The Hawkeyes lost last Saturday. That’s hopefully not news to anyone, but from what I saw, our losses extended past the gridiron and into the stands. Not only did our team lose, but our fans did as well.

I saw plenty of the expected harassment of visiting fans before the game. This didn’t bother me much. In fact, I’m not ashamed to admit that I participated. Football rivalries and offensive language seem to go hand in hand, and overall, they probably add to the the atmosphere of a much-anticipated match-up. There were plenty of slurs and insults thrown toward Wisconsin fans and their comically named mascot Bucky, but they all came right back at us with the same confident tone. Nothing seemed abnormal about the pre-game attitudes this weekend.

The real surprise came at the end of the game. After the clock ran down on an unfortunately uneventful final charge, the stadium lay silent. While the Iowa fans quietly coming to grasp that the game had truly ended in loss, the Badgers patiently allowed us to do so. Perhaps they were equally shocked, or maybe fans are raised with a bit more empathy in Wisconsin. It’s also certainly possible that they all saw the look in our eyes and decided that focusing our anger wouldn’t be a healthy decision. For whatever reason though, the Wisconsin fans didn’t say a word. There was no harassment, not even from the red-shirted Wisconsin students who had previously enjoyed arguing with the hundreds of loud-mouthed Hawkeyes in the student section. Overall, the Wisconsin fans were very humble in victory.

I wish I could say the same for the Iowa fans. I never would have imagined that anyone could be as arrogant in defeat as the students and alumni I watched returning to their cars. Though the large majority of us were at a loss for words, far too many still had plenty to say. The pre-game yelling continued, only now it was strangely one sided. I saw countless Wisconsin fans walk quietly and humbly while wild, rude and usually drunk Iowans told them they sucked.

University of Iowa Football is known for its dedicated fans, but this time, things were taken too far. Sometimes we ought to just accept defeat and move on. Wisconsin fought a good game and Iowa did too. It’s unfortunate that our fans had to add to an understandable loss on the field with an inexcusable defeat in the stands. I know that we’re better than that, but last Saturday, I wondered if “badgering” shouldn’t be called “Hawkeyeing.”

-DN