After witnessing such recent events as Troy Davis’ second place finish in the Heisman balloting and the men’s basketball team putting it to Iowa…again. On the Hawk’s home court…again. I was left wondering one thing: Why the hell are we called the “Hawkeye State” ?

Now I know there’s someone out there right now thinking to himself “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. We’re the tall corn state, dammit!”

Well you would be right. We are the tall corn state and I don’t usually know what I’m talking about, but this time I’m on to something. I smell conspiracy here.

Now I’ve lived in Iowa all my life and one thing I’m sure everyone who’s been in the same boat I’m in has noticed is that the Hawkeyes rule this state hands down in the popularity polls.

Before you storm the Daily and burn it to the ground, stop and think. Outside of Ames how many Cyclone fans do you know? How many Hawkeye? Yeah that’s what I thought.

So what’s the explanation for this? The campuses are roughly the same size. Hayden Fry has never saved the homeland from any invading marauders, nor has he ever delivered on any type of major bowl victory. Yet the man continues to walk on water here in Iowa. Why is this?

They’re everywhere! Subliminal brainwashing is obviously at work here. And when you compound this with the constant barrage of pro-Hawkeye banter in the media, can you blame these poor souls for giving in?

So you’re asking what we can do to stop this? I’ll tell ya. It’s already been done.

First, the logos’s new and improved. The new symbol of Cy-dom is definitely an improvement over the old. And who can honestly say that the Cyclones’ logo is not the coolest one in the state?

I mean look at the Hawk’s logo. What the hell are those things on the side of its head? Porkchop sideburns? Granted this look might have great appeal to the tractor pull watching segment of the population but not for the rest of us.

Speaking of uniforms, remember what the Hawk’s old football uniforms looked like? Have you seen the Barnstormers jerseys? Then take off the helmet goggles and add the word Iowa on the side and you’ve seen ’em.

In fact one of the first things Coach Fry did when he came in was revamp the uniforms in the image of the dominant pro team of that era, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

So what was one of the first things Coach McCarney did when he came to ISU? Goodbye yellow pants, hello new uniforms. Take a page out of their own play book to beat them. Conclusion: yet another image improver.

Another step on the way to ending Hawkeye dominance in Iowa is the improvement of our athletic programs. The basketball team is dominant, in the top 10 in the nation and with one loss in the Big 12. And the football program after many long years of suffering, is finally on track.

Finally, walk around the malls now and you’ll notice a lot more Cyclone paraphernalia then in the bad old days. Not just for sale but actually being worn by people. Especially on the young’uns. Give us a few more years and we can finally put the last shovel full of dirt on the “Hawkeye State.”

Kevin Petty is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Carlisle.