The wave is cool again.
But not just any wave. The ones done anywhere but the University of Iowa's Kinnick Stadium are still lame. What makes the new edition of the wave that broke out Saturday so very, very cool is that fans, in the middle of the game, turned and waved at kids in the university's new Stead Family Children's Hospital, which happens to overlook the stadium.
There, in the Press Box Cafe that is atop one of the tallest buildings in Iowa City, kids and their parents can press their faces to the windows and watch a football game. They can wave, too, and when they did in the first quarter, fans wheeled around and returned the gesture.
The wave highlights the relationship between the football team and the hospital. The Hawkeyes' "Touchdowns for Kids" campaign has long been a fundraiser and during every game, a "kid captain" from the hospital joins the team on the sideline.
Hawkeyes fan Levi Thompson, who has a fan page called Hawkeye Heaven, came up with the idea.
"I wanted it to be something the fans could accomplish without getting the university or any kind of money backing it," Thompson said. "That's when we thought about waving to the hospital after the end of the first quarter would be the perfect thing."
Hurricane relief
Although all eyes are now focused on Hurricane Irma developing off the coast of south Florida, those in Texas who were affected by Harvey are still trying to get used to their new normal. Enter Tracy McGrady.
The ex-NBA player, who now lives in the Houston suburbs, made things just a little better for people living in Houston's heavily flooded Third Ward and Sunnyside neighborhoods when he and his wife, CleRenda, decided to host a Labor Day barbecue for them.
"We wanted to be able to give back," CleRenda McGrady, who works as a life coach at Project P.U.S.H., told the Houston Chronicle.
The McGradys were lucky during the storm. Situated on a hill, their Sugar Land house was spared from flooding. Despite not experiencing the turmoil first hand, they saw enough on television to know they wanted to do something for the recovery effort.
"There are a lot of Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. What was important to us was to serve an area that already needed an extra boost," CleRenda McGrady said. "That's why we decided to come to this particular area: to show them some extra love. Labor Day is all about barbecue, so we wanted to bring the barbecue to them."
"We put it together in less than 24 hours," Tracy McGrady added of the event that reportedly fed 800 people at Lilly Grove Missionary Baptist Church on Monday. "The biggest thing is to get people away from the devastation to bring some happiness, some joyous times and some laughter. We all need that."
Knee-jerk reactions
Twelve Cleveland Browns players -- four running backs, three defensive backs, two receivers, two linebackers and a tight end -- knelt in protest during the national anthem before an exhibition game last month.
"But no QBs," wrote Dwight Perry of The Seattle Times. "After going 1-15 last season, they're apparently out of practice when it comes to taking a knee."
Sports quiz
Iowa has lost five consecutive bowl games. What team did the Hawkeyes defeat in their last bowl victory?
Sports answer
The Missouri Tigers, 27-24, in the 2010 Insight Bowl.
Sports on 09/06/2017