The Mystic Pull of Penn State

[Hoo's That]

In a state like PA, you have Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg/Capital area and not much else (apologies to any who may be offended). These three are all essentially in a straight line close to the southern border of the state. For the rest of the state there is nothing but fishing, hunting, fracking, forestry and Penn State Football. There isn't much competition for the adulation of a whole state. State College is quaint but modern, and it caters to the university, its students and faculty and essentially exists as an oasis that never needs be left. It doesn't matter what exists around it. If you want more of an urban setting, or easy access to that lifestyle, then it is NOT the place for you.
It also has much to offer from the academic side of things including outstanding facilities, research opportunities, and an alumni network which I believe is still the largest in the country. It is a big school and has a big school feel, but it isn't dense or crowded (except on Fri-Sat in the Fall). There is a lot to like. I'm sorry.
(Please don't point out the negatives to me, I feel I am quite aware. But Orijinal wanted a reasonable reply and I hope this helps a little)

"Pennsylvania is Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Alabama in between." - James Carville

 

[PAcuse]

When you grow up with Blue and White all around you, you typically support Penn State.
Growing up it was all Penn State this and Penn State that.
Hell they even made my kids chair "We are..." at school lunch one day (my son was pissed, so I feel I have not failed him as a parent yet).
The comments about nothing to do in central PA are not really true. You have Harrisburg to Lancaster with a couple amusement parks, minor league sports teams, plenty of outlets and good malls if that's your thing. If you are into churning out some butter and seeing where lots of snakes are made well you are in for a hell of a good time
End of the day having 20 satellite campuses and a law school (Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, PA) you turn out a lot of alumni/fan each year (20-23k degrees each year). I have respect for the academic side of Penn State and I have lots of friends that have great jobs with said degree.
They turn out great NFL players, they get 100k people yelling and screaming at every game, and their facilities are state of the art. All of that plus having a snake oil salesman leading the charge isn't going to slow done the machine.

My parents watch PSU because it's the states "team", they also watch Syracuse as they are both from NY. I never could like them as I had a disdain for JoePA, not sure why but I'm glad I did.

You ask this upcoming senior class of students in PA and you will get a large majority that wants to attend PSU.
The Sandusky stuff is in the past and most of the kids going now have little to no knowledge of what even happened.

So the Alabama of PA will keep churning out PSU fans till the end of days and no matter how loud I yell about Syracuse it will not stop (I did convert multiple new fans this year, so it's a start lol).

 

[SU in Hershey]

When you grow up with Blue and White all around you, you typically support Penn State.
Growing up it was all Penn State this and Penn State that.
Hell they even made my kids chair "We are..." at school lunch one day (my son was pissed, so I feel I have not failed him as a parent yet).
The comments about nothing to do in central PA are not really true. You have Harrisburg to Lancaster with a couple amusement parks, minor league sports teams, plenty of outlets and good malls if that's your thing. If you are into churning out some butter and seeing where lots of snakes are made well you are in for a hell of a good time
End of the day having 20 satellite campuses and a law school (Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, PA) you turn out a lot of alumni/fan each year (20-23k degrees each year). I have respect for the academic side of Penn State and I have lots of friends that have great jobs with said degree.
They turn out great NFL players, they get 100k people yelling and screaming at every game, and their facilities are state of the art. All of that plus having a snake oil salesman leading the charge isn't going to slow done the machine.

My parents watch PSU because it's the states "team", they also watch Syracuse as they are both from NY. I never could like them as I had a disdain for JoePA, not sure why but I'm glad I did.

You ask this upcoming senior class of students in PA and you will get a large majority that wants to attend PSU.
The Sandusky stuff is in the past and most of the kids going now have little to no knowledge of what even happened.

So the Alabama of PA will keep churning out PSU fans till the end of days and no matter how loud I yell about Syracuse it will not stop (I did convert multiple new fans this year, so it's a start lol).

We will keep doing our part, won’t we?
Let’s go Orange!

 

[SUfanNC]

The mystic pull my not be so mystic if it's in the showers and lights are off.

 

[OburgOrange]

Their campus is nothing special. It is big and ugly. I didn't see the village but the university is in the middle of nowhere, in a really ugly area of small hills. Not much in the way of trees or vistas. It reminds me of the stark ugliness one sees as you head north into North Country from Syracuse. Stubby bushes, stunted trees, a general malaise over everything. I am sure Happy Valley was a sarcastic name for the area.

Their stadium is really big, really ugly, has a major bee problem, has uncomfortable benches and was the tightest, most cramped quarters I have been subjected to at any athetic event. Ever. They play the sound of a mangy cat being electrocuted on the loudspeakers as loud as possible every 5 minutes.

You tailgate in cow poop and mud, surrounded by barbed wire.

I think their fans are a sick cult. I am very glad they have been quarantined into the Big Scandal conference, where they most assuredly belong.

I have no idea why anyone would want to go there. This is the greatest mystery of the 21st century.

“It reminds me of the stark ugliness one sees as you head north into North Country from Syracuse”

I’ve finally been offended by a poster on this board. sutomcat , how far have you traveled into the North Country? Apparently, not very

 

[SUbear]

Their campus is nothing special. It is big and ugly. I didn't see the village but the university is in the middle of nowhere, in a really ugly area of small hills. Not much in the way of trees or vistas. It reminds me of the stark ugliness one sees as you head north into North Country from Syracuse. Stubby bushes, stunted trees, a general malaise over everything. I am sure Happy Valley was a sarcastic name for the area.

Their stadium is really big, really ugly, has a major bee problem, has uncomfortable benches and was the tightest, most cramped quarters I have been subjected to at any athetic event. Ever. They play the sound of a mangy cat being electrocuted on the loudspeakers as loud as possible every 5 minutes.

You tailgate in cow poop and mud, surrounded by barbed wire.

I think their fans are a sick cult. I am very glad they have been quarantined into the Big Scandal conference, where they most assuredly belong.

I have no idea why anyone would want to go there. This is the greatest mystery of the 21st century.

You forgot to mention the prison only a few miles from the stadium.

 

[Cusefan95]

Personally I think the Penn State hate on the board is almost entirely due to the fact we view them as a rival. There’s a lot of good that comes out of Penn State - one example is the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, the largest student-run dance marathon in the world, abbreviated and stylized as "THON", which raises money for cancer research.

There’s a borderline obsession with and hatred of Penn State on this board...Syracuse comes up roughly never on Penn State message boards. The best thing that could possibly happen for Syracuse in regards to Penn State is for our fan base to overcome its inferiority complex relative to PSU. I’m doubtful that is possible...if I had to place a bet I would expect to see contemptuous “Ped State” posts on this board in 2030 (with no mention of Michigan State’s scandal) - while their fan base continues to regard Syracuse as either irrelevant or not relevant enough to get worked up over.

And that those respective cultures create a dynamic our coaches need to actively work against in recruiting.

 

[kingtidge]

Central PA is quite literally drive-over/flyover territory - other than Crappy Valley, there's nothing there.
It's in the middle of nowhere.

The state blew it putting the University center in a town built around it when they could have put it in Altoona... The county seat of Pennsyltucky...

 

[Cusefan69]

Personally I think the Penn State hate on the board is almost entirely due to the fact we view them as a rival. There’s a lot of good that comes out of Penn State - one example is the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, the largest student-run dance marathon in the world, abbreviated and stylized as "THON", which raises money for cancer research.

There’s a borderline obsession with and hatred of Penn State on this board...Syracuse comes up roughly never on Penn State message boards. The best thing that could possibly happen for Syracuse in regards to Penn State is for our fan base to overcome its inferiority complex relative to PSU. I’m doubtful that is possible...if I had to place a bet I would expect to see contemptuous “Ped State” posts on this board in 2030 (with no mention of Michigan State’s scandal) - while their fan base continues to regard Syracuse as either irrelevant or not relevant enough to get worked up over.

And that those respective cultures create a dynamic our coaches need to actively work against in recruiting.

 

[DoctorBombay]

Personally I think the Penn State hate on the board is almost entirely due to the fact we view them as a rival. There’s a lot of good that comes out of Penn State - one example is the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, the largest student-run dance marathon in the world, abbreviated and stylized as "THON", which raises money for cancer research.

There’s a borderline obsession with and hatred of Penn State on this board...Syracuse comes up roughly never on Penn State message boards. The best thing that could possibly happen for Syracuse in regards to Penn State is for our fan base to overcome its inferiority complex relative to PSU. I’m doubtful that is possible...if I had to place a bet I would expect to see contemptuous “Ped State” posts on this board in 2030 (with no mention of Michigan State’s scandal) - while their fan base continues to regard Syracuse as either irrelevant or not relevant enough to get worked up over.

And that those respective cultures create a dynamic our coaches need to actively work against in recruiting.

Ummm, no...it's not that serious, or that complicated.
IMO, there's no "borderline obsession" or a need to "overcome our inferiority complex" re: PSU.
Penn State disgusts me and it has little or nothing to do with the sports component of our "relationship".
Penn State, as epitomized by Sandusky/Paterno, is the worst iteration of the overemphasis of sports culture, above everything else- even children. And frankly, the "other schools have done it too" argument doesn't work for me. PSU were the starkest example of a fanbase willing to forgive almost ANYTHING, in pursuit of victory.
And honestly, no sane SU fan can claim an equality w/ PSU when it comes to performance on the football field, so that perspective is flawed as well.
Simply put, its not only about a "rivalry"- its a loathing that comes every time I talk to a Penn State cultist who tries to defend or explain away Sandusky/Joe Pa. Is it entirely fair on my part? No. But I'll plead mea culpa when it comes to being emotional about child rape. So sue me.

 

[hungrychuck]

Not going to go through this entire thread, but if you want to go to an SEC school and stay in the Northeast, this is your choice.

 

[Orijinal]

Personally I think the Penn State hate on the board is almost entirely due to the fact we view them as a rival. There’s a lot of good that comes out of Penn State - one example is the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, the largest student-run dance marathon in the world, abbreviated and stylized as "THON", which raises money for cancer research.

There’s a borderline obsession with and hatred of Penn State on this board...Syracuse comes up roughly never on Penn State message boards. The best thing that could possibly happen for Syracuse in regards to Penn State is for our fan base to overcome its inferiority complex relative to PSU. I’m doubtful that is possible...if I had to place a bet I would expect to see contemptuous “Ped State” posts on this board in 2030 (with no mention of Michigan State’s scandal) - while their fan base continues to regard Syracuse as either irrelevant or not relevant enough to get worked up over.

And that those respective cultures create a dynamic our coaches need to actively work against in recruiting.

Wow. You get on Penn State message boards frequently? You're one of them!

 

[sutomcat]

Personally I think the Penn State hate on the board is almost entirely due to the fact we view them as a rival. There’s a lot of good that comes out of Penn State - one example is the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, the largest student-run dance marathon in the world, abbreviated and stylized as "THON", which raises money for cancer research.

There’s a borderline obsession with and hatred of Penn State on this board...Syracuse comes up roughly never on Penn State message boards. The best thing that could possibly happen for Syracuse in regards to Penn State is for our fan base to overcome its inferiority complex relative to PSU. I’m doubtful that is possible...if I had to place a bet I would expect to see contemptuous “Ped State” posts on this board in 2030 (with no mention of Michigan State’s scandal) - while their fan base continues to regard Syracuse as either irrelevant or not relevant enough to get worked up over.

And that those respective cultures create a dynamic our coaches need to actively work against in recruiting.

Wow, this is possibly the most clueless post I have ever seen on this board.

Please don't try and speak for the people on this board who dislike Penn State. There is no inferiority complex. Our hatred is based on actions by key leaders of that university. And some of its employees. Please note that the biggest, most awful scandal in the history of college athletics happened there and many (most?) of their supporters continue to this day to support the cover up and revere the people who enabled the horrible acts that happened for decades on their campus.

That is just one of the reasons many hate that institution. I don't care if you support Penn State. This is a free country. No question Penn State is not all bad.

Just please don't try to tell people who choose to remember the past and hold criminals accountable for their actions that they have an inferiority complex. You know not of what you speak.

 

[tbonezone]

dave attell on penn state

" Anybody, chess? [Laughter] I give that joke three sanduskys. I’m tellin’ ya— hey, come on! It’s time. Are you enjoying this? No? What jerry sandusky did was wrong. But I do wanna know one thing: were those kids playing better? Now, i— hear me out! I used to play a little ball in school. I know that would’ve put some of the hustle in me, if I knew my coach was gonna me in the shower. Yes. “Hey, attell, rub-a-dub-dub.” “Oh, . Huddle up, guys.” [Laughter] relax. There’s no huddle in tennis. "

 

[sutomcat]

“It reminds me of the stark ugliness one sees as you head north into North Country from Syracuse”

I’ve finally been offended by a poster on this board. sutomcat , how far have you traveled into the North Country? Apparently, not very

Sorry. I am talking about the drive on Route 11 from Watertown to Potsdam. I never went further than that. It is not a scenic drive. Get closer to the Adirondecks and you have some of the most beautiful areas in the country. There is just a bad area in there that looks like you are nearing the Arctic Circle. I haeven’t Ever been to Ogdensburg. It is pretty out there?

 

[reedny]

“It reminds me of the stark ugliness one sees as you head north into North Country from Syracuse”

I’ve finally been offended by a poster on this board. sutomcat , how far have you traveled into the North Country? Apparently, not very

OB, I always enjoy your posts, but I don't get the umbrage (if you were being serious). I've been to the NC more times than I care to mention - including the Route 11 drive - and, except for the river (north) and ADK Park (South), I wouldn't exactly describe it as a scenic region. It's extremely rural. The land is scrubby. There's smuggling, meth labs, junkyard dogs and widespread unemployment. The only economic activity is a hospital, a couple of colleges and Alcoa in Messena (kept open with state money). In some areas the best cultural option consists of a lawn-mower race.

True, if you can make a Toro go 70 mph, you can probably work in a plant or at a technical facility. People want to work - what's missing is the work. But TomCat's not far off in his description, and the area around PSU (and much of PA) is even worse. JMO.

 

[zjscuse]

Bigger question is how the hell has Pitt out recruited us .. ( I guess the only thing I can think of is winning record? )

 

[FloridaFan]

Bigger question is how the hell has Pitt out recruited us .. ( I guess the only thing I can think of is winning record? )

Bowl games, 7 win seasons and draft picks make a place appealing.

 

[nzm136]

Penn State’s greatest redeeming quality is that it eventually ends.

 

[storange]

Absolutely zero doubt in my mind, PSU football program deserved the death penalty, it should have been put on ice for 5 years and then let them build from scratch. What SMU did was nothing in comparison.

 

[nzm136]

Absolutely zero doubt in my mind, PSU football program deserved the death penalty, it should have been put on ice for 5 years and then let them build from scratch. What SMU did was nothing in comparison.

Football should have been erased from the institutional memory of that abomination.

Instead, the NCAA was bought off w/ 30 pieces of silver, and Joe was turned into a fallen martyr.