Don’t Forget Who the Real Victims Are

I didn’t go to Penn State. But I know many who did. I’m from Pennsylvania and plenty of my friends and some of my family spent four years or more in State College. Growing up, I knew who “JoePa” was before I could read and, in my teens, sported frayed and faded Nittany Lions boxers to bed. I know the fans, I know their loyalty and I know their spirit. And I knew the NCAA ruling on July 23, 2012 would be received with heavy hearts and mixed emotions. But, I must say, I’m extremely disappointed by the way in which some are responding to the sanctions.

My news feeds are peppered with postings from alumni and fans in outrage over the sentencing. The comments, which range from defiant to ignorant, make me sick. Many of the statements and attitudes read less like support and more like hostility not to mention insensitivity. I appreciate standing by your school when times are tough and that the Penn State legion are not fair-weather folk and I respect their resilience and the belief that they will, one day, rise again. I feel for those who have given their lives to making the university a great place only to have the name tarnished in this way and it sucks for the current students and athletes but what was the alternative?

It’s a difficult thing in life when innocent bystanders, rule-followers and good people, trying hard to live their lives by the book are punished by proxy because of a few bad eggs. But that’s life. Weren’t we taught as kids that it isn’t always fair? I certainly was.

The thing that cannot be lost here, that matters more than sports ever will, is the sanctity of the human spirit. If it’s stripped from anyone, anytime and people in power, aware of the situation, ignore it for any reason, we are failing as a society. We further fail when the wrongs start to be righted and our response is one of selfishness.

I understand being disappointed that your alma mater is the subject of negative attention and that games you played in, attended or cheered on are now considered losses but, c’mon, people, put your pride aside and grasp the bigger picture. Numerous boys — that we know of, likely many more that we don’t — had the ultimate violation made against them. Their childhood robbed, innocence stolen, trust taken, lives forever changed — the ramifications and ripple effects so tremendous they will be felt for generations to come.

This is not about a football team or a university. This is not about wins, losses or records. This is not even about one, sick man or an entire organization that, by averting their eyes, turning their heads and closing their mouths ignited this detrimental problem. This is about the children.