New CyHawk Trophy

[j4state]

If Legends and Leaders and the Heroes Game are off the mark, I don't know where that puts this. This is a stereotype reinforcement that essentially rubs the collective State of Iowa's face into a steaming pile of pig ****.

Whoever signed off on this has no reservations about the series ending. Pollard and Barta included.

 

[cyclones500]

Several hours ago, I posted that I "didn't hate it" once I saw the photo up-close.

I changed my mind. I do hate it. I don't hate it because it's badly-done (for what it is).

In 30 years, it might even become "coveted" in the context of the series. Teams battling to win a trophy that was universally hated upon its unveiling. (That would become the "tradition" part of it).

In the short term, I hate it for the following reasons:
* It's uninspiring
* It's historically misplaced ... if this was the new trophy during the '80s "farm crisis" period, and it harkened to hard-working continuity, then, maybe.
* Two basic choices for a Cy-Hawk trophy — the state's agricultural identity, or the sports-rivalry aspect. The sports equivalent of this trophy would be two guys sitting in a bar, one wearing an Iowa State T-shirt, the other an Iowa T-shirt. And they're thumb-wrestling.
* As a farm-rasied ISU grad, I find it insulting. Although I do remember my dad keeping ears of corn in a metal tub, for special occasions, such as the biggest non-conference football game each season for each team.
* The Mom looks irritated. "This is the best you can do?" she asks. (Although, come to think of it, that actually makes me like the trophy more.)
* The males are wearing caps. That's authentic, at least.
* It elevates the "Iowa hick factor" that probably hasn't existed since about 1911. That could be a badge of pride, but to the rest of the world it looks like Iowans require three decades to spin a narrowly defined heritage into a prize for competitive superiority.
* Which would be OK, if Iowans weren't actually quite intelligent. (Even the farmers!)
* Related: It's the home of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills ... which apparently didn't focus enough on effective marketing design.
* It's uninspiring

 

[CyBer]

But tell me what your really think.

 

[AdamO]

 

[Cyclone06]

After looking at this trophy, I think those at the Iowa Corn Growers Association are trying to cover up something. No one who actually has Iowa values and morals needs to outwardly display to others that that is the case. A ******* travesty and an embarassment! I would love to go back in time and hear the conversation in that meeting room that got this thing approved.

 

[stevefrench]

my great grandmother used to have little statues very similar to this around her house growing up. to my knowledge, she was never the winner of any cy-hawk competition.

this is the worst trophy ever

 

[Cyclonepride]

I like the fact that the dad figure is showing them corn like its something they have never seen before.

The corn looks like it's the size of the kid's leg. Pretty sure he's never seen that.

 

[BigRedPowrWagon]

In all honesty i think you should keep it. Then after the game is done, have the 2 leading members of each squad meet in the middle of the field with a the trophy and a table. Then you both exchange team inspired colored sledge hammers and share in beating the hell out of this thing. At the end you all walk off and that can be your tradition. Have someone make a terrible trophy misrepresenting football and the state of iowa and your 2 teams beat the hell out of it. Or on second thought, for the 1st game have one sledge hammer and both squads take turns beating the hell out of it. The winner gets to take the gold plated sledge hammer home. Then in the future it will be known as The hammer that killed the trophy that unified iowa and iowa state. Seriously, this is what happens when corporate america gets involved in college sports.

 

[ISUAgronomist]

I'd love to see the winning team walk off the field and leave the "trophy" sitting on the table.

 

[hawkeyeh8r]

at least we wont lose our spot in the top 10 ugliest trophies in college football. we may even move up the list!

 

[Rogue52]

I assume Nebraska and Iowa will institute a trophy in the near future that is an ear of corn.

 

[theyork]

I assume Nebraska and Iowa will institute a trophy in the near future that is an ear of corn.

this scares me. they probably will. then that rivalry will have a cool trophy and we will be stuck this crap. hope corn growers take heed and make the golden ear before iowa/nebraska swipes it up.

 

[theyork]

this trophy is a brown streak in the undies of college football. this needs to be bleached in cold water immediately, or risk being the skid mark of trophies world wide.

 

[fatkid1974]

One of the only positive statements is from article an Isabel Bloom employee that don't like football. She called it a "beautiful sculpture". Another attempt at generic PC gone bad.

Fry, fans find new trophy just too corny | The Des Moines Register | DesMoinesRegister.com

Someone I know that works for Iowa Corn said that there was a rep from IA corn, ISU & Iowa involved in the design. I'd like to know who the ISU rep was and beat them with this damn thing.

 

[cycloner29]

The picture should have been taken about a minute later so we could have seen the "What in the hell is this" look on their faces. I threw up in my mouth after I saw it. Not only is it ugly but the top being either pweter (sic) or aluminum with the black marble base and then and the golden oak looking wood bottom just makes the whole trophy look horrific. Maybe the Soybean Growers Association should have done it!!!

 

[CyForPresident]

Well, it is what it is at this point. Could they have done something better? Definitely. Will the trophy change? No. All our ******** will change nothing, I can gaurantee that. And once the trophy is won by ISU or Iowa it will certainly grow on both fan bases. That said, it sucks, but it is what it is.

It certainly looks like they plan on using this thing for a long time too. There is enough room for the plaques of each game's score for 50 years. At least they got the base of the trophy right.

 

[HFCS]

The trophy should be a 1:1 life size solid gold sculpture of Seneca Wallace.

The loser would get a 1:1 life size sculpture of Jake Christiansen made of clumped together tin foil.

 

[Dr.Swan]

Found this post this morning on Deadspin, thought it was pretty good.

"This is the new Cy-Hawk Trophy, given annually to the winner of the Iowa State-Iowa football game. It depicts an Iowa farmer presenting to his family some of the subsidy-fattened corn crop that he will soon sell to an Archer Daniels Midland processing plant in Keokuk, whereupon the corn will be converted into high-fructose corn syrup and ethanol that will make America both fat and asthmatic. The farmer's wife dropped out of the workforce to raise her children, and plummeting land values have vaporized the family's main source of collateral, making it impossible to borrow. The daughter will reject her Methodist upbringing and become a heroin addict at 15. The son is gay."

The Winner Of Iowa-Iowa State Gets This Awful Trophy

(Please delete if re-post.)

 

[CtownCyclone]

One of the only positive statements is from article an Isabel Bloom employee that don't like football. She called it a "beautiful sculpture". Another attempt at generic PC gone bad.

Fry, fans find new trophy just too corny | The Des Moines Register | DesMoinesRegister.com

Someone I know that works for Iowa Corn said that there was a rep from IA corn, ISU & Iowa involved in the design. I'd like to know who the ISU rep was and beat them with this damn thing.

From the article:

"I'm all for the farmers...But normally when you win a trophy like that, you want to see some football in it...I looked at it, and it makes me chuckle."

 

[2XaDime]

Yes, this trophy sucks immensely. I agree with whoever said that this should be given to the loser of the game. Sucky, sucky, lame and sucky! Boo! Yuck! Arr! Get rid of that thing! Kill it before it breeds!