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September 29, 2004

by Jared Bean

From the field:

An open letter to Penn State Athletics:

To whom it may concern,

Today, the British monarchy is described on its website as follows:

The Queen is the United Kingdom's Head of State. As well as carrying out significant constitutional functions, The Queen also acts as a focus for national unity, presiding at ceremonial occasions, visiting local communities and representing Britain around the world.

Penn State has had its “Lion King” for 38 years. He has been a firm yet peaceful ruler. Fair to all of his subjects, he has made Penn State football one of the superpowers in the world of college football. He has emphasized education above athletics, libraries above shoe deals, and individuals above program.

He built his open air castle on a small hill in the middle of a field, and his subjects flock to see him and worship him a half dozen times a year. He is, after all, the king. He has seen the program through wars, both on his own turf and on his enemies. Football feuds, with neighbors like Pitt, have been heated battles where victory is sweet and defeat bitter. The Lion King has won most of them.

But right now, Penn State football is 17th Century England. The King makes the decisions, The King runs the program, and the assistant coaches and athletic department are there to implement his wishes. Penn State football needs to move into the 21st century. In the 1700s the monarchy in the United Kingdom relinquished its power and let parliament rule the land. The time has come for the Lion King to do the same.

Joe’s new job description:

“The Lion King is Penn State’s Head of State. As well as carrying out significant leadership functions, The Lion King also acts as a focus of alumni and fan unity, presiding at ceremonial occasions and fundraisers, visiting local communities to recruit, and representing Penn State around the country.”

I will never call on JoePa to retire from the thing he has the most passion for in this world. He is Penn State and should remain for as long as he wants to. He put our beloved institution and its football program on the map and thousands of people owe him a lot for his commitment to Penn State University. But the time has come to relinquish control of our football team to his cast of assistants. People have said that the game has passed him by and I’m quickly becoming convinced.

Being a leader, however, has not passed him by. He can still motivate, teach, and impart wisdom on young men and others. But the football part of his life needs to be delegated. He should bestow his knowledge and let others execute. It’s what this great “Lion King” now needs to realize. Otherwise, the football program he worked his whole adult life to build up will crumble even further than it has. Joe will become a jester instead of a King.

We love you Joe. You will always be the Lion King. You will still reap the rewards of success. Just let others take you there.

For the Glory,
The Fan

From the Parking Lot:

Despite the outcome of the game (if only I had a dollar for every time I said or thought that over the last five years), the PennStateTailgate.com contingent had an enjoyable time in Madison, WI. The Penn State family is always represented well, away from the confines of Beaver Stadium and the Nittany Nation was out in full force trying to drown out the always-present Badger red.

Madison is a great place to experience college football. Being the capital of Wisconsin, the town has a lot else to offer. The experience on Friday night is the same no matter where you go. 1. You look for the bar district. 2. You find the bar with the most blue and white clothing. 3. You stay until the cab comes to pick you up.

The Saturday experience is different in every town. While PSU is known for its tailgating atmosphere, Madison has the downtown feel. While we always tailgate no matter what the conditions, you wouldn’t define it as tailgate friendly. But needless to say we fond the parking lot, had a great time with many fans from around the country, and lived it up on Gameday.

The students at UW are quite a different story. I characterized them as ordinary college students throughout most of the weekend, but that changed when they were doing chants and strange crowd movements while Michael Robinson was lying on the ground unconscious. Youth is a great state of mind, and I am the first to afford flexibility because of it. But, sportsmanship needs to transcend youth when necessary. I can overlook the chants that might be defined as obscene being heard from the student section, but I can’t overlook what happened when MRob got hurt.

The rest of the Badger fans treated us with a great amount of respect and Midwestern hospitality, and over all, the trip was great. Anytime you put a Nittany Lion out in the world, they are bound to have fun, and the trip to Madison was no different. Despite the fact that The Fan hasn’t seen the Lions win on the road in the last 5 tries, we’ll see you in Ann Arbor next year!

See you at Beaver Stadium!

Until next time…GO STATE!

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