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Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - Printable Version

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Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - CornFed - 01-02-2016

Yeah, but Hank91, who do they think they are to not embrace our particular form of humor?  Obviously, they are clinging to their guns and their gods, mindlessly rejecting our cutting edge wit.

We're outraged that the intended targets of our ridicule are outraged, which really was our intent in the first case.

Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - Farm93 - 01-02-2016

(01-02-2016, 04:40 PM)stupac2 link Wrote:[quote author=Farm93 link=topic=14252.msg150517#msg150517 date=1451761236]They were upset with the whole pink locker room thing BEFORE the game started.  The whole progressive vs conservative and/or urban vs rural just bothered them a touch.

What?

Also, isn't Iowa one of the more progressive states? I know they were one of the first to allow gay marriage.
[/quote]
Progressive... for a farm state.  Your question is likely why some from Iowa were bothered by the whole theme of the day.  LSJUMB seemed to feature that smart city types vs unsophisticated farmers story line.

Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - stupac2 - 01-02-2016

(01-02-2016, 05:33 PM)CornFed link Wrote:Yeah, but Hank91, who do they think they are to not embrace our particular form of humor?  Obviously, they are clinging to their guns and their gods, mindlessly rejecting our cutting edge wit.

We're outraged that the intended targets of our ridicule are outraged, which really was our intent in the first case.

I don't think we're outraged at them, more amused. Did you read the comments on the band's FB post of the script? They're pretty hilariously salty and some of them miss the point in an epic fashion. Definitely not a great showing for their fans (though I suppose the "to be fair" there is internet comment sections are almost never positive showings for anyone).

(01-02-2016, 06:06 PM)Farm93 link Wrote:[quote author=stupac2 link=topic=14252.msg150566#msg150566 date=1451778008]
[quote author=Farm93 link=topic=14252.msg150517#msg150517 date=1451761236]They were upset with the whole pink locker room thing BEFORE the game started.  The whole progressive vs conservative and/or urban vs rural just bothered them a touch.

What?

Also, isn't Iowa one of the more progressive states? I know they were one of the first to allow gay marriage.
[/quote]
Progressive... for a farm state.  Your question is likely why some from Iowa were bothered by the whole theme of the day.  LSJUMB seemed to feature that smart city types vs unsophisticated farmers story line.
[/quote]

I should have clarified, what in the blazes was the "pink locker room" stuff?

Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - CompSci87 - 01-02-2016

Iowa's visitor's locker room is pink:

http://collegefootball.about.com/od/traditions/a/trad-iowapink.htm


Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - ChicagoCard - 01-02-2016

I think the pink visitors' locker rooms was former head coach Hayden Fry's idea. He also changed their uniforms to look like those of the Steelers.

Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - ThePassionOfTheChryst - 01-02-2016

(01-02-2016, 06:26 PM)CompSci87 link Wrote:Iowa's visitor's locker room is pink:

http://collegefootball.about.com/od/traditions/a/trad-iowapink.htm

"That didn’t sit well with some Iowa law professors and students, who in 2005 protested the locker room on the grounds that it reinforced stereotypes of women and homosexuals as weak. They charged that by having the pink locker room, Iowa was endorsing discrimination of those groups."

Some people are always looking for reasons to be outraged it seems.  I see pink and I think gentle.  They see pink and they think of homosexuals.  Who is really reinforcing stereotypes?

Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - stupac2 - 01-02-2016

(01-02-2016, 06:26 PM)CompSci87 link Wrote:Iowa's visitor's locker room is pink:

http://collegefootball.about.com/od/traditions/a/trad-iowapink.htm

I still have no idea what Farm93 was talking about. Who was upset about that before the game?

Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - Mick - 01-02-2016

(01-02-2016, 06:32 PM)ChicagoVisitor link Wrote:I think the pink visitors' locker rooms was former head coach Hayden Fry's idea. He also changed their uniforms to look like those of the Steelers.


FWLIW, I believe the NFL has a rule that both locker rooms must be painted the same color.

Now back to your regularly scheduled kvetching.

Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - FlyOverStateGuy - 01-02-2016

(01-02-2016, 05:33 PM)CornFed link Wrote:our cutting edge wit.

LOL

Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - CTcard - 01-03-2016

(01-02-2016, 10:10 AM)Yvonne link Wrote:Any Iowa fan who found it offensive wasn't aware of the LSJUMB and probably thought they were going to be watching a Big Ten band in funny costumes — or was looking for a reason to be offended.

In general, it's pretty hard to be offended by what the band actually says/portrays in a halftime show because it's usually more or less impossible to tell what they are doing - at least in any detail.

What has become common knowledge is that the Stanford band is different, ... free-form(?), and tends to have shows about the opposition school.

It's pretty clear that if you are expecting to be offended by those darn, elite-private-school kids from crazy-california who think they are too good to march like your school's band and then you see a formation with a farmer and a cow and hear something about a dating service then you can fulfill your expectations. It's also pretty clear that in a neutral setting with no expectations, actually reading/listening to that script while watching a couple of indecipherable formations and listening to band arrangements of old rock tunes isn't going to get anyone riled up.


Of course we don't live in a neutral world with no expectations. As others have noted, I don't think that it would have been possible for the LSJUMB to have made any reference to Iowa, and certainly to farms, without having many Iowans take umbrage. [Remember, this show was approved by the Stanford/AD administration - which presumably gave more than usual attention to the issue considering it's the Rose Bowl and the probation issues of the band.]
I don't think there is a solution here outside of not having an LSJUMB ... which I guess many would like.
 

Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - dabigv13 - 01-03-2016

Pretty sure the pregame show referenced the pink locker room. I was outside because tunnel 1 seemed to be perpetually full and so there was a giant line on that tunnel but none others to get in, but I could hear the band announcer as we waited. Seemed the script was actually mostly self deprecatory. I wasn't paying too much attention though because I was more antsy to get in.

Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - Farm93 - 01-03-2016

(01-02-2016, 07:28 PM)stupac2 link Wrote:[quote author=CompSci87 link=topic=14252.msg150600#msg150600 date=1451784405]
Iowa's visitor's locker room is pink:

http://collegefootball.about.com/od/traditions/a/trad-iowapink.htm

I still have no idea what Farm93 was talking about. Who was upset about that before the game?
[/quote]
Did any of you actually see the pregame?  The story was harmless fun.  I don't have the exact script in front of me, but essentially it went this way.

Our two announcers played that smart and clueless back and forth thing.  The clueless one noted that Stanford has been to 3 of the last 4 bowl games while Iowa has not been here in 25 years.  (Uneasiness in Iowa section, but they let it go)

For Stanford this Rose Bowl is essentially a second home.  So the clueless one decided that since Iowa was the visiting unfamiliar ground he would paint the visitor locker room pink.  Why pink?  Because that is what they do at (insert Iowa's Stadium name) for the visitor's locker room.  (Iowa fans cheer the reference to their stadium)

Then smart one points out that Stanford is the visitor.  The clueless one points out that painting it pink really is not a big deal and notes the flawed thinking related to stereotypes and perceptions of gender, etc.  (Boooo!!!  Boooo!!!!)

Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - HisKneeWasDown - 01-03-2016

This was posted on the Facebook thread by an Iowa band alum who saw both pregame and halftime:

Quote:I’m a 5-year alum of the Iowa Marching Band and (in stark contrast to many of my fellow former bandmates) very much enjoyed both of your performances yesterday. Pregame - nice job researching the pink locker room history! The halftime show was a playful jab at a number of legit targets (including yourselves). I about fell out of my seat when you played the farmersonly dot com theme in the stands minutes after being booed off the field. Brilliant!


Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - French Rage - 01-03-2016

(01-03-2016, 08:16 AM)Farm93 link Wrote:Then smart one points out that Stanford is the visitor.  The clueless one points out that painting it pink really is not a big deal and notes the flawed thinking related to stereotypes and perceptions of gender, etc.  (Boooo!!!  Boooo!!!!)

Which is more mocking ourselves and the whole west-coast elite saying things like "heteronormative" and "patriarchal", but I guess maybe it came across as us really thinking that and lecturing them?  I dunno.  Just like our references to non-GMO and free range were more mocking the whole California stereotype.

Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - stupac2 - 01-03-2016

(01-03-2016, 08:16 AM)Farm93 link Wrote:Did any of you actually see the pregame?

No! As far as I know ESPN didn't show it, and if you were streaming the game they definitely didn't show it since the pregame started 10 minutes before kickoff and was all talking heads. Sadly not everyone on the board was in the stadium.

Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - CrazedZooChimp - 01-03-2016

(01-03-2016, 10:29 AM)French Rage link Wrote:[quote author=Farm93 link=topic=14252.msg150741#msg150741 date=1451834165]
Then smart one points out that Stanford is the visitor.  The clueless one points out that painting it pink really is not a big deal and notes the flawed thinking related to stereotypes and perceptions of gender, etc.  (Boooo!!!  Boooo!!!!)

Which is more mocking ourselves and the whole west-coast elite saying things like "heteronormative" and "patriarchal", but I guess maybe it came across as us really thinking that and lecturing them?  I dunno.  Just like our references to non-GMO and free range were more mocking the whole California stereotype.
[/quote]

Yeah, maybe they didn't realize that announcer 2 asking if the corn was non-GMO was a playful jab at the Bay Area and California and not a lecture on agricultural science.  Of course, to not realize that implies having no sense of humor :P

I missed pre-game, nice to hear it was also both relevant to the Iowa team, but benign.

Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - MustardtheBallCarrier - 01-03-2016

I find the band less amusing with each passing year.  That said, I am going to defend them here.  Iowa fans have their you know whats in a twist over the band because the alternative is to focus on the game, where their team was basically exposed as a pretender and not a contender within the first 15 seconds.  No one really knew what to make of Iowa given their ridiculously weak schedule.  I think we beat at least three (and maybe five) teams better than Iowa in 2015.  Iowa fans should be appreciative that they got a chance to see the band at all.  There were more deserving and worthy opponents for us, and we proved that by completely dominating the game for as much of the 60 minutes as held our interest.  Iowa fans should follow the lead of their more gracious players, tip their hats, move on and maybe schedule a real out of conference opponent.

Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - Leftcoast - 01-03-2016

Now that we're pretty darn good at football Stanford has a big stage problem.

Perhaps the band's act plays better with opponents and neutral crowds when Stanford is the loveable underdog than it plays when we're the overwhelming favorite smashing teams with intellectual brutality.

Iowa fans are reacting to tone, sub text and their own insecurities and only see us mocking cherished stereotypes just like Oklahoma State, Wisconsin and Va Tech before them.  In their minds we're the snobby, elite 1%ers making fun of hardworking farmers while crushing their beloved Hawkeyes.  They certainly don't get the Stanford in jokes (it's funny 'cuz our nickname is the farm, get it?).  Few Iowa fans have ANY idea what was in the script - or care.  Preconceptions about Stanford, the easy read based upon what they see on the field and insecurities trump the actual text.

I'm not sure how we ever "fix" this, or even if we should, but with Shaw at the helm the big stage problem will be around for a while.

(Part of me wonders if this works better with different presenters.  For you fellow old timers, could Hal Mickelson with his ironic gravitas have pulled this off?)

Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and very confused - Mick - 01-03-2016

(01-03-2016, 11:16 AM)MustardtheBallCarrier link Wrote:I find the band less amusing with each passing year.  That said, I am going to defend them here.  Iowa fans have their you know whats in a twist over the band because the alternative is to focus on the game, where their team was basically exposed as a pretender and not a contender within the first 15 seconds.  No one really knew what to make of Iowa given their ridiculously weak schedule.  I think we beat at least three (and maybe five) teams better than Iowa in 2015.  Iowa fans should be appreciative that they got a chance to see the band at all.  There were more deserving and worthy opponents for us, and we proved that by completely dominating the game for as much of the 60 minutes as held our interest.  Iowa fans should follow the lead of their more gracious players, tip their hats, move on and maybe schedule a real out of conference opponent.


Agree with MTBC and LeftCoast, and I might even take it a step further.  I think you have a perfect storm here:

1)  Every time I've spoken with a fan of an undefeated team, or a near-undefeated team, they almost always discount the weakness of their opponents and Iowa had a very weak schedule. 

2)  Bad common opponent inferences. In this case, they beat Northwestern handily and compared it with our first-game loss, and discounted the starting time, limited playbook, first game of the season, etc.  I think many Iowa fans thought they would win by two touchdowns or more.

3)  Stanford players and coaches are smarter.  They clearly didn't account for the fact that with a month to prepare, our coaches are smarter than their coaches, and it gave us time to heal, whereas their QB is fairly pedestrian, not particularly mobile and had a groin injury.  Iowa fans tend to think of Iowans as smart, and might be a wee bit insecure about it.  First Iowan I ever met bragged to me about how smart Iowans were because they had the highest average SAT in the nation...sort of like the Hahvahd guy I met who mentioned that he had attended Hahvahd twice in the first four minutes of our conversation.  Ugh.

4)  We have a Heismann trophy winner on our team.  True, he'll probably win it next year, but he should have won it this year.  And he was a galaxy better than any player on their team.  I'm quite certain they collectively discounted the impact that McCaffrey would have, given that they had THE #1 RUN DEFENSE IN THE COUNTRY!  Ho, ho ho...

5)  They spent half a year's pay to come to Southern California...and I'll tell you, every time I've ever visited any Midwestern city other than Chicago, I've thought to myself "Thank goodness I don't live here."  I'm sure Des Moines and all the other Iowa towns and cities are perfectly fine, but I'd rather live in Alviso than any one of them.  So when they visit our fair state, especially those here for the first time, they are a bit taken aback at how darned terrific it is.

6)  I don't think they think of Stanford as a real football school.  I think they think of tOSU and Michigan State and Alabama and Iowa as real football schools.  But not Stanford.  That's an egghead school on the wimpy left coast.  They completely discounted the three-Rose Bowls-in-four years, they discounted Shaw's team record, they convinced themselves that their paltry team belonged on the same field as the Cardinal.

7)  I think they think, like the rest of the country, that the Pac-12 is not a 'real' football conference, particularly when compared with the tradition-rich, rock 'em, sock 'em Big Ten, ho ho ho.  Man, i can barely write that with a straight face.

And then they were more than soundly thrashed.  After 18 minutes of the game, they were behind by more points than any ranked team in any game this season.  The most Iowa had been down this entire season was 7 points.  Every single little delusion fell away, and was gone by the early part of the second quarter.  And then the band took the field, and all those nasty negative Iowa feelings were thrown at the incomparables.

In sum, and if I'm being candid, Iowa would have been a good opponent for U$C or UCLA.  I don't think Iowa would have beaten either of those teams, Oregon with Adams at QB, Goff-led berzerkeley, Utah, and probably two of the remaining Pac-12 opponents.  If Iowa played this season in the Pac-12, i think they would have gone 6-6.

Re: Iowa fans discover the Stanford Band - And are very angry and confused - Kathy - 01-03-2016

(01-01-2016, 10:35 PM)French Rage link Wrote:I mean, it was pretty complimentary of them to me.  They basically said the Iowa band was fun and they would want to be their rival.  Yes they hit on corn and cow-tipping and general farmer stuff, but it's Iowa, that's the obvious fun stereotype you go for there.  As someone pointed out elsewhere, Iowa has an "America Needs Farmers" sticker on their helmets, so it's not like we really going out into left field with that one.

Perhaps the irony was lost on the Hawkeyes: a band representing a school nicknamed The Farm making fun of a farm state.