Thoughts on this ISU article regarding changing demographics? Made me mad
- Thread starter reedsposer22
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I’m one of those. Wear Hawkeye gear around ISU’s campus. You’ll get your fair share of “Go Hawks”
For those of you who think it all started with Hayden...a little homework on attendance
Firstly, catholics don't automatically cheer for ND, nor is ND the only catholic University. I'm roughly two thirds Irish, I was raised catholic (I'm doing well in my recovery. Thank you Mom, for not pushing me to be an alter boy) and I never cheered for Notre Dame.
Secondly there are other factors that draw "non-graduates" to support a team. State and residential proximity being primary.
That being said, the point was about the fallacy of how the "huge" Notre Dame alum base is key to their popularity. The numbers don't bear that out. Notre Dame is much like the Yankees... lots of people follow them just for the history or "mystique" rather than any real connection.
Firstly, catholics don't automatically cheer for ND, nor is ND the only catholic University. I'm roughly two thirds Irish, I was raised catholic (I'm doing well in my recovery. Thank you Mom, for not pushing me to be an alter boy) and I never cheered for Notre Dame.
Secondly there are other factors that draw "non-graduates" to support a team. State and residential proximity being primary.
That being said, the point was about the fallacy of how the "huge" Notre Dame alum base is key to their popularity. The numbers don't bear that out. Notre Dame is much like the Yankees... lots of people follow them just for the history or "mystique" rather than any real connection.
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The difference being that you and your 5 friends don't have ISU degrees. You may have attended ISU but didn't graduate.
Plenty of suburban Chicago kids consider and / or attend Iowa. It's an easy drive, a Big Ten school with most academic disciplines, and is generally considered a "safe" school from an admissions standpoint, wherein most kids can reasonably expect to be admitted by Thanksgiving of their senior year, which is rarely the case for nearly any other Big Ten school.
As these discussions often do, this one has degraded into absolutes. Either Iowa forever reigns lopsidedly supreme, or they are a fading has been with ISU rising to absolute power over the state of Iowa. The truth is more grey and perhaps less exciting. ISU is making major improvements in their athletic facilities and their student enrollment on campus has grown in solid fashion...surpassing Iowa, particularly in numbers of Iowa resident students. That statistic by itself is of minimal importance, but it is also true that general improvement in ISU's athletic programs is building greater fan support throughout the state.
None of this, however, creates a paradigm shift in fan support...but it is also undeniable that ISU's fan support is growing consistently...if gradually. I don't consider this to be a zero sum game, quite frankly, but most here will likely make that assumption. I don't think Iowa is declining or being surpassed by ISU, but ISU is...finally...engaging in that battle for fan support and is doing well. There's a long road ahead to catch up to Iowa in this department, but for now simply gaining ground is significant for the ISU program.
ISU now has a well respected basketball program...and if Campbell continues to improve the football program along with ongoing facility improvements (we now have the #3 capacity stadium in the Big 12 and our attendance was 28th in the nation last season...compared to Iowa being 21st)...the ISU product is greatly enhanced. Given our on field history, we have very strong fan support in the major sports...respectively 2nd and 3rd in attendance in b-ball and f-ball in our conference
I'm an Iowa alumni but a lifelong ISU fan, and yes, I root for both teams 51 weeks out of the year. Iowa is still the lead program in the state of Iowa, but ISU is gaining SOME ground and is becoming a much stronger overall program.
None of this, however, creates a paradigm shift in fan support...but it is also undeniable that ISU's fan support is growing consistently...if gradually. I don't consider this to be a zero sum game, quite frankly, but most here will likely make that assumption. I don't think Iowa is declining or being surpassed by ISU, but ISU is...finally...engaging in that battle for fan support and is doing well. There's a long road ahead to catch up to Iowa in this department, but for now simply gaining ground is significant for the ISU program.
ISU now has a well respected basketball program...and if Campbell continues to improve the football program along with ongoing facility improvements (we now have the #3 capacity stadium in the Big 12 and our attendance was 28th in the nation last season...compared to Iowa being 21st)...the ISU product is greatly enhanced. Given our on field history, we have very strong fan support in the major sports...respectively 2nd and 3rd in attendance in b-ball and f-ball in our conference
I'm an Iowa alumni but a lifelong ISU fan, and yes, I root for both teams 51 weeks out of the year. Iowa is still the lead program in the state of Iowa, but ISU is gaining SOME ground and is becoming a much stronger overall program.
It’s right up there with the whole “EIU” thing in its lameness. Oooh you really got us there. Ouch! Ouch!
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