Nittany Lion Magazine

As a proud Penn State alum (‘93), I like many others in this great nation, are trying to understand the events that continue to unfold in “Happy” Valley. One week ago today, we, as football fans, were thrilled with where our team was going in the Big Ten Championship race and were happy to know our group of misfit players had a nice weekend off to enjoy before a dangerous stretch of three games to end the season.  

Of course, before last Friday was over, Hurricane Sandusky arrived and soon it became clear that what so many of us valued for so long was gone forever. I’ve read a lot of comments about these events in the past week and there seems to have formed two separate camps, which is unfortunate as I will soon explain.

On one side are those folks that seem to now recognize the terror that Sandusky caused and understand that changes at the University were/are necessary, even if that means Joe Paterno needed to be fired. In this group are also those fans that felt that Paterno should have been left to coach a few more games, but those in that group seem to be dropping each hour. These are the fans that are still looking forward to Saturday’s game, with many making the trip up to State College to tailgate with friends and ready to cheer on their team. 

On the other side are those that are reading the headlines and have concluded that not only should Paterno, Spanier, and the others twist on the stake, but Penn State itself should close up shop forever. For these folks, they are aghast that “football trumps academics,” and say to themselves and to to others that will listen “how can they think about a football game at a time like this?”

Here’s the problem with both sides: Just as Penn State is bigger than football, so are those of us that represent the school as alumni, employees and yes, fans. For us, Penn State isn’t just ‘about football,’ nor is it just ‘about academics.’ Penn State, rightly or wrongly, is a combination of the two and so much more.

Those making the trek to State College tomorrow aren’t ‘forgetting about the victims’ nor are they discounting what has happened. Rather, they are celebrating an institution - no matter how flawed - that is part of their DNA. As such, they will cheer on the team, wear blue for the victims, and dedicate themselves to making their school better than ever. 

For those outsiders who want to send Penn State to the trash heap, I’ll say this. A lot of people made a lot of mistakes in this fiasco, starting with Sandusky and going down from there. However, that doesn’t diminish all that is good about the institution nor does that mean we shouldn’t be allowed to carryon. Penn State will regroup, new leaders will emerge, and those that had anything to do with this scandal will pay with their freedom and/or livelihood. 

On that note, I say… We Are…Penn State!

Posted by My Lost Weekend