Mike Hlas - Writer

09/05/2026

My Week 1 wrapup: Iowa State and Iowa had season-starting wins with less drama than a Will Ferrell film festival. Which gave warm feelings to the fans at both stadiums, though the three-digit heat indexes in Ames and Iowa City may have contributed. https://mikehlas.substack.com/p/iowa-and-iowa-state-are-as-rough

09/01/2026

Hlas column: As slow builds go, college football's Week 1 rivals the starts of "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Stairway to Heaven."

08/28/2026

What, little old me?

The class will be recognized on the field before kickoff of Iowa’s home football game against Northern Iowa on September 19.

08/25/2026

Hlas column: Iowa Hawkeyes sports have partnerships with l***r, bourbon and vodka. If they'd had them when Kinnick Stadium opened, they would have had a serious problem with the feds. https://mikehlas.substack.com/p/if-you-dont-have-booze-and-beer-as

08/18/2026

Hlas column: A billionaire from Cedar Rapids is liquidating his pro sports holdings, starting with the L.A. Lakers. Hmmm. Wonder why.

When you decline my interview-requests, you've pretty much guaranteed yourself trouble down the road no matter how paved with gold it may be.

08/11/2026

Hlas column: Luka Garza's message to kids at his two basketball camps in Iowa next week: Put in the work, at whatever you're passionate about. His best example: Himself. https://mikehlas.substack.com/p/it-hasnt-come-easily-but-luka-garzas

08/04/2026

My column on predictive markets: https://mikehlas.substack.com/p/you-can-legally-bet-on-rob-sand-or

07/29/2026

Here's a story I did for HawkFanatic.com on a book about a national football championship that Iowa hasn't fully claimed. https://hawkfanatic.com/2026/07/28/book-by-omaha-businessman-makes-case-for-iowa-football-national-championship/

By Mike Hlas IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa had a national-championship football team that deserves that recognition in Kinnick Stadium. That’s the conclusion of William Hughes, an Omaha businessman and lifelong Hawkeyes fan who has done more than simply state an opinion. Hughes spent time over the last...

07/28/2026

Hlas column: Not being at Big Ten football media days means I'll have to find 18 "excited" coaches somewhere else.

Every coach is excited for the season ahead in July. Check back in four months, after every Big Ten conference game had a Big Ten team that lost.

07/24/2026

Simple but excellent advice from one person in the public eye to another: