Who Owns the Des Moines Market ISU or Iowa (Iowa says they do)

[wclarson]

Polk County has more ISU alumni (29,324) compared to UI (14,458)
and Current Students ISU (4,391) Compared to IA (2,957)

https://alliance.isualum.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Polk-County.pdf
https://outreach.uiowa.edu/county/polk

Total residence in Polk county is 467,711. Overall it is likely around 50/50 but ISU's footprint is undoubtedly growing.

 

[Blandboy]

In this digital world, The Register can see how many clicks every story gets. They run the stories that have more readers.

Does that prove ISU has more fans? Not necessarily, but it does likely show that Iowa State has more literate fans.

Reading the Register may be an indicator of literacy, but definitely NOT intelligence or discretion.

 

[wclarson]

Polk County has more ISU alumni (29,324) compared to UI (14,458)
and Current Students ISU (4,391) Compared to IA (2,957)

https://alliance.isualum.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Polk-County.pdf
https://outreach.uiowa.edu/county/polk

Total residence in Polk county is 467,711. Overall it is likely around 50/50 but ISU's footprint is undoubtedly growing.

to add to this: Linn county (Cedar Rapids ) and Johnson county (Iowa City) have a combined UI Alumni: 37,983 vs ISU 8,369

Polk county and Story county have a combined ISU almuni: 45,947 vs UI 15,912 (only 1454 in story)

The Cedar Rapid/IC Metro is about the same size as Polk County at 450K so their interesting comparisons.

side note: Dallas county: 3426 UI and 3322 (ISU has 316 more current students enrolled so this will go ISU over the next 4 years).

 

[Blandboy]

I agree eastern Iowa is still solid Hawk territory, however there has been a change for the better as well. When I went back to Dubuque while an ISU student in the 90s and later moved to CR, I had difficulty finding ISU anything in stores, on tv, or seeing anything ISU out and about. Now I can generally find some ISU stuff in stores, I can watch many ISU games on tv and see better coverage in the eastern newspapers, and see more people/cars/homes sporting ISU stuff. They're no longer the afterthought here and now really a respectable #2.

Except in the QCTimes. Good luck finding any articles about ISU in it. One of the many reasons I don't subscribe to it.

 

[iahawks]

I usually stay out of these in-state arguments but thought I would throw this out there. Which of these 30 schools is not like the others (Hint: One of them only had 7 wins over the previous 3 seasons). I think there are still more Iowa fans in the Des Moines area but that gap is narrowing quickly.

I wonder what the ticket revenues were for each team?

 

[chuckd4735]

I feel Iowa State has had Iowa against the ropes in the Des Moines / Central Iowa market ever since the Hoiberg hire and agree that it is a pretty close 50/50 split with an Iowa lean or toss up.

It’s pretty evident to me that Iowa State has all the buzz and momentum with the success of all the sports teams, increasing enrollment, Des Moines / Central Iowa expansion and job growth that by 2020 it will be a Cyclone hotbed if not sooner.

It was starting well before the Hoiberg hire, and JP deserves a lot of the credit. He has made changes that he knew would not pay off overnight, but would take 10-20 years to show their results. He focused on younger fans when he first took the job in 2005, for example, and those younger fans are now becoming college-aged.

Growing up in Eastern Iowa, I didnt know jack about ISU. JP has done things to build this fanbase, and make sure people know who ISU is. We are slowly make dents in the fan ratio all over the State. Will we ever have more fans than Iowa, likely not, but the gap is narrowing quite a bit.

 

[kingcy]

It is still Iowa but the gap is dropping. The gap would probably narrow faster if there were more pro ISU people in the media.

 

[HFCS]

Des Moines and Central Iowa seems like a 50/50 split. The rest of the state is like 75/25.

When I was a kid in the 80s Sioux City (the main Iowa part) was probably 50/50 Iowa/Neb with almost no visible ISU fan presence.

ISU has passed Nebraska there and getting closer to Iowa. There's really no reason for somebody born in Iowa to randomly be a bandwagon Nebraska fan over ISU or Iowa. Worst basketball program in major conference history and not any better at football than either ISU or Iowa anymore. Lincoln is closer than Ames and a lot closer than Iowa City for SC and Council Bluffs so it was easy to understand in the 70s and 80s.

 

[GrappleCy]

Ross Peterson has talked about this several times on KXNO. He keeps saying that Iowa needs to wake up because they've lost their foothold in the DSM Metro. He's watched it all unfold over the last 10 years or so and he will tell you at best it's a 50/50 split and that Cyclone fans will soon outnumber Hawkeye fans.

Yeah, a decade ago Iowa owned the DSM metro, no question. Now it is a split and trending very hard in ISU's favor. Iowa's football practices aren't the only thing they're doing. Remember that AIB was all about giving them a "University of Iowa - Des Moines" campus.

 

[kingcy]

I think the gap is also closing in Western Iowa. Not many ISU fans with I was going up, now the split has be close to 50-50.

 

[motorcy90]

We’ve gained a lot of ground in Central IA, but eastern Iowa is still solid Hawk territory. Still a significant Nebraska presence in far western Iowa as well.

I agree eastern Iowa is still solid Hawk territory, however there has been a change for the better as well. When I went back to Dubuque while an ISU student in the 90s and later moved to CR, I had difficulty finding ISU anything in stores, on tv, or seeing anything ISU out and about. Now I can generally find some ISU stuff in stores, I can watch many ISU games on tv and see better coverage in the eastern newspapers, and see more people/cars/homes sporting ISU stuff. They're no longer the afterthought here and now really a respectable #2.

living in NE Iowa currently and can say I see almost as many ISU flags at houses and vehicle decals as I do TOE (Team Down South for me). and some one I went to high school with and graduated from ISU just moved out here too.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I'm as big a Cyclone fan as they come, but I'd get Des Moines 50/50 split at best. Go to every McMansion in West Des Moines to every trailer on the East Side and you'd get plenty of Iowa fans. Maybe more than half.

When I was young in the 90s in Western Iowa it was heavy Husker, some ISU, and no Hawks. I never saw but maybe one kid at school in Hawkeye stuff. Now its largely Hawkeye with slight ISU presence.

 

[Al_4_State]

living in NE Iowa currently and can say I see almost as many ISU flags at houses and vehicle decals as I do TOE (Team Down South for me). and some one I went to high school with and graduated from ISU just moved out here too.

NE IA here as well,and there's a lot more ISU gear nowadays than there was when I was younger. You see it every day.

 

[wclarson]

I know i see things through my ISU bias but reading that Iowa Fan Forum on this topic, it just feels like their posters have so much anger. This was a recent post on there from this monring:

"**** the clowns and their gayass fans."

I don't have much issue with the "Clowns" or "**** Iowa/ISU" stuff on the forums but I've seen things on this forum at times that have maybe a slight hint of homophobia and they are denounced quickly by other posters and usually walked back on by the poster. I'm glad our community holds each other accountable, respects one another (even those rivals who post here) and doesn't tolerate crap like that. Go STATE!

 

[cyfamily]

We’ve gained a lot of ground in Central IA, but eastern Iowa is still solid Hawk territory. Still a significant Nebraska presence in far western Iowa as well.

Agree, but the Nebby fans only come out when they are winning....so, they've been quiet since the loud eruption when they hired Frosty. I will never understand how you can be an Iowan and cheer for Nebraska.

 

[WooBadger18]

Agree, but the Nebby fans only come out when they are winning....so, they've been quiet since the loud eruption when they hired Frosty. I will never understand how you can be an Iowan and cheer for Nebraska.

Eh, I get it. If you live over by council bluffs, the difference between Iowa and Nebraska is which side of the river you’re on. I can see how it would make sense to cheer for Nebraska over there.

About the OP: I don’t think either side owns it since that implies that one is massively more popular than the other, and I don’t think that’s the case.

 

[cycloner29]

Agree, but the Nebby fans only come out when they are winning....so, they've been quiet since the loud eruption when they hired Frosty. I will never understand how you can be an Iowan and cheer for Nebraska.

When the local TV channels came out of Omaha and that was all they ever talked about, since there is nothing else to cheer for in that state. I grew in western Iowa. They literally shoved Nebraska down your throat.

 

[cyfan21]

It was starting well before the Hoiberg hire, and JP deserves a lot of the credit. He has made changes that he knew would not pay off overnight, but would take 10-20 years to show their results. He focused on younger fans when he first took the job in 2005, for example, and those younger fans are now becoming college-aged.

Growing up in Eastern Iowa, I didnt know jack about ISU. JP has done things to build this fanbase, and make sure people know who ISU is. We are slowly makeing dents in the fan ratio all over the State. Will we ever have more fans than Iowa, likely not, but the gap is narrowing quite a bit.

You are right about that. I lived in Eastern Iowa the last 4 years and there was a noticeable increase in Cyclone fans. The Cyclone Tailgate Tour really helped to setup and build community alumni networks and game watches. You could really tell it bothered the QC Times.

 

[SoapyCy]

really a respectable #2.

I hate to disagree with a fellow cyclone fan but we all know who the #2 is.

 

[cloneatlaw]

This thread, and the "whose fan base is more Walmart" discussion, are missing one critical contributor: