Sunday Night With John: Stay Classy Iowa, Stay Classy

I’m an Iowa transplant. I spent the first 18 years of my life as an Ohioan with “The Ohio State University” being the pedigree program.  Besides an ill-fated 4 month stint back in Ohio when I was 23ish, I have been in Iowa for the last 15 years of my life. When I first arrived I didn’t understand the obsession with Iowa Hawkeye football. It’s not  some great storied program with a bunch of conference titles and national championships. I often rooted from them to lose just because it would stop the nonstop Iowa talk. I enjoyed the years Iowa lost to Iowa State because it was just so much fun twisting in the sports knife of pain.

Iowa and the people of Iowa don’t wow you with any big fancy attraction right off the bat.  They don’t have Times Square, the French Quarter, Fenway Park, or some big sign showing you the culture and traditions of Iowa. Iowans best quality is that they are consistently nice, supportive, caring, polite, and they always show up. But most importantly, they love to have fun no matter the weather conditions. They love their Hawkeyes not because the team wins or loses but because it gives them a chance to tailgate, drink-beer, hang with loved ones, share memories over heart breaking defeats and miracle wins. And Sports at it’s best is just that. How many fan bases have the ability to travel to Indianapolis a drink a bar out of beer? Because the Iowa Hawkeyes fans did just that. (http://www.kwwl.com/story/30676166/2015/12/05/iowa-fans-are-drinking-all-the-beer-in-indy)

Look, we are a little too sports obsessed in this country. We all agree it’s a travesty that Iowa’s football coach is the highest paid state employee - there are more responsible ways to spend money than on a football coach. Some players receive death threats after tough losses like a punter from Michigan this year after they lost to one of their rivals, Michigan State University. (http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2015/10/michigan_punter_blake_oneill_r.html)

Or, the story about the idiot who poisoned trees on Auburn's campus just becuase they beat his team, Alabama. (http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9086566/harvey-updyke-sentenced-3-years-auburn-tree-poisoning)

And lets not forget the annoying thing about my home-state and their insufferable fans referring to their school as “The Ohio State University.” I feel pretentious just typing it out that way.  Iowa’s football team reminded us all this year why we love sports, you just never know when you are going to get the stars aligned for an amazing game or a magical season.

We all know Michigan State triumphed over Iowa in a hard fight down to the last minute of the game. Iowa’s perfect season was gone, but the identity of it’s fans was not. Before the team left the field they received a standing ovation from their fans. Did the fans want a win? Yes, but this season was about more than one game. The fans of Iowa wanted to show appreciation for a team giving them a season of great memories. Iowa fans will get to enjoy this season for years to come, and that deserved a thank-you from the fans to their players.  See, Iowans aren’t just consistent, they are an example of placing sports and why sports matter so greatly to us, in the proper place. Facing a heartbreaking loss to end their dream season, they pulled a classy move by standing and cheering their guys one more time.  Stay Classy Iowa, you have earned it.

http://saturdaytradition.com/iowa-football/iowa-standing-ovation/

 This story at-first stated that Iowa's football coach was paid through tax payer money. This is not true and I apoligize for the mistake. It has been corrected.