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It’s been over a
year since former head coach of Penn State Joe Paterno died after retiring
because of the Penn State Sex Scandal. To make a long story short, former coach Jerry Sandusky's dirty laundry went out to dry in early November
2011. Sandusky was charged with 40
criminal accounts including sexually abusing minors, and head coach of Penn
State Football, Joe Paterno, was fired from the head coach position for not doing anything about it. Later in January, Paterno would die of lung cancer. Later that year, Sandusky is charged with 40
of 45 felonies. Most people would think
that sex scandal at major football program would create an uproar on campus and
around the US. And this scandal was no
different, but instead of the students and fans of Penn State just turning
their backs and walking away from the program, the fans rallied behind it. The fans made sure that Joe Pa's name wouldn't be in vain. The fans of Penn State loved Joe Paterno so much that they stood by him until the day he died.
"I definitely think that everything
that has happened isn't at all indicative of the kind of man that he was,"
said Bridget Beromedi, 32.
The fans of Penn State have a behavioral motivation of family. On the day Joe Pa died thousands of Penn Staters showed up on Old Main lawn at Penn State to attended a candlelight vigil to mourn Joe Pa's death. This goes to show how much Penn Staters loved their coach.
The Penn State fan base is a family and will always be. If the above statement isn't enough, the fans and students of Penn State attended a vigil for the former Penn State head coach. There were 150 fans that attented the vigil, lighting luminaries with someone’s name, a message for Joe Paterno, or a quote to Joe. The vigil was heldon the corner of Heister Street and College Avenue, the location where the "Inspiration" Mural is painted on the outside of the book store and of course Joe is apart of it.
The Penn State fan base is a family and will always be. If the above statement isn't enough, the fans and students of Penn State attended a vigil for the former Penn State head coach. There were 150 fans that attented the vigil, lighting luminaries with someone’s name, a message for Joe Paterno, or a quote to Joe. The vigil was heldon the corner of Heister Street and College Avenue, the location where the "Inspiration" Mural is painted on the outside of the book store and of course Joe is apart of it.
“To people around here, Penn State is not just a school or team they root for, it’s a part of their identity,” Wright said. “It’s the greatest loss this community has ever known, and there is a state still in mourning.”
I'm not alum or a current student at Penn State, but I love it because of the family aspect. My entire family loves Penn State and grew up watching Joe Pa and the team win titles. I might not be involved with the program in any way shape or form, but there is a companionship with my family that is very strong because of a sports team. This is also how the fans felt when Joe Paterno died. The fans joined together and helped each other through it. Joe Paterno was the face of Penn State for many years and in the fans minds he still his.
I'm not alum or a current student at Penn State, but I love it because of the family aspect. My entire family loves Penn State and grew up watching Joe Pa and the team win titles. I might not be involved with the program in any way shape or form, but there is a companionship with my family that is very strong because of a sports team. This is also how the fans felt when Joe Paterno died. The fans joined together and helped each other through it. Joe Paterno was the face of Penn State for many years and in the fans minds he still his.
WE ARE..........STILL PENN STATE!
The Penn State Sex Scandal is all anyone heard about for a while, so I am pretty familiar with it. But even before that happened I have always thought that Penn State fans were very interesting. I have a lot of friends from high school who ended up going to Penn State, and you really can tell that their behavioral motivation is family. Its suck a large school so i would almost think that the students would not be that close. but I was obviously wrong about that. After the scandal happened, all of my Penn State friends (students and alumni) were posting on Facebook. The interesting thing, that you pointed out is that they didn't back away at all, it was almost like the scandal made them even bigger fans.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely. I personally am not a fan of Penn State but my uncle is a die hard Penn State fan. Him and every other Penn State fan I know did not let this turn them on their team. They became even more supportive than ever.
ReplyDeleteI have many friends who have graduated from Penn State and they experience more than just team affiliation. To them, Penn State represents a family and bond that can't be broken, even in controversy. Most of the fans that attend games are highly vested and die-hards, and will never leave the organization behind.
ReplyDeleteAs a Penn State fan, I can back this up saying I still rooted for them even after the whole scandel going down. Well done.
ReplyDeleteThis is very true in most cases; fans are behind their team no matter what. You said the fans even rallied behind everything that happened this past season; and I can actually attest to that first hand. I was at Penn State's last home game this season, and it felt like they were playing for the National Title. The fans were all around me in the student section, and everyone was so loud and pumped up. These were all the first-hand supporters surrounding me, and it was the coolest feeling. Another point I wanted to make is that not only do the fans rally around incidents like this, I feel it could be said that their fandom grows stronger in the hard times (i.e. Saints fans after Katrina).
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