Crowd Interactions

[LoyalSon]

I have been lurking at MGoBlog the last several days. There is currently an interesting thread from Michigan fans who were at Kinnick about their experiences.

Review of Kinnick Stadium Experience | mgoblog

I have always appreciated users giving a review of visiting a foreign stadium. I visited Kinnick for the first time and thought I’d share as well. Hope you appreciate it. I’d also like your thoughts if you were there. Overall- I was very impressed with everything about the game day...

mgoblog.com

In a nutshell, they loved the stadium, the people and the overall experience. I for one am glad to read that they were treated well, and called Iowa there favorite road destination. We had a few Michigan fans behind us, and they were very cordial and complimentary as well.

 

[HuckFinn]

Iowa treats visitors better than any stadium in the BT. IMHO. MN, WI, OSU, are not fan friendly places. In other words, they are rude, arrogant, and ignorant.

 

[blubberhawk]

Iowa treats visitors better than any stadium in the BT. IMHO. MN, WI, OSU, are not fan friendly places. In other words, they are rude, arrogant, and ignorant.

I thought Penn State folks were very cordial on our last visit. Was at Michigan a few years ago. Also did not hear a negative word from their fans all day.. Worst fans are Iowa State. Have to forgive them because "they know not what they do"

 

[hawkdrummer1]

I thought Penn State folks were very cordial on our last visit. Was at Michigan a few years ago. Also did not hear a negative word from their fans all day.. Worst fans are Iowa State. Have to forgive them because "they know not what they do"

clones being clones... it never changes.

 

[Fryowa]

Worst fans are Iowa State.

I've seen a LOT of live sports all over the country, and by far the worst fans in any major or semi-major American sports league are White Sox fans. Followed a close second by Wisconsin football fans.

 

[cohawkeye]

Arizona fans were the worst experience I've eve had on the road bar none.

 

[HuckFinn]

I thought Penn State folks were very cordial on our last visit. Was at Michigan a few years ago. Also did not hear a negative word from their fans all day.. Worst fans are Iowa State. Have to forgive them because "they know not what they do"

Penn State had a tent set up welcoming Iowa fans. Very cool. OK with Michigan, too.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Arizona fans were the worst experience I've eve had on the road bar none.

This one really surprises me. This because I think of retirees in that state, but realize not all residents are retirees. But, they are also not a blue blood or considered to have consistently highly successful teams. I think of AZ as being pretty layed back. But, I have heard this before. Just can't figure it out.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

I will second the Arizona comments. Although my experience was the ASU game in 2004 that we were blown out in. There were two lightening delays. The ASU fans around us were absolute pieces of shit. They were screaming at us and calling us losers. My cousin, who goes to ASU and had their colors on finally turned around and told them to shut the F up. As the beat down progressed, the mood actually turned to sympathy, but that did not absolve how terrible the fans were. I remember hearing similar stories from multiple Iowa fans who attended that game. Night game with a bunch of drunken desert assholes. Worse experience at any away game. Not even close.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

I have posted this before, but Nebraska fans have never been anything but cordial and classy to me and my son at football and basketball games. There is some good natured ribbing, but as long as they are welcoming to fans and its all good humored, that is what sports should be all about. I feel the same for Nebbie fans when they are in Kinnick. They respect the game.

That said, F Nebraska.

 

[racerhawk]

I've seen a LOT of live sports all over the country, and by far the worst fans in any major or semi-major American sports league are White Sox fans. Followed a close second by Wisconsin football fans.

I lived in Madison for 15 years. Just wearing an Iowa hat in a store there will get you the opportunity to be confronted by a goateed alcoholic saying "take that shit off."

I had a beer bottle thrown at me walking by Camp Randall on game day.

Had a guy get in my face and push me during a game many years ago.

I could go on... badjerk fans are the worst (edit: except maybe these Arizona fans...see my next post).

 

[racerhawk]

Arizona fans were the worst experience I've eve had on the road bar none.

I went to that game in Tucson (have friends there) when AZ had Nick Foles. Iowa was expected to win (had a good team), but lost.

I figured "this is the Pac 12" so they won't care. These were the worst fans. The game temp at night was 100 degrees. I sat in the steeply raked top deck. Fans called Iowa folks "pig fuckers" while walking down the street. Leaving the game and walking through really sketchy sections of Tucson to my car...

Would not recommend. Zero stars.

 

[Fryowa]

I went to that game in Tucson (have friends there) when AZ had Nick Foles. Iowa was expected to win (had a good team), but lost.

I figured "this is the Pac 12" so they won't care. These were the worst fans. The game temp at night was 100 degrees. I sat in the steeply raked top deck. Fans called Iowa folks "pig fuckers" while walking down the street. Leaving the game and walking through really sketchy sections of Tucson to my car...

Would not recommend. Zero stars.

Lived in AZ for 11 years. Every state has their own #1 shit hole. Kind of like Ft Dodge is Iowa's, Tucson is Arizona's.

Phoenix and Mesa are really cool towns comparatively, but Tucson is an absolute unwashed butthole. To be honest it has no reason to exist. Terrible, inhospitable location, and it's on the way to nowhere that anyone who's not a criminal or insane wants to go to. The interstate north and south out of that place are wasted concrete.

 

[Fryowa]

I thought Penn State folks were very cordial on our last visit. they do"

Penn State had a tent set up welcoming Iowa fans. Very cool. OK with Michigan, too.

Penn State was weird.

Most welcomed I've ever been at a road game in any sport. People actually came up out of nowhere to take selfies with guys in Iowa gear (most were schocked we'd travel so far), and they shoved beer and food in our face all day.

But then you had the (admittedly small) contingent of Joe Pa worshippers who made it their goal in life to let everyone know that Saint Joe was still Saint Joe and he was framed. To them Sandusky was the only guilty party in a sea of employees who knew he was sketchy and they metaphorically screamed it from the rafters.

It was like being on a different planet with an alternate reality. They were worse than flat earthers...it felt like Jonestown with thousands of people ready to drink cyanide flavored Kool Aid if Sue Paterno had said to.

# joeknew

 

[Fryowa]

I have posted this before, but Nebraska fans have never been anything but cordial and classy to me and my son at football and basketball games. There is some good natured ribbing, but as long as they are welcoming to fans and its all good humored, that is what sports should be all about. I feel the same for Nebbie fans when they are in Kinnick. They respect the game.

That said, F Nebraska.

Did you ever go there when they were good? I did and their fans were shit stains.

Went in '11 to the first Big Ten game and it was nothing but fat Marges and LeRoys yelling stupid shit at Iowa fans the whole time. The only thing that made it ok was me knowing that almost all of their fans used velcro shoes out of necessity and were related to 2nd cousins by marriage and by blood.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

Did you ever go there when they were good? I did and their fans were shit stains.

Went in '11 to the first Big Ten game and it was nothing but fat Marges and LeRoys yelling stupid shit at Iowa fans the whole time. The only thing that made it ok was me knowing that almost all of their fans used velcro shoes out of necessity and were related to 2nd cousins by marriage and by blood.

I went to the first KF game back around 2000 and one of the Pelini games. The fans were fine then too. But yes, there is definitely a battered spouse syndrom amongst Husker fans of late. Generally, Husker fans are old and boring dolts who breath out of their mouths. They hate Iowa, but it is hate with humanity.

 

[racerhawk]

Did you ever go there when they were good? I did and their fans were shit stains.

Went in '11 to the first Big Ten game and it was nothing but fat Marges and LeRoys yelling stupid shit at Iowa fans the whole time. The only thing that made it ok was me knowing that almost all of their fans used velcro shoes out of necessity and were related to 2nd cousins by marriage and by blood.

OMG that's funny. Your illustration of LeRoy and Marge wearing velcro shoes... I can see them so clearly in my head. Yikes.

 

[Iahwk06]

I went to that game in Tucson (have friends there) when AZ had Nick Foles. Iowa was expected to win (had a good team), but lost.

I figured "this is the Pac 12" so they won't care. These were the worst fans. The game temp at night was 100 degrees. I sat in the steeply raked top deck. Fans called Iowa folks "pig fuckers" while walking down the street. Leaving the game and walking through really sketchy sections of Tucson to my car...

Would not recommend. Zero stars.

I was at that game also. Iowa should have won, had their chances. Fans were terrible. Too many reasons to type.

 

[Grady]

I've come to consider the folks I sit near at Kinnick as good friends, but man, there were a couple of assholes a couple rows behind us at the Michigan game that felt like they had to yell foul names at Jim Harbaugh the entire 1st half (we sit in Row 15 behind the visitor bench) at the top of their lungs. Beyond obnoxious. At one point I turned around and motioned for them to 'cool it', to no avail. Oddly, the entire 2nd half they were dead silent...made me wonder if someone hadn't texted to the 'security office' and someone came and warned them.
My best road game story: after beating Indiana 7-0 back in the late '80s, as my friend and I were walking out of their stadium and into the parking lot, an Indiana fan walked up to us, handed us a bottle of cold champagne, and said "Here, you guys won the game and deserve it." Sure made the ride/drive back to Iowa that evening more enjoyable!

 

[racerhawk]

I've come to consider the folks I sit near at Kinnick as good friends, but man, there were a couple of assholes a couple rows behind us at the Michigan game that felt like they had to yell foul names at Jim Harbaugh the entire 1st half (we sit in Row 15 behind the visitor bench) at the top of their lungs. Beyond obnoxious. At one point I turned around and motioned for them to 'cool it', to no avail. Oddly, the entire 2nd half they were dead silent...made me wonder if someone hadn't texted to the 'security office' and someone came and warned them.
My best road game story: after beating Indiana 7-0 back in the late '80s, as my friend and I were walking out of their stadium and into the parking lot, an Indiana fan walked up to us, handed us a bottle of cold champagne, and said "Here, you guys won the game and deserve it." Sure made the ride/drive back to Iowa that evening more enjoyable!

A super drunk Iowa fan (an adult who was there at the game with his mother), became really combative with some Michigan fans and another, much larger, Iowa fan got in his face to stop him (not sure if drunks respond to being in their face, but I digress). Ultimately the actual police came to get this guy (the guy also shoved a cop so that prolly bought him a visit to the pokey). I was embarrassed for everyone. The mom looked really distraught. Not all of our fans are awesome.