The regular NFL season is long. Games are typically played from around the first week of September, with the Super Bowl as the season’s climax in February. NFL fans are usually in for the long haul with their favorite teams, drumming support as they go on game week after week.
Fans in cities with local teams are most excited when their local teams have home games. The excitement from the local teams generates a profound atmosphere that makes the entire experience worthwhile. Local fans are usually not objective about their home teams because they expect them to win. They expect NFL week 3 odds to favor their teams.
Unfortunately, the NFL is neither an easily predictable league nor a league that dishes out favors based on sentiments. Each team has to work to gather points that will push them towards Super Bowl contention.
Unlike other leagues, the NFL is not only popular in places where an NFL team is present. In many cities without local representatives in the NFL, the NFL support culture is vital because of the mixture of NFL fans that creates healthy rivalry in such towns. One such city is Northern Iowa.
Understanding NFL Support in Places without Local Teams
Iowa is one of America’s 27 states without an NFL team. With or without an NFL team, Iowa qualifies as one of the biggest NFL support enclaves. NFL fans in cities like Northern Iowa add an interesting twist to fans’ support for teams. Northern Iowa is one of the cities where you can find a mix of NFL fans of different teams in the same place.
This happens because the predominant football team in Northern Iowa is Northern Iowa Panthers Football. Northern Iowa Panthers Football does not play in the NFL. However, the football team represents the University of Iowa in college football competitions at the NCAA Division 1 level.
While most fans are naturally drawn to supporting Northern Iowa Panthers Football, they support different NFL teams. Most fans support the NFL teams that draft their favorite Northern Iowa Panthers players. This has been the prevailing culture in Northern Iowa for years now.
Northern Iowa Panthers Football is among the best grooming grounds for NFL talent. Football players in Northern Iowa Panthers Football are introduced to healthy competition and rivalry with North Dakota State Bison Football and Southern Illinois Salukis Football.
As a result, players drafted from Northern Iowa Panthers Football by clubs in the NFL usually hit the ground running. Trevor Penning is the latest Northern Iowa Panthers player drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2022 NFL drafts. Elerson Smith and Spencer Brown were drafted by the New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills, respectively, in 2021.
Conclusion
Many fans of football players will automatically become supporters of their draft clubs. Therefore, making Northern Iowa one of the best places to experience a healthy NFL rivalry and support amongst fans.
These fans would put their differences aside when supporting the Northern Iowa Panthers. When it comes to the NFL, each fan will pitch a tent with the clubs of their favorite players.
