Penn State tries to break from past
With Joe Paterno dead, his football program buried beneath NCAA sanctions and Penn State’s reputation on life support, the plain-vanilla uniforms that were such a powerful symbol of all three never had a chance.
Earlier this month, the beleaguered university announced it would break with long-standing tradition and add both players’ names and blue ribbons to the Nittany Lions uniforms Paterno had kept unadorned for decades.
The tweaks to Penn State’s blueand-white outfits seem insignificant. But as mundane as the changes that will debut on Sept. 1 might appear, the reasons for them were complex, having more to do with the school’s uncertain future than its fashion history. With a few strokes of a sewing machine, Penn State will symbolically break from its Jerry Sandusky-scarred past, honour victims of child sexual abuse, signal the start of a universitywide rebranding and, not insignificantly, possibly reinvigorate a depressed market for its merchandise. “It’s a new coach. It’s a new era,” said Matt Powell, an analyst with SportsOneSource, a Maine-based firm that tracks the sports merchandise market. “It’s probably time to freshen things up a bit.” The blue ribbons, the release stat- ed, would honour the victims of Sandusky and other child-abusers, while the names on the backs would recommit the players to “uphold the traditions of Penn State football both on and off the field.” But almost immediately it was seen as an effort to break from the past, with some who had worn the uniforms during Paterno’s 46-year reign as head coach expressing disappointment. “I just think there are certain things you don’t touch, and that’s one of them,” former tight end Troy Drayton told the York Record. “That’s a part of Penn State history. Changing it changes everything for me. . . . To me it’s a slap in the face. Putting the names on the jerseys is blasphemy.”