Penn State

Happy Valley, home of the Nittany Lions, one of the happiest places in Pennsylvania. Not only is this the home of the Penn State athletes and students, but also a second home to their fandom known as Nittany Lion fans. There are many things that are unique just to Penn State and their fandom. Some fans go all out to show their love for Penn State, but you do not have to be a super fan to be a part of the fandom, there are many ways fans can show their love for the teams. Penn State is mostly known for their football team and games and this is where most of the fans express their love. The football games are so big and well known, that you can ask anyone from all over the state if they know about Penn State football and they will say yes, because the games are huge and one of a kind.

Game Day Apparel:

Penn State "Big Uglies"

Many love all of Penn States athletics, but the biggest team sport Nittany Lion fans enjoy following is football. They express their love for the game and the team in many different ways from the extreme of wearing a full costume of a football player to just buying and wearing Penn State apparel. Some of the little things that many of the fans do is buying Penn State clothing from shirts and hoodies to hats and ear warmers with ears on them, the choices for apparel to show their love for the team is endless. Many fans even get jerseys of some of their favorite players to sport around. This is just the regular fashion of many fans and students that attend the games, but some fans decide to go all out. To take things to the next level some students paint their bodies, but the only correct way to do it at Penn State is by painting your body white and painting on the letters in blue (6). Some fans may even take it to the extreme of wearing costumes of dressing up as what are called the, "Big Uglies" at football games to show their love for the team.

Purchasing Tickets:

Just like any other college football team, the games can be watched by anyone on television, but many people that are part of the Nittany Lion fans buy full season tickets so they can be in the stadium cheering on their team at all of the home games. When it comes time to buy these tickets, students sit up late at night on their laptops waiting for the site to open so they can get their hands on a student tickets for the upcoming season. Not all fans feel the need to buy season tickets when they can happily watch their team at home from their couch, but instead, they will buy tickets for a game or two every season. The feeling of being in Beaver Stadium watching Penn State football is unmatched and should be experienced at least once by everyone. Not only do many fans rush to get tickets for games, but when they get the tickets they have no idea what the weather may be during these games. Penn State fans are like no other and will push through any type of weather to watch the team play. Heat, rain, freezing cold, or snow, nothing stops Penn State fans from watching their team play. When it rains, the fans come in ponchos to keep themselves dry and it is not a complete rainy game without the song, "Have You Ever Seen The Rain," being played through the stadium with the fans singing along (2).

Getting tickets for the season of football games is a big deal for the fandom, especially when it comes to the infamous whiteout game.

The Whiteout Game:

The Penn State whiteout game is one of the biggest well known games in the Big Ten conference and maybe in all of college football. This is what Penn State is known for and it is all thanks to their fans, because without them them, this would not be possible. During this game all fans are asked to wear white to the game in support of the team. The image of the stadium is out of this world, it looks like a sea of white and even the team sports an all white uniform for the game. Penn State does some other game themes such as a stripe out, where the fans dress in either blue or white to make the stadium look like stripes. Thanks to the help of the fandom wearing these certain colors to the games, it is a great way to intimidate the opposing team as they walk into a stadium full of Penn Sate fans all dressed in the same color and not a fan of theirs in site.

Fans and Game Day Atmosphere:

The atmosphere of a game day in Happy Valley is unique and like no other. Some fans and students camp out in tents outside of Beaver Stadium the week of the game, no matter who the opponent is.  They have now named the spot for the campout Nittanyville (7). Before every home game everyone who is part of the Nittany Lion fans throw a tailgate in the intramural fields in preparation for the game they are about to attend. When you think of a tailgate you think of a small gathering, but Penn State tailgates are anything but small. Cars, RVs, and people fill multiple lots from the stadium, all the way over to a hospital that is by the campus. Penn State tailgates are some of the biggest tailgates around and this is because of the dedication and love the fandom has for their team.

You are not truly part of the Penn State fandom if the football team entering Beaver Stadium is not the first thing you think of when you hear, "Zombie Nation" (3). 

As a true Nittany Lion fan you will be humming this tune for most of your life with only one thought in mind, Penn State football. The atmosphere in the stadium during one of these games is amazing and the noise is an extreme you will never experience anywhere else and this is all because the Penn State fandom is a community and there is unity between all fans, even if you have no idea who the person is sitting next to you. This is because no matter how different you are, everyone in that stadium has one thing in common, which is their love of Penn Sate football. Penn State fans are known for being one of the loudest group of fans, many of the teams in the Big Ten have to use all different tactics to get their teams ready to play in front of all the noise. The most used tactic to prepare these teams to play in front of the Nittany Lions fans is by using leaf blowers at practice, so it is hard for the players to hear what calls are being played and when to start the snap. This seems like a funny joke, but it is very true and it is all thanks to the fans who use their energy and noise to inspire the team and their fellow fans (6). Another unique event that occurs at the football games is when all the fans come together and do a wave around the stadium. This really shows the unity of the fans when you can get over a hundred thousand people to all come together to do the wave around the entire stadium, it is an amazing site to see.

How I Contribute to the Fandom:

My friend and I at a football game

I can remember even as a child, I always had a love of sports and then that turned into a love for Penn State. When I was younger I wanted to attend Penn State in college, especially after attending multiple women's basketball games and watching Maggie Lucas on that team who later became my idol when I started playing basketball myself. As I have gotten older, the love for Penn State has followed me. I went to a softball game at Beard Field as a child, also and during my junior year in high school, I had my dream come true by playing in a State Championship game on that exact field which is an experience I will never forget. I have also recently attended my first Penn State football game and the experience and atmosphere inside Beaver Stadium is out of this world. I have multiple Penn State clothing items and evens still have a Penn State beanie I used to wear as as child. One of the shirts I bought when attending one of the women's basketball games I got signed by a few of the players and also have a poster of the team from that season. I always try to watch the games when they are on television and am hoping to attend a women's basketball game soon, because Maggie Lucas has just come back from playing professional women's basketball over seas and is now the assistant coach of the women's basketball team. I may not be what you call a super fan, but I partake in the Nittany Lion fandom in small ways and will always have a love for the college team.

Our view from our seats at the game

References

1. Centre Daily Times. (n.d.). Penn state football: ‘big uglies’ miss family feel of beaver stadium. Centre Daily Times. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.centredaily.com%2Fsports%2Fcollege%2Fpenn-state-university%2Fpsu-football%2Farticle245449580.html&psig=AOvVaw1Jr015F2uO6Ay49MTASzAu&ust=1669734513010000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAMQjB1qFwoTCJiM__WT0fsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAT

2. Gleiter, S. (2017, August 31). 19 penn state football game traditions, from “we are” to white outs. Penn Live Patriot-News. https://www.pennlive.com/life/2017/08/penn_state_football_traditions.html

3. Hanford, I. (2012, March 25). Penn state football: 10 ways to know you are a nittany lion fan.

Bleacher Report. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1118900-penn-state-football-10-ways-you-know-you-are-a-nittany-lion-fan

4. Kaye, Z. (2022, October 22). The penn state whiteout game is one of college football’s best traditions. Fanbuzz. https://fanbuzz.com/college-football/big-ten/penn-state/penn-state-whiteout-game/

5. Knills74. (2020, May 12). Why penn state whiteout is the best atmosphere in sports [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGFnhvW-Vm4

6. Kreisher, A. (2009, December 8). Fashion at penn state football games. Bleacher Report. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/305002

7. Ramos, A. (2018, May 28). 10 penn state football traditions that scream “#weare”. College Magazine. https://www.collegemagazine.com/10-psu-football-traditions/

8.  SteveZ. (2009, September 27). Have you ever seen the rain – penn state vs. iowa, whiteout 2009  

             [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sre-fHGm8c