On my way home from work one day last week I was listening to a sports talk radio show based in Madison, WI. Saying that the host of the show, Mike Heller, and his sidekick Jon Arias are homers when it comes to Badger sports would be an understatement. On this particular day, they were bemoaning the lack of student attendance at University of Wisconsin football games. They wondered why the students arrive late and leave early. Now, as a warning, and this may seem sexist but so be it: Mothers of Badger students this blog post may contain graphic descriptions and information, and you are urged to proceed with caution. In other words, your sweet little child may not be so innocent.
What brought their complaint to the airwaves was the UW game against Maryland. It was a beautiful and warm mid-fall day in the southern part of Wisconsin, and it was also the annual homecoming game. Mike Heller was complaining about the lack of student attendance at the game. Maryland is a poor to middling team, and its season will best be remembered for defeating the Texas Longhorns. The UW student section is well known for its graphic chants, not only to opposing teams, but one student section to the another. (Warning, the following contains graphic language!) For example, one section yells "Eat Shit!", and the other yells back: "Fuck You!" (Moms, you were warned.) I have attended a few UW football games, and quite frankly, I could not pick out what they were saying. However, this chant made the news in Madison several years ago (I think it was 2011) when, a high school football recruit was attending a UW game with his parents, probably up in one of the boxes for the coddled, up and coming football players. This women knew exactly what the student sections were saying she did not like it. Neither did the powers that be in the athletic department and administration--after all they did not want to lose a coddled prized recruit. Perhaps the UW likes it when the students are present only for part of the game.
They have also been known to taunt opposing teams and states. To Minnesota they would yell: "Safety School!" To Ohio State they would yell "Overrated!" All in the aspects of good sportsmanship. I am sure there are worse chants that have been had, but I have not attended many Badger games, and if they were present they escape my memory.
The Badger game against Maryland had an 11:00 am start, and to show the naivete of Mike Heller he and his sidekick were wondering if the early start time affected the lack of early attendance. What I realized is that Mike Heller needed some statistics, so I did a poll of my five nieces/nephews who had or are at the UW, and my son who attended the school. I explained the reason for the poll, and offered the following:What most closely approximates your and your Significant Others opinions or reason for arriving late, and leaving early for Badger football games:
1. There is beer to drink at pre and post game parties
2. Nobody that is cool would arrive early, ie everybody arrives late
3. Don't want to fight all the "old" people who are trying to get in the stadium
4. There is studying to be done
5. If the Badgers played somebody tough it may be a different story, ie lack of quality opponent
6. The game does not matter until Jump around
7. Who goes to the game to watch football, (it's a party)
Interestingly, among those that responded there was unanimity on the top choice, and it was not #4. And all these years I thought they found it hard for them to pull themselves out of Helen C. White Library, and once they did they could not wait to get back to the library. The top reason was item #1. They also were unanimous on a second choice, and that being #5. The Badgers are well known nationwide for having a soft schedule. Their division in the Big Ten conference (West division) until this weekend only had themselves with a winning division record. But, the likes of the homers, such as Mike Heller are awaiting the arrival of Michigan later in the season. Michigan, however, is tied with Rutgers (nobody's power house) for fourth place in the eastern division standings. I have yet to hear from the youngest niece who is currently a freshman at the UW; the others all have a bachelor degree from what is termed the flagship school of the state university system. I would have to agree with my young relations on why students are late, and leave early. Given my limited experience with Badger games, the drinking culture is strong at the UW.
Most of my attendance at Badger games has been due to the gracious nature of my sister, who with her husband has season tickets, but a few times she let me use her ticket. With at least one, if not two or four Hovel's as undergraduates at the UW at the same time, my brother-in-law always knew who had the party. For a few years it was at my nephew Christopher and his roommates in the backyard of their rented house. Beer pong was prevalent. My best memory is of Christopher drinking two beers at the same time, not once but twice, and right after the other. Four beers in the matter of a couple minutes. It probably took longer for him to pour the beer into his large mug than for him to drink the two beers. (Yes, Lisa, your son.) Oh yes, the beer flows, this is Wisconsin, after all.
The last game I attended was in 2014 when on a cold November day the UW played the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I really have to feel sorry for Nebraska, what else does the state have going for it than Cornhusker football? Although, the character Penny on "The Big Bang Theory" hails from Nebraska. Melvin Gordon, a UW tail back, set a nation record for rushing yards in one game that day (408 yards). His title did not last long as the next week it was broken. The pre-game party we attended that cold day, was at my nephew Peter Nicks (and his roommates) rented house, The house was just across the street from the Camp Randall's north end zone. With a strong police presence on the street, one has to give Madison police credit for their non-obtrusive presence. They could well have been busy that day, as tap beer was sold, and it was not Bud, or Miller, but a keg of a Wisconsin craft beer. Breaking liquor laws there was a price per glass, although I guess they would say donation. Yes, the beer was flowing on that cold November day, and the police presence on the street, as next to the stadium, was great, but not intrusive. So, Peter was able to get by with a back yard full of students, but for two 50 something white men. I also recall the smell of pot wafting out of the home. I have never used pot, but got to know its smell while in college; a student across the hall regularly smoked the weed. While at the parties, Rick and I were always welcomed. I always wondered what the Aunt's would think.
What is interesting, is that in the 2015-2016 school year the UW was ranked as the top party school in the nation and the Hovel family proudly had two undergraduate seniors that term. The following year, with no Hovel undergraduates the UW fell to fifth place as a party school. Not second, not third, but fifth! Was it pure coincidence? I think we in the Hovel family tend to think of it as cause and effect. The question is whether the current Hovel undergraduate will help raise the party school ranking to where it was a couple years ago. The UW, however, does rank first in beer consumption.
Mike Heller was taking calls about ways to solve the problem of late arrival and early leaving. One suggested tying ability to get tickets the following year to arrival to be recorded when the ticket is scanned. The UW's famous Jump Around is at the end of the third quarter, and after that with a blow out in progress the students find better things to do--like drink beer. If the UW were to play some heavy weight, like Ohio State, I think they would arrive earlier. And, if it were an exciting game as it was several years ago when the UW beat #2 OSU, the students would stick around and charge the field. Beer (and football) is part of the Wisconsin culture, and the arrival times, along with pre-game parties, will be hard to change.
Images from Google
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| Camp Randall Stadium, looking toward student section in north end zone They would not take the photo if the student section was not full, so the photo was not taken in the first quarter. |
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| Bucky Badger |
The Badger game against Maryland had an 11:00 am start, and to show the naivete of Mike Heller he and his sidekick were wondering if the early start time affected the lack of early attendance. What I realized is that Mike Heller needed some statistics, so I did a poll of my five nieces/nephews who had or are at the UW, and my son who attended the school. I explained the reason for the poll, and offered the following:What most closely approximates your and your Significant Others opinions or reason for arriving late, and leaving early for Badger football games:
1. There is beer to drink at pre and post game parties
2. Nobody that is cool would arrive early, ie everybody arrives late
3. Don't want to fight all the "old" people who are trying to get in the stadium
4. There is studying to be done
5. If the Badgers played somebody tough it may be a different story, ie lack of quality opponent
6. The game does not matter until Jump around
7. Who goes to the game to watch football, (it's a party)
Interestingly, among those that responded there was unanimity on the top choice, and it was not #4. And all these years I thought they found it hard for them to pull themselves out of Helen C. White Library, and once they did they could not wait to get back to the library. The top reason was item #1. They also were unanimous on a second choice, and that being #5. The Badgers are well known nationwide for having a soft schedule. Their division in the Big Ten conference (West division) until this weekend only had themselves with a winning division record. But, the likes of the homers, such as Mike Heller are awaiting the arrival of Michigan later in the season. Michigan, however, is tied with Rutgers (nobody's power house) for fourth place in the eastern division standings. I have yet to hear from the youngest niece who is currently a freshman at the UW; the others all have a bachelor degree from what is termed the flagship school of the state university system. I would have to agree with my young relations on why students are late, and leave early. Given my limited experience with Badger games, the drinking culture is strong at the UW.
 |
The last game I attended was in 2014 when on a cold November day the UW played the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I really have to feel sorry for Nebraska, what else does the state have going for it than Cornhusker football? Although, the character Penny on "The Big Bang Theory" hails from Nebraska. Melvin Gordon, a UW tail back, set a nation record for rushing yards in one game that day (408 yards). His title did not last long as the next week it was broken. The pre-game party we attended that cold day, was at my nephew Peter Nicks (and his roommates) rented house, The house was just across the street from the Camp Randall's north end zone. With a strong police presence on the street, one has to give Madison police credit for their non-obtrusive presence. They could well have been busy that day, as tap beer was sold, and it was not Bud, or Miller, but a keg of a Wisconsin craft beer. Breaking liquor laws there was a price per glass, although I guess they would say donation. Yes, the beer was flowing on that cold November day, and the police presence on the street, as next to the stadium, was great, but not intrusive. So, Peter was able to get by with a back yard full of students, but for two 50 something white men. I also recall the smell of pot wafting out of the home. I have never used pot, but got to know its smell while in college; a student across the hall regularly smoked the weed. While at the parties, Rick and I were always welcomed. I always wondered what the Aunt's would think.
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| As post college age adults head to the game, students head to party |
Mike Heller was taking calls about ways to solve the problem of late arrival and early leaving. One suggested tying ability to get tickets the following year to arrival to be recorded when the ticket is scanned. The UW's famous Jump Around is at the end of the third quarter, and after that with a blow out in progress the students find better things to do--like drink beer. If the UW were to play some heavy weight, like Ohio State, I think they would arrive earlier. And, if it were an exciting game as it was several years ago when the UW beat #2 OSU, the students would stick around and charge the field. Beer (and football) is part of the Wisconsin culture, and the arrival times, along with pre-game parties, will be hard to change.
Images from Google
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