Tales from the Heart of Huskerland

It's just a game. I always detested that phrase. Imprudently shoved in your face by a bewildered family member or someone else close to you who just doesn't get this whole Nebraska football obsession or why it's cause for so much agony and vitriol. I hated that phrase because there's some truth to it. But also because it's horribly wrong. Completely and totally 100 percent false. This phrase frustrated me endlessly and I didn't quite know how to explain why. It is just a game. That is technically true. But Nebraska fandom is a far cry from a game of checkers. A simple game does not foster such a large, organic community of people that share such a powerful common interest. A common interest that instantly makes friends out of strangers and breaks down barriers. Sports fandom is the only thing I've ever encountered in my entire life that gets Republicans and Democrats to actually get along for a few hours. And some think it's just a game. A g...

Sometime in the 2030s...  "Dad, tell me again about the Hy-Vee Heroes Trophy!" "Well son. Once upon a time Hy-Vee's marketing team decided they wanted to..." BOORRRRRRRINNNNG.  Way to take all the fun out of a rivalry trophy. Trophies that only exist for the sole purpose of being fun. The $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy is the only real rivalry trophy Nebraska is playing for this season as far as I'm concerned. That's not a declaration of who Nebraska's rivals are, but a critique of the actual trophies themselves. The $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy is the only one that's actually fun. The only one that has a story behind it worth telling. Not only does it have a great origin story, the bizarre nature of it demands its telling every time someone new hears about it. What a freaking crazy concept for a rivalry trophy, right? And don't get me wrong. I appreciate the gesture of the Heroes Trophy to honor heroes from both Iowa and N...

"There were just Cornhusker people. Cornhusker people everywhere." In Chicago for my company's annual meeting about a year ago, one of my Chicago colleagues tried to describe her one time being in Lincoln, Nebraska, which so happened to be a game-day. The exact quote sticks vividly in my mind because of the way she described it. The thousand yard stare (which I admit is probably my memory being hyperbolic) she wore on her face was priceless as she attempted to put the Sea of Red into words, describing it as if she were in the middle of a horror movie in which the protagonist has to wade their way through a swarm of rabies infected rats to get out of the cellar. I don't consider that an insult to Husker fans. I get it. She doesn't care a lick about sports and the horror of unexpectedly having to wade your way through one of the biggest crowds you've ever seen in your life in the middle of Lincoln, Nebraska of all places makes it a damn funny comparison. ...

On July 9, 2013 I walked out of the GameStop on 180th & West Center in Omaha with a brand new copy of NCAA Football 2014 for the Xbox 360 completely oblivious to the fact that the end of this series I had adored for over a decade was right around the corner. I had a policy of only buying the game every other year. Minor changes from year to year didn't seem to justify shelling out $60 every single year, but after 2 years there were generally enough new features and updates to justify another purchase. That and I didn't enjoy having to restart my dynasty after just one year. So it was just through dumb luck that my personal policy happened to align with me buying the very last game in the series. For years there had been rumblings about the series being cancelled or at least being put on hiatus for a few years. But it never really felt like it would actually happen. I figured EA would reach settlements with those suing them over likeness issues and at worst maybe they...

Des Moines, IA - Facing immense criticism for surfacing 7 year-old tweets from football fan Carson King after he successfully raised over $1.3 million for a children's hospital, the Des Moines Register issued a press release on its website and social media channels defending their actions. You can read the full press-release below: "We deeply appreciate the generosity of King to donate the entirety of the immense sum of money he came into out of the blue to the University of Iowa's Stead Children's Hospital. However, while doing a routine background check one of our staff members came across two tweets featuring jokes made in poor taste over 7 years ago when King was 16. During an internal meeting to discuss the discovery, we had to ask ourselves: 'Is attempting to derail an incredible, spontaneous philanthropic effort that has raised over $1.3 million and counting for sick children over some primal lust for self-righteousness really worth it?' And the unan...

It's that time of year again. The air is turning cooler, the leaves are turning brown and the sound of fingers angrily clacking on keyboards fills the air. It seems to come earlier every year. Yes, it's pitchforks and torches season in Nebraska once again. Fire Everybody!!! Yes, pitchforks and torches season is an annual rite here in Nebraska. Many of Nebraska's youth get their first taste of manhood hurling a proverbial javelin through the gut of the current coach or AD. Why the first one I can easily remember is the infamous Black Friday in 2001. And of course I lived through what is perhaps the greatest pitchforks and torches season there ever was in the fall of 2007. And oh yes, I was definitely among those partaking in the great tradition during the final year of the Riley Era. In my mind I remember flipping a few cars, smashing a few windows and skewering a few fools on the edge of my pitch fork on social media. Then again, my mind is probably a bit fuzzy on a...

Perhaps "get your piss hot" was a poor choice of words for Garrett Nelson. In the proper context it makes sense and is a hilarious sound-bite. But.... I'm sure it brought back some unpleasant flashbacks, or should I say "splash-backs," (I'm so sorry) of balloons filled with hot Colorado piss and other fluids that are best left unmentioned. That's what happens when a coach decides it wants to be rivals and then proceeds to stoke the flames until fans take it WAY too far to the point where it's not even fun anymore. Rivalries are great. The back and forth trash talk is fun. But when it gets taken to the point of physical assault and people thinking "Hey, wouldn't it be hilarious if I covered that person with my bodily fluids?" they've taken it way too far and it's frankly disturbing they need to be told they've taken it too far. But if you're in Boulder this weekend, just remember to not stoop to their level. Hone...