DeKALB | It’s a little tiring to read the same old story about NIU football.

Yes, we know Joe Novak’s office is the size of a broom closet. We’ve all heard the press box is cramped and tight, but an outsider reading about NIU in the national media would think DeKalb was a ghost town, complete with curb-side peddlers and dancing tumbleweeds.

Perhaps at a casual glance, DeKalb is just a small town in the middle of nowhere, especially if you’re a detached-from-reality writer from the east coast. But let’s get this straight: It’s not like we’re living in Malta.

According to 2000 government census data, the population of DeKalb and Sycamore is 51,040.

To give some perspective, East Lansing, Mich. — home of the Big Ten’s Michigan State Spartans — has a population of 46,525. Bloomington, Ind. and Iowa City, Iowa — homes to Indiana University and the University of Iowa respectively — have populations fewer than 70,000.

Does this mean we’re a mini-Chicago? Of course not, but just because most describe DeKalb as a cornfield with a gas station and a Wal-Mart, thinking said image makes for a good, heart-warming story, doesn’t mean it’s true.

One can’t discount what national media attention from the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, USA Today and others does for the university’s image. However, each time NIU gets press in these big-time publications, it’s also dealt backhanded compliments.

The fans were scrutinized in 2004 by espn.com, labeled as lazy and disloyal drunks. And the players were slammed as misfits who couldn’t get a scholarship anywhere else.

Sure, NIU can’t compare to the atmosphere of Ohio State, but for a school with fewer resources than the Buckeyes’ programs, the Huskies are model citizens.

NIU has led the MAC in attendance for the last two seasons, has been a competitive force in the MAC championship for five years and yes, NIU even has a better press box than most schools of comparable size. If you ever make the trek to Ball State, you’ll see what I mean.

There are only so many times NIU can be called “the dark horse,” “surprise BCS-buster” or other cliche labels. The Huskies have proved they can contend with tough teams and their success isn’t just a fluke.

Regardless, no matter how many games the Huskies win, how many buildings sprout up on campus, or how many people live in the surrounding area, NIU will remain the Corncob U that doesn’t deserve to win and did so by some twist of fate.

Who cares about the facts, anyway? It just sounds better that way.

Steve Brown is the Managing Editor for the Northern Star.