A theory about the University of Iowa

I have a theory about the University of Iowa and their athletic program. I know it is a tough thing to hear for most Minnesotans, but the Hawkeyes, pretty much from football to basketball have a much better program than the University of Minnesota. I think I know why.
Maybe not "know" of course, but I have a theory. My theory is that Minneapolis is just too awesome. Really! Iowa City is a fine town, but it's only that: A town. It functions almost exclusively to support the University of Iowa, or to provide commuters to Cedar Rapids up the road. Neither are large cities, both smaller than the two Twin Cities that house the University of Minnesota.
That means that the University of Iowa is the only show in town. Players in the big sports, like football and basketball, are local celebrities. If you are an 18 year old, why wouldn't you want to be a celebrity? You can talk about how much fun Minneapolis is, and that's a great selling point for the average student, but you have a tough time convincing someone they will be beloved like they would be in Hawkeye black and gold.
It's hard to deny that the allure of regional programs hasn't drawn even Minnesota athletes. Wisconsin routinely pillages Minnesota high schools, but Madison is a notoriously fun town. I don't think Iowa City has that same reputation, but Iowa football is always better than Minnesota, the Iowa men's team has been as good, if not better than the Gophers, and the women's team has surpassed Minnesota, thanks in large part to Minnesota products. The Iowa hoops teams even have in state competition in the forms of Iowa State, Drake and Northern Iowa for recruits and local talent.
Now that I think about it, Iowa State is universally better than the Gophers in the major sports too, and Northern Iowa is regularly better than Minnesota on the court, too. Ames and Cedar Falls are tremendously uninteresting, aside from their campuses as well.
Which brings us back to the original point. Iowa City only has the University of Iowa. That makes the school all the more appealing to people who will be the big men or women on campus. It's just a theory, but if its accurate, and the U is really interested in bolstering their athletic program, maybe they should move the school to Litchfield.

Lets just lean into Minnesota vs. Philadelphia

The last couple of years have seen an increase in animosity between the state of Minnesota's athletics and those of the city of Philadelphia. In general, Minnesota thinks that Philadelphians are mean, and Philadelphians know they are. To recap the last couple of indidents.
1) The Vikings played the Eagles in the NFC Championship game. The Eagles beat the Vikings in what was a complete dud for the Vikings, who had been on cloud 9 after a thrilling win against the Saints, and had inroads on reaching the Super Bowl at home. Vikings fans were already hurt more than usual by another failure, and then some local Philadelphians made fun of Vikings fans or something. Nerves were already frayed, and Vikngs fans found Philadelphians to be insensitive. Philly fans rightfully thought it was hilarious, then they came to Minnesota and won the Super Bowl.
2) The first incident was mostly about the fans, but the second was on the court, and definitely made Philly vs. Minnesota a real thing. Without further ado:


 Who won the fight? It depends exclusively on which fan base you belong to. The 76ers and Philadelphia won the game, as is always the case.
3) Is Philly a Penn State town? I think Penn State is more popular in western Pennsylvania, but surely, there is some allegiance in Philadelphia. If that's the case, then this Saturday's battle of undefeated Minnesota and Penn State will certainly lead to a bit more spiciness to the burgeoning battle between the two cities. While Penn State will almost certainly win on Saturday, it's important to remember that they are villains who got away nearly scot free with covering for a child abuser because college football was more important than the innocence of children.
While I was sitting on the sideline, amused, for the first rounds of this battle, I am definitely siding with Minnesota now.
What's the next step? Since the Wild are flirting with complete irrelevance, spreading this rivalry falls on the Twins. They aren't scheduled to play the Phillies for another couple of years, so if we want things to be fresh, both teams will need to reach the World Series next October. Sure, that's possible. But how do we make sure things are volatile? The Twins need to acquire Hunter Strickland. It makes sense. The Twins need bullpen help, Strickland is a reliever. Also, he has faced Phillies star Bryce Harper before.

Unlike Minnesota's ongoing battle with New Orleans, I don't think anyone will think Minnesota is the bad guy in a war with Philly. Let's just embrace it and enjoy the ride.