Why I'm staying with Penn State
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
I can’t remember the first time I became a fan of the Penn State Nittany Lions.
I know I always admired them, and I really admired the coach who first folded his pants legs so as not to get them wet and continued the look until the day he died.
I know I watched them win the Rose Bowl with Ki-Jana Carter and Kerry Collins, and I know I was a full-fledged fan once I saw the “LaVar Leap” when former linebacker LaVar Arrington would leap over the opposing offensive line to make a tackle, sack or block a field goal attempt while on special teams.
Being a fan of Penn State we’ll say no earlier than 1997, pretty much every win I cheered for was erased from the record book by the NCAA as part of a four-year punishment that included over 100 wins along with a four-year bowl ban, over $60 million in fines and scholarship reductions.
Well, anyway, I’m sticking with the new (and improved) Nittany Lion program as the past is gone in a variety of ways, the punishment was good enough (though I would have had no problem with more penalties being added) and it is time to look toward the future and rebuild from the ground up.
I’m sticking with the Nittany Lions because all those who are left had nothing to do with the past problems, and this is a completely fresh start, beginning with the jerseys having names and a child abuse awareness ribbon being stitched on the front. My hope is, and this pains me to write, but have an entire new uniform look one day, because they remind me too much of the past.
I don’t defend what happened in the past; in fact, it sickens me what happened with the program by those who were the so-called “leaders,”, but like I mentioned earlier, they are all gone and it’s time for a fresh start … a clean slate.
[[In-content Ad]]With that said, here are five reasons why I’m sticking with the Nittany Lions …
1. I tried to take a peek at other schools. I looked at some Big Ten teams, and that just didn’t seem right. I won’t cheer for an SEC team in football, so there went most of the better teams in the country. I do like the East Carolina Pirates logo, but they are never on TV around here, and in my heart, I just couldn’t turn my back on the new (and improved) Penn State.
2. Change is good. I’m glad all is mostly settled with the past people who led Penn State whom are gone, erased, and though I started following Penn State all those years ago because of a certain coach, right now I just don’t have any good feelings when I think of the past Penn State. I need this new chapter to hurry up and begin, as football, for one, is a must in my life, and two, I need some good memories when I think of the Nittany Lions.
3. Buying a new hat and T-shirt for this season is a must as well. I want to pack away all the old PSU hats, shirts, books, mugs, etc. from the past 15 years and start fresh. This isn’t the Penn State I grew up with (I guess that is a good thing looking back), and I really like the demeanor of new head coach Bill O’Brien and how he accepts the role of rebuilding the program from its own, self-inflicted ashes, though he wasn’t a part of the problem to begin with. I’ll never look at a coach the same after what happened with the past coach, but right now I really respect Coach O’Brien and hope he does what is best for the program and not his legacy.
4. This whole situation that happened at Penn State has taught me that when it comes to college athletics, there are more important things than wins and losses. Sure, I want my team to win as much as the next guy, but after knowing what happened at PSU for all those years, it is really hard to look back at those past “wins” and feel any excitement. I don’t blame the NCAA for taking away 100-plus wins from the program, but now maybe the NCAA and all member schools have learned a valuable lesson: that there are more important parts of collegiate sports than wins and making money. (I highly doubt it, though.)
5. A clean slate is what I have with the Nittany Lions. I’ve been asked many times about what I think about what happened with Penn State or if I’m sticking with them. I agree 100-percent with the punishment, and in the long run, I know PSU will come out better for it. I still feel bad for all the children involved, and I hope they can get some type of closure so they can live a healthy and happy life. I think all the punishment was justified, and though the next four to 10 years will be tough on me as a football fan, it doesn’t compare to what those children who were abused went through and will go through for the rest of their lives. The wins and losses come and go, but my wish through all of this is for those children (and those who are now adults) to gain some type of happiness in their lives.
With that said, come Sept. 1, I’ll be cheering on the new (and improved) Penn State football program. The past of the program has been rewritten in the history books. The school and individuals involved are paying for their sins, and I’m going to cheer on my “new” Nittany Lions because the past is just that … the past.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press.
I know I always admired them, and I really admired the coach who first folded his pants legs so as not to get them wet and continued the look until the day he died.
I know I watched them win the Rose Bowl with Ki-Jana Carter and Kerry Collins, and I know I was a full-fledged fan once I saw the “LaVar Leap” when former linebacker LaVar Arrington would leap over the opposing offensive line to make a tackle, sack or block a field goal attempt while on special teams.
Being a fan of Penn State we’ll say no earlier than 1997, pretty much every win I cheered for was erased from the record book by the NCAA as part of a four-year punishment that included over 100 wins along with a four-year bowl ban, over $60 million in fines and scholarship reductions.
Well, anyway, I’m sticking with the new (and improved) Nittany Lion program as the past is gone in a variety of ways, the punishment was good enough (though I would have had no problem with more penalties being added) and it is time to look toward the future and rebuild from the ground up.
I’m sticking with the Nittany Lions because all those who are left had nothing to do with the past problems, and this is a completely fresh start, beginning with the jerseys having names and a child abuse awareness ribbon being stitched on the front. My hope is, and this pains me to write, but have an entire new uniform look one day, because they remind me too much of the past.
I don’t defend what happened in the past; in fact, it sickens me what happened with the program by those who were the so-called “leaders,”, but like I mentioned earlier, they are all gone and it’s time for a fresh start … a clean slate.
[[In-content Ad]]With that said, here are five reasons why I’m sticking with the Nittany Lions …
1. I tried to take a peek at other schools. I looked at some Big Ten teams, and that just didn’t seem right. I won’t cheer for an SEC team in football, so there went most of the better teams in the country. I do like the East Carolina Pirates logo, but they are never on TV around here, and in my heart, I just couldn’t turn my back on the new (and improved) Penn State.
2. Change is good. I’m glad all is mostly settled with the past people who led Penn State whom are gone, erased, and though I started following Penn State all those years ago because of a certain coach, right now I just don’t have any good feelings when I think of the past Penn State. I need this new chapter to hurry up and begin, as football, for one, is a must in my life, and two, I need some good memories when I think of the Nittany Lions.
3. Buying a new hat and T-shirt for this season is a must as well. I want to pack away all the old PSU hats, shirts, books, mugs, etc. from the past 15 years and start fresh. This isn’t the Penn State I grew up with (I guess that is a good thing looking back), and I really like the demeanor of new head coach Bill O’Brien and how he accepts the role of rebuilding the program from its own, self-inflicted ashes, though he wasn’t a part of the problem to begin with. I’ll never look at a coach the same after what happened with the past coach, but right now I really respect Coach O’Brien and hope he does what is best for the program and not his legacy.
4. This whole situation that happened at Penn State has taught me that when it comes to college athletics, there are more important things than wins and losses. Sure, I want my team to win as much as the next guy, but after knowing what happened at PSU for all those years, it is really hard to look back at those past “wins” and feel any excitement. I don’t blame the NCAA for taking away 100-plus wins from the program, but now maybe the NCAA and all member schools have learned a valuable lesson: that there are more important parts of collegiate sports than wins and making money. (I highly doubt it, though.)
5. A clean slate is what I have with the Nittany Lions. I’ve been asked many times about what I think about what happened with Penn State or if I’m sticking with them. I agree 100-percent with the punishment, and in the long run, I know PSU will come out better for it. I still feel bad for all the children involved, and I hope they can get some type of closure so they can live a healthy and happy life. I think all the punishment was justified, and though the next four to 10 years will be tough on me as a football fan, it doesn’t compare to what those children who were abused went through and will go through for the rest of their lives. The wins and losses come and go, but my wish through all of this is for those children (and those who are now adults) to gain some type of happiness in their lives.
With that said, come Sept. 1, I’ll be cheering on the new (and improved) Penn State football program. The past of the program has been rewritten in the history books. The school and individuals involved are paying for their sins, and I’m going to cheer on my “new” Nittany Lions because the past is just that … the past.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press.