Seeing as how this is Cyclone Fanatic, you might expect us to be homers this week and lay on the hatred for “The Team Out East.” However, I think that would be too vanilla and easily seen coming from a mile away.
Perhaps it’s time to turn over a new leaf and start bringing to light a few of the things that are respectable about the University of Iowa. After all, there’s enough hate going on in the world nowadays, so why would we want to add more?
Thus, I’m kicking off #RespectWeek with an article that highlights some of the positives the Hawkeyes have provided to society. Prepare yourselves for a flood of gratefulness for all of the things we have to thank Iowa and its fans for doing.
They keep the black and yellow paint industries afloat.
Paint manufacturing is reportedly a $28 billion industry, and we’re guessing at least $10 billion of that goes toward black and yellow paint used to paint masterpieces such as the ones in the pictures above.
How many people would actually buy those color shades if Hawkeye fans didn’t? The answer: very few.
Without the contributions of the U of I and its fans, the industry would surely crater and the impact on the American economy would be catastrophic. Thank goodness for the Hawkeyes.
They provide free marketing for the University of Florida.
The Gator Chomp originated in 1981 and is one of the proudest traditions of the Florida Gators. Graciously, the University of Iowa and its fans decided at some point to help Florida spread awareness of its tradition by adopting it themselves. This is even more astounding when you consider the Hawkeyes are 1-3 all-time head-to-head with the Gators, with the most recent meeting resulting in a 30-3 Florida victory in last year’s Outback Bowl.
Kudos to Iowa for letting bygones be bygones and continuing to help Florida spread the Gator Chomp across the country for free.
They allow their athletes to voice opinions on social media.
Freedom of speech is protected by the 1st Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America. Former Hawkeye basketball player Zach McCabe took advantage of his right back in 2014.
Many schools frown upon their athletes using such language in the public eye, but thankfully the University of Iowa allowed McCabe to express himself and air out his grievances. A refreshing development in this age of censorship.
They take losses in exchange for January bowl appearances.
It’s known far and wide how important appearing in a January bowl each season is to Hawkeye fans. As of late, the University of Iowa has been accepting bowl invites against far superior teams in January to appease its fanbase.
While Iowa has now gone to January bowls in four consecutive seasons, they’ve also come away with four losses while being outscored 141-61 in those games. Outsiders might observe this streak and label it with words like “sad” or “rough” or “outrageously pathetic,” but the University is more than happy to provide its fans with a January bowl appearance each year to keep them happy, even if it’s accompanied by a massive loss.
For that, we applaud the decision-makers at the U of I.
They never miss a chance to bring up the Super Bowl.
Rarely do I come across a conversation on Twitter involving an Iowa fan where they don’t bring up the Super Bowl. But I’ll be honest… This one’s always confused me a bit.
I guess Hawkeye fans are just SUPER into the NFL or something? Like, ridiculously dedicated to its championship game? Even though the Super Bowl features different teams each year and is mostly unrelated to college football, the Iowa faithful seem to make it a priority to bring up in discussion, especially with Cyclone fans. The passion is commendable.
Actually, I think I’ve got it… They’re just starved to watch a “bowl” played after January 1st that isn’t a huge letdown. It all makes sense now!
All joking aside, I would like to end this article by mentioning the great new Kinnick Stadium tradition started this season of fans turning and waving to the kids in the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. That’s awesome no matter how you slice it.
A genuine “good job” to you, Hawkeyes.
