, by a brand new Chevrolet Silverado.

The original Walter the Cat ad ran in the summer of 2021, Walter is more like "man's best friend" by introducing an outdoorsman and his hyper-capable, practically dog-like cat. People who meet Walter are baffled by his behavior, but his owner doesn't understand why.

In the latest ad, Walter's owner takes the cat to play some pond hockey at some unknown mountain lake (which is clearly NOT in Michigan). A quick cut away shot shows the cat's master sporting a Michigan State retro hockey jersey.

General Motors, which produces the Chevy Silverado, is based in Detroit, says it was  intentional to include a Sparty shout out in the ad.

Scot Schlesinger, a former MSU soccer player, who currently works in the school's athletic department, says he was pretty much the only one who knew the jersey would get a big role in the spot.

He told the Lansing State Journal,

"A couple of my contacts over at GM got a hold of me and said they were filming a commercial with a winter theme, and they were going to have a pond hockey portion of it. They asked me if we'd be willing to join in with them. We value our partnership with GM. It's an incredible organization and we're very happy to be partners with them, so immediately I said, 'Yes, we'd love to do that.' "

Current MSU hockey coach Danton Cole didn't even know the jersey would be featured. That is, until his phone blew up during the games Sunday afternoon.

"(It was) a little product placement," Cole said. "So it was real, real nice to see."

Schlesinger said the ad will also run throughout the Beijing Winter Olympics, which begin Friday.