Iowa football: Band issues and what to make of the CyHawk game

The rivalry game between the Iowa football team and ISU has been played, but the drama has continued off the field. Here’s what to make of it.

Before jumping into this controversial subject, I want to first start out by saying I don’t know what is the truth of the events that happened during the Iowa football team’s game versus Iowa State. I don’t know what happened or didn’t happen to the band. If something did happen, whether it has happened before or not, it’s not okay.

This is college football. It’s not life or death, and it should never be treated as such. Fans, on both sides, need to show significantly more respect and decency.

Yes, Iowa football fans, we are not absolved of all wrongdoings. I’ve seen how some folks interact on Twitter and social media in general, there are bad apples in both bunches.

Now on to the incident itself, the handling of these allegations has been all over the board and frankly, so confusing that it’s causing even more issues. The University of Iowa president Bruce Herrald even questioned whether this game should be continued in the future, much to the dismay of Governor Kim Reynolds.

Since that interview with Harreld came out, I’ve seen fans on both sides arguing for or against the rivalry game to remain in place, and I’ve voiced my opinion on this already in a past article that I believe the CyHawk game is good for the state, and it’s not as much of a lose-lose situation for the Iowa football team as it has been in the past.

But if fans, students, or athletes can’t feel safe, then be gone with it. Not to bring it up, but VEISHEA was once a great annual tradition until some dumb people ruined it. It not longer exists, and that honestly sucks for Iowa State, but safety comes first, no matter what.

If this game does inevitably get suspended, it does open up quite a few options for the Iowa football team though. It gives them an opportunity to schedule a marquee non-conference matchup in the month of September to help them build an even better resume for the College Football Playoff committee. It also gives the Iowa football team a chance to resume what would seemingly be fun and exciting “rivalry-esque” games on paper.

As an Iowa football fan, I want this game to stay, and I want fans, students, and athletes on both sides to be able to enjoy the game without having to worry about their safety. If it can’t or if either school decides the effort is not worth it, the state of Iowa will be losing a great rivalry, but when one door closes, another one opens.