We were curious to see what students had to say about "A Beaver Stadium Nightmare" (posted earlier) Here is what people had to say...
As a former NCAA division 1 student athlete, I feel that my sportsmanship as an athlete is very good. This is a credit to my coaches, school, and the NCAA. Student-Athletes have to attend mandatory sportsmanship meetings at least twice a year. Every time we stepped on the field we were reminded by our coaches that we were reflections of our coaches, schools, and families. It is on the rarest occasion that a NCAA player steps out of line with bad sportsmanship, but that is also credited to the steep penalties/suspensions that the NCAA hands down if a player were to demonstrate bad sportsmanship.
I have learned from my experiences playing in front of thousands of screaming fans that there is a lot of pride and love for the desired home team universities to win. Fans can become nasty and have little to no sportsmanship qualities at certain times. This is usually the case when the other team is losing. I have only been affected by bad sportsmanship through heckles of fans one time. This was 4 years ago; we were the worst team in the nation ranked 115, and playing Missouri who was ranked #5. After the beating of our lives the fans never let up yelling vulgar, hurtful, and racist things to me and my team. We were all use to the Vulgarity's and racist remarks, but it was when we began being hit with plastic bottles and other things flying through the air that we were affected the most by unsportsmanlike acts from fans.
The sportsmanship portrayed in this link should be seen consistently across the nation at all levels of sport...http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/24392612/
Tom Drewes
University at Buffalo
Honestly, I cannot believe someone would have the audacity to say those racial slurs, regardless of how intoxicated they were. The offensive slogans on t-shirts and clothing apparel doesn’t surprise me because people were passing out offensive stickers and buttons, I mean we are college students so of course we swear and what not, but I don’t see why verbal assaults were made because they were Michigan fans. What’s even more astonishing is the man with the pom-poms continuously hitting the woman in the back of the head. I have never witnessed behavior like this when I attend Penn State games, but I am sure it happens. Unfortunately, I was completely unaware of this travesty. I am ashamed of Penn State Fans for being crude to the other school and their fans, but also I am ashamed of our lack of respect. We can all have a good time without having to make someone’s experience turn into exactly what the title says a “nightmare”. I hope for that couple’s sake, something is done about this.
-Brittany Fabin
Penn State
Not to be rude or say this woman is lying in any way, but how do we know this isn’t fabricated. I don’t believe anyone would intentionally make up a story like this considering it is so detailed and descriptive, just throwing out there that possibility. If this story is true, I would be deeply upset with my fellow students and the portrayal of our fans. It is one thing to have a good time; it is another to go out of our way to make a couple have a horrible experience. When it comes down to it, it’s just a game. Whether we win or lose we have lives afterwards, and this couple came to enjoy a game, but instead were demoralized. I don’t believe in the actions and comments that were made, but at the same time I don’t want to believe PSU fans would be so harsh.
-Anonymous
Penn State
Wow. Pretty much sums it up. I know if I went to another school’s game and was treated that way I’d never look at that team the same way again. Penn State University needs to get some perspective soon. There is no need for this kind of humiliation. Period.
-Anonymous
Penn State
What a disgrace to Happy Valley and to us students. I certainly didn’t know about this story. Hopefully, next season we show more class and respect for others.
-Anonymous
Penn State
After reading the article, I believe this couple decided to take a few experiences with inappropriate people and expand these negative attitudes onto the entire university. I am not disagreeing that the people they were surrounded by were rude and out of line, but unfortunately, the world of sports has seemed to evolve into that nowadays. Not just in college football, the Big Ten, or Penn State, but professional leagues of every sport as well. That doesn't make it right, but to point fingers at only Penn State University based on a handful of people in a 100,000 person stadium isn't right either. I attended a football game in Ann Arbor, Michigan when they were playing Penn State in the 2009 season. I find it to be a known fact that if you wear the opposing team's colors, you're automatically drawing attention to yourself. I was decked out in Penn State attire, was harassed, yelled at from across streets. in the stadium, and at the concession stands, but I didn't choose to take it personally. To them, I was just a random Penn State fan. To us, these two individuals were random Michigan fans. The people they dealt with during the game were out of line, but to avoid the city of State College because of them is a bit harsh as well.
-Anonymous
Penn State
When I read this article, I was astounded about what I had just read. It seems almost unreal that this happened to someone visiting State College. It's rude to think that people have the guts to talk to others like that. The racial comments, and hitting this couple with pom-poms is ridiculous. It's embarrassing that this article is out there for anyone to read. If I was a parent, I wouldn't want my child attending Penn State as the opposing fan during football games. If this happens to 'elder' couples, what happens with college students visiting? It's probably far worse. I have never heard about this incident, nor have I ever seen this happen during a tailgate or the actual game itself. I know that some of the shirts that are made can be offensive with foul language, but actually going out of your way to talk to someone and make fun of them? That's not right.
-Jillian Wenkler
Penn State
I completely agree with the woman who wrote this article. I have also noticed how rude Penn State fans are to the opposing team's fans and I don't really understand why. Its just a game. Sometimes it really embarrasses me. Last year I went to Michigan when we played them and everyone was nice to me and no one yelled at me at all. This made me feel worst about how rude Penn State fans are. I was also horrified last year when I went to watch Penn State play Indiana at Fedex field and all of these adults around me were so drunk and screaming vulgar rude things at the field and at Indiana fans. Its really embarrassing and I wish that everyone at Penn State would leave fans of other teams alone. They are just trying to watch a football game too.
-Anonymous
Penn State
I am in utter disgust after reading that article. I believe that woman is completely just in her feelings. In today's world, opinions like that should be filtered and hardly thought, much less expressed. No one should be making remarks like that, especially at an innocent college football game. I am ashamed my fellow Penn State sports fans would ever behave in such a way. However I would like to say that that would not happen were students sober and in the student section, I feel that that kind of blatant racism is an old man's game and my generation has faced the other direction through embracing all races. For god sakes how can you degrade African Americans when most of our team is African American! I cannot defend the comments and remarks witnessed on the streets and tailgating, however I am again disgusted, no matter how distinguished her husband is, no one should be treated with such disrespect.
-Anonymous
Penn State
After reading this article, it made me realize how one experience can ruin so many potential good ones. This woman obviously did not have a good experience at Penn State and by no means should she have been treated the way her and her husband were. However, if she is from Pennsylvania she should know the pride and the passion Penn State has for their football team. She wore Michigan colors and could not have expected to be taunted in some way. I do think that the taunting was a bit extreme from what she describes and those racial slanders were not necessary at all and disrespectful. The only thing that really bothers me is her comment that she will never be returning to Penn State again. In one given year there are around 40,000 students who attend this campus. Beaver stadium seats over 100,000 people so by letting a few people during one game influence her view of Penn State is relatively irrational. She is letting one experience dictate her whole view of Penn State.
-Lindsey Weaver
Penn State
This article was my first exposure to this appalling and rather embarrassing incident. Football is something that Penn State takes great pride in, and the football games at Beaver Stadium are something that should be enjoyed my Penn State fans, fans of the opposing teams, and anybody else who wants to experience the event. It is discomforting to know that people come to Penn State and have such an awful experience. It is also discomforting to know that these two innocent individuals had an awful experience due to Penn State fans, students, alumni, and more. A little bit of rivalry provides excitement during the game, but this definitely was taken many steps too far. The taunting, name-calling, and racial slurs took things way past friendly rivalry. It is a shame to know that these two individuals will never look at Penn State the same, for it is a great school with many great students and alumni. Their situation was extremely unfortunate, and I hope that they can know that how those people acted to them is not the norm here at Penn State.
-Ashley Owoc
Penn state
Welcome to Engaging State
WELCOME,
We the class of CAS 222 Foundations of Civic and Community Engagement have come together to create a public webpage/forum for the Penn State community. Over the course of the semester we have discussed many aspects concerning why civic and community engagement is so important when it comes to getting the public involved. Without informed citizens partaking in community involvement; rights such as, voting, free assembly, and free speech would be useless. It has become very evident to our class since reading A Beaver Stadium Nightmare that we needed to apply our knowledge and passion so that we can help better the Penn State community as a whole. Not only by making a public space for the students, but also for the community of State College including teachers, parents and residents. We have provided a space where all of State College can visit and participate in events and activities as well as share their thoughts on each subject. We feel this forum will add a since of unity, pride and gratefulness.
Included in this web space is information on a wide range of events, projects and blogs for the community to get involved with.
These different aspects include a community garden, a public awareness blog, and public interviews to raise awareness of sportsmanship.
We also wanted to enhance our public with knowledge about sportsmanship in the Penn State community after we read the letter published in
the Centre Daily Times as an article entitled “A Beaver Stadium Nightmare." We also learned that Penn State fans were ranked the 7th worst fans
in a recent issue of GQ magazine. We felt this didn't reflect the best of Penn State, and we wanted to change things around. Therefore, some of
our classmates thought it would be a good idea to video record students and athletes while asking them about their experiences (on and off the field)
dealing with sportsmanship and what Penn State pride meant to them. We also had the great opportunity to speak with Coach Russ Rose and Coach
Joe Paterno to get their ideas as well. The video enriches its viewers with a sense of sportsmanship that the entire Penn State Community deserves to see.
The Civic and Community Engagement class forum includes a letter written to Mrs. Baker to express our reactions to the Centre Daily Times' article, our desires to encourage student discourse, and our sincere apologies to Mrs. Baker. While writing this letter, we found it difficult to accurately put our thoughts and intentions into words, partly because we did not know how Mrs. Baker would react. Currently, after many hours of deliberation, the letter exists in a final form and has been sent to her. It begins by addressing Mrs. Baker and mentions her letter to the CDT. Next, the letter links Mrs. Baker's experience and our reaction to public discourse, applying what we had learned in the class. The letter mentions what we have been doing as a class, such as our video and web space. We hope this letter will find her well.
Our class encourages all individuals to read the letter and discuss with other students on campus how we can work together to help better the Penn State Community."As a class, we would like to work forward and we ask that others contribute ideas to assist us in working forward to uphold our name “HAPPY VALLEY”. We hope to sustain our efforts through this web space and video.
As you can see there is a wide variety of activities that are accessible to the State College community that will not only benefit you for becoming an informed and active citizen, but also will benefit the community for the common good.
For more information about, CAS 222 Foundations of Civic and Community Engagement, please visit the Penn State webpage at http://bulletins.psu.edu/bulletins/bluebook/university_course_descriptions.cfm?letter=C&courselong=CAS%7c222%7c201011FA
Please take the time to explore our webpage and feel free to add your own community involvement because every step forward helps to make a better Future! Thank you for visiting our web space!
Sincerely,
The spring 2011 class of CAS 222
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