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Imrem: For some reason, NU football underappreciated

Northwestern football has to be the most underappreciated sports entity in the Chicago area.

Maybe in the country.

If the Bears or Cubs belch, the deep meaning is debated for hours upon hours. If the Bulls or Blackhawks are above .500, they warm the winter. Only the White Sox are an afterthought but on merit.

Northwestern deserves better than being stuck somewhere back in the "Oh, yeah, them" category.

Sad to say, it sort of took me by surprise that the Wildcats have a 9-2 record.

I mean, who knew? OK, I guess I did, but basically only because I'm paid to pay attention to these things.

Northwestern can complete its regular season with double-figure victories by winning Saturday's finale against Illinois in Soldier Field.

Yet more attention is paid to Fighting Illini problems: Who will be their next athletic director, who will be their next football coach, who will be their next fan that cares?

Northwestern long has been overlooked on the local sports landscape along with the likes of Arlington Park, another well-run operation.

But we're talking Northwestern football here, with the emphasis on football, the dominant sport in America.

Wildcats football is overlooked despite being ranked No. 17 nationally.

In case you haven't noticed, Northwestern is a member of the Big Ten, which annually is at the top or near the top in conference attendance even if the Wildcats have a tough timed drawing decent crowds.

Northern Illinois football also is overlooked, yes, but the Huskies play in the Mid-American Conference, a step below the power leagues.

Myriad reasons account for Northwestern's lack of attention, not the least of which being that college sports are a difficult sell in Chicago.

In university towns, college sports are the major leagues. It's a big deal when Iowa brings big-name college opponents to Iowa City.

Around here, the big of bigs like the Yankees, Packers and LeBron James make regular visits.

No wonder Northwestern receives more publicity when players ponder unionizing than when the 'Cats beat Wisconsin and Stanford.

The only time college sports are up there with pro sports here is when a team joins the national elite.

DePaul was there on the way to No. 1 nationally in the early 1980s. Northwestern was, too, on the way to the Rose Bowl during the 1995 season. Even Loyola basketball made a stir on the way to the Final 16 in 1985.

Otherwise our local programs have found it hard to make a dent.

Northwestern does have other problems when it comes to expanding beyond the school's base of alums and boosters, students and faculty.

Ryan Field is a bit out of the way. Traffic on game days is tedious. Parking is inconvenient.

In other words, it's Wrigley Field without the romance.

But Northwestern football does have appealing aspects, beginning with ever-young, ever-enthusiastic, ever-"Go 'Cats!" head coach Pat Fitzgerald.

Despite the challenging logistics, Ryan Field is a quaint, intimate football facility in a world of gigantic, homogenized stadiums.

As much as it rankles the folks in Champaign, Northwestern indeed is Chicago's Big Ten team as the marketing campaign proclaims.

Illinois aims to begin changing that with the "Windy City Series," including Saturday's home game in Soldier Field.

It'll be interesting to see the crowd size and the split between fans of the underwhelming Illini and fans of the underappreciated Wildcats.

mimrem@dailyherald.com

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