Camp Randall

[Huskerzoo]

Just got tickets to the Husker Badger game. First trip to Madison, will be there Friday night and Saturday. Looking for actionable intel on what to expect, what not to miss, what to avoid, from someone whos made the trip before.

 

I was told to die in a car crash at one of the games. The second game there people just gave me a lot of grief but it was fairly good natured.

 

I lived in Madison for a year and would be happy to suggest my favorite restaurants and stuff. Shoot me a PM with what you enjoy etc if you want that.

[Count 'Bility]

Not one single incident and experience, whether it be good or bad, can write the narrative for everyone.

 

There. Dun. Thread over.

[DrunkOffPunch]

Your trip to The Camp will depend entirely on your attitude about it. If you wear Husker gear you will be heckled, most commonly with an 'a$* hole' chant, other times worse. This is usually not meant in a mean spirited way and if you react with a smile and a cleaver comeback people will offer you a beer. Overindulgence can be a problem but just use a little common sense and avoid those idiots and the problem goes away. Stories about Nebraska fans getting jumped and having people refuse to help them are ridiculous. Madison isn't some farm town where football is God and the local police are all cousins with the coach. I'm not going to say people don't get in fights on campus, but 999 times out of 1,000 it is a two way street, like any other college campus in the country.

 

After a few years in the conference it isn't surprising that Nebraska fans have experienced a culture clash in Madison. You pride yourselves on clapping for the opponents while we have a cheer that goes F you/Eat Sh**. Different strokes for different folks. But having attended countless games at Camp Randall over the last 25 years I have to say that the behavior described in this thread is unlike anything I have ever seen. Yes we swear a lot and are super drunk, if that offends you, then you are going to have a bad time. If you are willing to laugh at yourself and give as good as you get, in a good natured way, you are going to have a great trip. I have never seen fans accost old ladies, and if they did they would be immediately swarmed by the police/other fans. I think the demoralizing nature of the games themselves have been the single biggest factor in most terrible experiences by Husker fans. It sucks getting rocked by a team you consider beneath you that totally stole your style. It is easy to take the ribbing in a much more sinister light when the game is getting out of hand on the field. Maybe that does make us terrible fans in the eyes of some Cornhuskers, if so I get it. Bottom line is that in Madison, the party comes first, the game is a distant second to most fans. If you can enjoy the party, and the adult language, you will have a great time.

This is literally the experience I had. We stayed at a friends college apartment and drank pretty heavily before leaving and I don't really recall the walk to the stadium. 'Party comes first' is exactly what you'll get. If you're going to CR, go with the intention of having some fun, and you will. The chants and singing basically turn it into a ~80,000 capactiy outdoor party. The fans aren't mean people, they just like to get under your skin.

[Fru]

Just relaying stories I was told by people who have been.

 

Sounds like anecdotes about the behavior of your fan base has gotten under your skin.

[B1GRED]

One of the replies asked to update how the trip went.

 

Rolled in Friday, went to the stadium, they let us in to the gift shop in the south endzone to look around. Said hello to Ron Dayne (didn't know it was him until a Badger fan told me afterwards) while taking a picture of Barry Alvarez's statue with my Husker hat on it.

 

Went down to the Husker Alumni tailgate, had a good time. Then on to State Street in our full Husker gear, the fried cheese curds at Nitty Gritty were awesome. Lots of college kids in costume. No negative interaction, I didn't get the impression they even noticed us or cared.

 

Saturday we walked around Campus early, everyone was friendly. Only saw one tailgate that was going by noon. Hit State Street after lunch, they were starting to pay attention to Husker fans, but a lot of the talk was how they were just hoping we didn't embarrass them. No confidence from their fans at all. Back up on campus we walked by a few college parties, even got a beer at one. The only negative comments were there, so we told them we were leaving to go over to the Stadium to see where their Nattys were displayed, that shut them up. Most of the tailgates we saw didn't get set up until about 4:00 (for a 6:00 kickoff),

 

Had probably a dozen Badgers ask if we were treated alright, and if we were having fun. One guy outright said he didn't like Wisconsin getting the reputation of being a-hole fans, so he went out of his way to welcome us.

 

Some smart a$$ shouting from fans during the game, nothing too vile. Their students were kinda loud, but not Memorial stadium loud. Spent several minutes in the first half cheering .. F U .. Huskers .. FU.. Huskers .., and trying to start the wave in the middle of a drive in a 3 point game. Lame.

 

They had no confidence at all, and the stadium was REALLY REALLY quiet when we started fighting back in the second half. So their students started chanting Come On .. Old People .. Come On .. Old People. Other than jump around, and a few minutes at the end, their crowd wasn't really in the game, by Memorial Stadium standards.

 

We skipped Freak Fest downtown after the game, our hearts just weren't in it. But it looked like it would have been a lot of fun.

 

Friendliness 7/10

Fun Tailgating 4/10 (Except the one early guy who gets a 12/10 for his automated beer dispenser)

Stadium Energy 5/10

 

Going back again? 10/10

 

GBR

[teachercd]

Yeah, the tailgating there really seems sort of odd compared to most Big Ten schools...Seems like it is really all about the bars

[Brouhaha]

Just got back from Madison as well and it was easily the best away game I've ever been to and I didn't get one hostile treatment from a Wisconsin fan. The only time I was heckled by a long Wisconsinite, I responded with, "Who hates Iowa?" and then a big group of Wisco fans responded, "We hate Iowa."

 

Really really great trip and I would/will absolutely go back.