Post#15 » by shrink » Fri Nov 21, 2008 8:25 pm
Since I grew up in Iowa, I was really surprised by sports in Minnesota, and I have a couple things that you might find interesting.
1. In Iowa, when it gets cold out, we go inside. Or maybe, because of all of the farmers, we spend enough time outside working that we don't go outside to play, like Minnesotans. Hockey is virtually non-existant except in very tiny pockets .. its probably not a Top 20 sport, where in Minnesota its probably #2-#3. Minnesotans seem to embrace the cold.
2. Without a professional sports team, Iowans are passionate about college sports, generally University of Iowa (Iowa City) or Iowa State (Ames). Never confuse them in front of an Iowan, because the rivalry between the two runs as deeply as any Viking/Packer war.
3. Iowa also doesn't have a lot of other avenues for entertainment, so NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball is huge. People drive hundreds of miles each week to go to games. Tailgating is a passion.
Average attendance for the Timberwolves in 2007: 14,476 fans (25th in the league)
Average attendance for the Hawkeyes Men's BB in 2007: 12,196 fans
Average attendance for the Cyclones Men's BB in 2007: 12,489 fans .. and remember, smaller venues.
4. Minnesotans are sometimes amused by my first experience with Gopher sports. I attended the Hawkeye-Gopher game a while back. Probably two thirds, to three quarters of the fans were from Iowa. I was stunned at the time, considering Iowa fans were driving 100-600 miles, and the Twin Cities had so many locals within 30 minutes of the Metrodome. The Iowa fans were loud too (well, it was my first visit to the Metrodome, so everyone can be loud). Anyway, at one key 3rd down situation, the visiting fans were making so much noise, the Gopher quarterback couldn't be heard. He had to go on. I don't know if the rule has been changed since then, but if crowd noise causes a delay of game, the HOME team is charged for a time out.
The next year I was on the Gophers mailing list to buy tickets, and I learned the U of M is aware of the problem. The rules for buying tickets for the Iowa-Min game had three times the requirements than any of the other games.
5. So when winter sports comes around, I'm always a duck out of water. I wobble on skates as 4-year olds come racing by me. I don't understand those people who sit on a bucket on top of a windswept frozen lake to fish out of a tiny hole. I'm a day-hiker, but can't conceive of people choosing to snowshoe or cross-country ski. Boot hockey!? Curling?!?
I'm staying indoors with my big screen TV until Spring.
