What Iowa Sports Do You Follow Closely?

[HuckFinn]

I went to the Drake Relays when I was growing up with my dad and grandfather. It made an impression on me. Later on, I got to watch my older sister run there, including on a couple winning relay teams.

It took until my senior year of high school until I got my shot to run there. Fun fact, City High won every relay at Drake that year except the two I anchored. (Medley and 4x8). We got third in both and I felt like a total failure.

Getting a chance to go back and run there a couple times in college was amazing.

A few years back, my dad flew out and we drove (along with my boys) down to Eugene to watch the Hawks compete in the NCAA meet at Hayward Field.

If you are a fan of the sport, you owe it to yourself to watch a meet there someday. Doesn't matter what the meet is. Awesome facility built for track and field - serves as a mecca for the sport.

It'd be cool to watch the Big Ten championship meet there. Olympic trials would be incredible. Any good international meet in summer would be awesome, too. Maybe even the best option.

Great post!

 

[Northside Hawk]

I would get into volleyball and hockey more if Iowa had a decent team and actual team respectively. I love both sports.

We would go to Wisconsin volleyball at the old fieldhouse in Madison about once a year when our daughter played in high school. Got into a couple of their postseason and championship runs mostly for the sake of my daughter and her coach.

 

[Seth53]

I'm the exact opposite. I haven't been able to watch NBA since the late 90s. Better personalities by a mile, better game overall IMO. If you walk in my garage on a day there's no good live sports on, chances are you'll catch me slamming Coke Zeros and watching the 80s/90s Celtics/Bulls/Pistons/Lakers/'Blazers going at it. Even the Jazz games were phenominal.

If you have Netflix, watch 30 for 30: Celtics/Lakers: The Best of Enemies
Three parts.

It's some of the best TV I've watched.

"30 for 30" Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies (TV Episode 2017) ⭐ 8.2 | Documentary, Biography, History

1h 41m | TV-G

www.imdb.com

 

[HuckFinn]

I would get into volleyball and hockey more if Iowa had a decent team and actual team respectively. I love both sports.

We would go to Wisconsin volleyball at the old fieldhouse in Madison about once a year when our daughter played in high school. Got into a couple of their postseason and championship runs mostly for the sake of my daughter and her coach.

Hey, North. Granddaughter Kirsten is a junior at UW Green Bay, division 1, Horizon League, on a 4 year full scholarship in volleyball. 6’1”+ blocker and kills, second place on the team. Sadly, tore up an ankle and is medical red shirt for the rest of this season. I live an hour from GB, so follow closely.

 

[BigD]

Drake Relays is the best T&F event in the Midwest bar done. high school, college, and pro all in one spot.

Totally agree.

 

[CP87]

I'm the exact opposite. I haven't been able to watch NBA since the late 90s. Better personalities by a mile, better game overall IMO. If you walk in my garage on a day there's no good live sports on, chances are you'll catch me slamming Coke Zeros and watching the 80s/90s Celtics/Bulls/Pistons/Lakers/'Blazers going at it. Even the Jazz games were phenominal.

For me, basketball will always be star-driven, and since the HS to pro era, and the subsequent one-and-done era, MBB just doesn't have stars. Whereas the NBA is lousy with stars (this has been aided by the influx of Euro talent). I don't sit down an watch games on a nightly basis, but I enjoy scouring highlights.

Conversely, on the women's side of things, players stay 4 years and become stars in college. Further, the WNBA is a mess in how it is run (particularly officiating), so WBB >>> WNBA.

 

[Fryowa]

For me, basketball will always be star-driven, and since the HS to pro era, and the subsequent one-and-done era, MBB just doesn't have stars. Whereas the NBA is lousy with stars (this has been aided by the influx of Euro talent). I don't sit down an watch games on a nightly basis, but I enjoy scouring highlights.

Conversely, on the women's side of things, players stay 4 years and become stars in college. Further, the WNBA is a mess in how it is run (particularly officiating), so WBB >>> WNBA.

My take on that is I don't need stars in college ball. It's good basketball no matter who the players are and there's no denying it's miles more exciting than watching a 145-128 snoozefest with 3 "star" players on the bench because they're so tired they need 2 games off a week. It's slow-paced, non-physical, boring basketball with boring crowds IMO.

I just grew up in an era where you could watch Bird/Jordan/Malone/Johnson/Laimbeer/Olajuwon/Stockton/Rodman/Drexler/McHale duke it out any night of the week on network TV and it ruined me.

 

[CP87]

My take on that is I don't need stars in college ball. It's good basketball no matter who the players are and there's no denying it's miles more exciting than watching a 145-128 snoozefest with 3 "star" players on the bench because they're so tired they need 2 games off a week. It's slow-paced, non-physical, boring basketball with boring crowds IMO.

I just grew up in an era where you could watch Bird/Jordan/Malone/Johnson/Laimbeer/Olajuwon/Stockton/Rodman/Drexler/McHale duke it out any night of the week on network TV and it ruined me.

Yeah, any criticism of NBA regular season is totally legit. Across the league, there will be a dozen highlights per week that are mind-blowing, but watching an entire game would be a slog.

But NBA playoff action is second to none.

 

[#1DieHardHawk]

If you have Netflix, watch 30 for 30: Celtics/Lakers: The Best of Enemies
Three parts.

It's some of the best TV I've watched.

"30 for 30" Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies (TV Episode 2017) ⭐ 8.2 | Documentary, Biography, History

1h 41m | TV-G

www.imdb.com

My take on that is I don't need stars in college ball. It's good basketball no matter who the players are and there's no denying it's miles more exciting than watching a 145-128 snoozefest with 3 "star" players on the bench because they're so tired they need 2 games off a week. It's slow-paced, non-physical, boring basketball with boring crowds IMO.

I just grew up in an era where you could watch Bird/Jordan/Malone/Johnson/Laimbeer/Olajuwon/Stockton/Rodman/Drexler/McHale duke it out any night of the week on network TV and it ruined me.

1000%

I started paying attention to the NBA in the late 70s, catching Kareem whenever I could as he was tearing up the league in those early days. When he was traded to the Lakers, I started following them closely. I became a big Magic fan when at MSU. When he was drafted by the Lakers, I got completely hooked.

That was the beginning of a fantastic time to be an NBA fan. The personalities, the rivalries, the intensity, etc., made for riveting TV. I still vividly remember watching those Laker-Celtic games literally with sweaty palms pacing around the living room. When I catch those games now, it's like going into a time warp. It all comes flooding back.

As a consequence of players beginning to usurp power and control in the early 2000s, coaches basically became irrelevant bystanders and team-building and development was sacrificed in favor of rampant player movement. At that point, I stepped away. Some fans like it that way, and more power to them, but if my team has new faces every year I become uninterested.

 

[Seth53]

1000%

I started paying attention to the NBA in the late 70s, catching Kareem whenever I could as he was tearing up the league in those early days. When he was traded to the Lakers, I started following them closely. I became a big Magic fan when at MSU. When he was drafted by the Lakers, I got completely hooked.

That was the beginning of a fantastic time to be an NBA fan. The personalities, the rivalries, the intensity, etc., made for riveting TV. I still vividly remember watching those Laker-Celtic games literally with sweaty palms pacing around the living room. When I catch those games now, it's like going into a time warp. It all comes flooding back.

As a consequence of players beginning to usurp power and control in the early 2000s, coaches basically became irrelevant bystanders and team-building and development was sacrificed in favor of rampant player movement. At that point, I stepped away. Some fans like it that way, and more power to them, but if my team has new faces every year I become uninterested.

I started following the Lakers in 1972 when they ran off the 33 game win streak. I was in 8th grade and had a Wilt poster in my room. That year, after Elgin retired, West finally got his only title.

I hated and rooted against Alcindor *until* 1975 when he became a Laker. Then it was the 80s showtime. Bird/Parrish/McHale vs Magic/Kareem/Worthy. I was a rabid NBA fan from 80 until the Bull's last title .

Then I lost interest although Kobe and Shaq won a couple. After that, I tuned out the league.

 

[trj]

Football-Followed the program closely since the Rose Bowl season of ‘81. Still remember the pic in the Quad City Times sports section after the 10-7 upset of Nebraska. As long as they are playing big boy football I’m in…I’m following closely.

MBB- My first true sports love that 79-80 final four team. Same as football, as long as they are competing in a power conference at the D-1 level…I am following closely.

WBB- Definitely a frontrunner, bandwagon guy on this one. All in with Cviv, downgraded to a causal fan after Angie Lee’s first season. Never came all the way back until CC’s sophomore season.

Wrestling- I’m not a wrestling guy. I remember a lot of the names and faces from the 80(s) and 90(s), but that is about it. I enjoy high level combat sports(wrestling, boxing, MMA), so I try to catch dual meets, B1G Championships or the NCAA(s) on TV when I can.

Baseball- Don’t care really unless they have a chance to go to Omaha. Bought a couple of hats and t-shirts just to have if the program is gone in 10 years.

Softball/volleyball-Will pay attention if they are good.