Iowa Women’s Basketball Hosts Record-Setting Game at Football Stadium… But the Court’s Odd Placement Left Many Confused

Ahmad Austin Jr.Oct 16th, 2023, 11:22 am
 
Iowa women's basketball hosted an exhibition against DePaul at Kinnick Stadium.

Nick Rohlman/AP

The University of Iowa women’s basketball team on Sunday had more than 55,000 fans in attendance for its exhibition game against DePaul, setting a new record for college women’s basketball. It was held at the university’s football stadium, not unlike Nebraska volleyball’s exhibition months prior.

Unfortunately for the university, much of the talk online was about the bizarre placement of the court on the football field.

Without seeing any images of the event, one would probably assume the court would be placed right at the 50-yard line, with the court’s sideline running parallel with the field’s. After all, that does seem to make the most sense.

That was not the case on Sunday. Instead, the court was placed next to one of the end zones and the baselines ran parallel to the football field’s sidelines.

As shown from that spectator’s point of view, the placement of the court meant that most of the stadium had a suboptimal view of the action.

More than a few people took note of that.

For anyone who watched the broadcast of the game, one possible reason for the court’s placement was apparent. Because the game was played right next to an end zone, a goal post was in full view. It made for an interest visual to capture the uniqueness of the event.

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