This season, Iowa started one of the best traditions in college football. A children’s hospital opened up, and it overlooks Kinnick Stadium from on high. Before every game, the entire stadium waves to the kids in the hospital, who are able to watch the game for free with their families. It makes for a beautiful moment every time.
ESPN’s College GameDay did a nice feature on the tradition that aired Saturday morning. One takeaway: This is a really big deal not just for the kids in the hospital, but also for the team they’re watching. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz got choked up talking about it. You can watch the whole segment at the top of this page. It ended with GameDay’s crew and on-site fans in Blacksburg, Va., waving to the kids in Iowa City:
For all the kids at Iowa Children’s Hospital ... pic.twitter.com/kxsF7NtD7X
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 30, 2017
Bleacher Report’s Adam Kramer spent a game day in the hospital earlier in September and wrote an incredible story about what this means for the people staying there. It’s big for sick kids and their families, but it’s big for the football team too.
Iowa's "Kinnick Wave" is the most wonderful new tradition in college sports. pic.twitter.com/E9hphvkjle
— SB Nation (@SBNation) September 30, 2017