Camp Randall Stadium and the Kohl Center – those were the two places I had to see during my first visit to Madison.
The college sports town environment was something I wanted to experience. The massive tailgates on Saturdays, the band, the ridiculously long lines to get a front row seat, the thousands of people all wearing the same color.
Like so many of you, that’s what I wanted, and that’s exactly what I got when I enrolled at UW (fortunately at a time when Wisconsin athletic success is at an all-time high).
But after a year on campus, I realized I wanted even more. I wanted to write about the Badgers – specifically the football and men’s hockey team. I wanted to interview the players and coaches. The Badger Herald provided that opportunity of a lifetime.
For the past couple years, I’ve used this column to give you everything I’ve got to offer regarding the Badgers. What I saw, what I heard, what I felt – all of it.
And I’ve got a simple final thought to pass along: Madison and UW athletics are pretty special.
This isn’t news. You’ve heard that said quite often by a number of people – most notably ESPN personality Scott Van Pelt, who claimed Madison is the greatest college town in America (something he reaffirmed after UW’s victory over No.1 ranked Ohio State this past season).
But what is it that makes Madison and its love for the Badgers so different? What makes the sports scene on this campus so special?
I’ll do my best to explain with a couple moments that have stuck with me.
Walk around Madison on a football Saturday or take in a game at the Kohl Center and you’ll feel the energy and excitement. Watch the Badgers beat the top-ranked Buckeyes and you’ll see something otherworldly.
But there are tons of college campuses across the country that can offer incredible game day environments. Schools like Texas or Florida or North Carolina come to mind. You know, those schools with “followers” nationwide. Those few schools whose apparel is layered on a table at every single Foot Locker or Champs across the country.
Wisconsin doesn’t usually come to mind when you ask the average sports fan to name the top college athletic programs – although that may change thanks to continued success in football and basketball to go along with an already-legendary hockey program.
But that doesn’t matter to the people in this state. Sure, they want the wins and the national respect, but Wisconsin is their team regardless. Fans, students and alumni relish the uniqueness that is Madison and the often-overlooked Badgers.
The Badgers have all of Wisconsin’s attention (except a segment of basketball fans who root for Marquette). In the fall, Badger football captivates the state, and it’s something that’s difficult to understand unless you actually live it.
As junior linebacker and Ashwaubenon-native Mike Taylor put it during a Rose Bowl pep rally, he went to UW because “that’s what Wisconsin kids do.”
All that pride comes together in Madison on game days.
Close to 90,000 people fill Camp Randall each and every Saturday. The Badgers sold out every men’s basketball game at the Kohl Center this year and led the Big Ten with over 17,000 in the crowd each night. And when it comes to hockey, the men’s and women’s teams are always atop the list in attendance numbers.
But you can get an even greater appreciation for Badger pride once you venture away from Madison.
As a beat writer, I’ve done my fair share of traveling.
From football in Las Vegas to Frozen Four action in Detroit, I’ve hit the road for countless hours with colleagues and friends to watch Wisconsin compete.
Of course, we weren’t the only ones.
Badger fans travel everywhere. Walk into a bar in hostile territory and it won’t take long to spot a group in red.
Like the group of men in an Iowa City bar who talked at length about their mission to attend a Badger football road game each year over a few pitchers.
Or the friendly couple tailgating in the TCF Bank Stadium parking lot who wanted to know everything about our work covering the Badgers for the student paper.
Anywhere I went there was someone to listen to. Some group of fans that just loved their Badgers and wanted to talk about it.
I learned quickly what Big Ten country and lifelong Badger fans were all about.
Then the Rose Bowl happened and I learned more.
The night before the game, while enjoying the media party at the ESPN Zone in the downtown Los Angeles, the UW band showed up for an outdoor performance at LA Live/Nokia Plaza.
10 minutes later, there was a sea of Wisconsin red. Lakers fans looked out from the Staples Center balcony to watch as thousands of Badger fans sang and danced to their favorite songs – the songs you suddenly know all the words to after a few seasons.
In that moment, you knew you were witnessing something special, something rare. It was as if Madison briefly relocated to downtown LA.
It said what the Badgers mean to people in a way words simply could not.
And it was why J.J. Watt and his teammates were so heartbroken after that loss to TCU.
Watt’s tears weren’t so much a result of the realization that he wouldn’t ever personally own a Rose Bowl championship ring, although there is no question that was part of it.
Watt broke down when he thought about the fans, when he thought about the 70,000 Badgers who came to Pasedena hoping for the victory he worked so hard to give them.
“We know how much this means to everybody, to everybody involved,” he said.
After four years at this university, you understand how much it means.
Sports unite people on this campus. They are an integral part of the school’s identity.
Years ago I sought out a college town that was just as passionate about sports as I was. I wanted a school with an athletic program I would be proud of. A place that would give me four years I would never forget.
I found it in Madison.
Max is a senior majoring in journalism. If you couldn’t already tell, he’s going to miss this place. But he’ll be back. Any final thoughts you’d like to send his way? Send them to [email protected]
