The scandal at Penn State may be considered the worst thing to happen in college football history not only because Legend Joe Paterno was involved. This is historical because we see the flaw in the college football program; multiple University officials were aware of the sexual misconduct and let the acts slip through the cracks. It is interesting to see how the public responded to this incident through social media. I saw many different responses but the most reoccurring themes were: sympathy for the victims of sexual abuse, glory and feeling sorry for Joe Paterno and the idea that focus of this scandal needs not be solely on the coach but all involved who did not take action.

I have a handful of friends that currently attend or are alumni of Penn State. I find it interesting that they are the ones who are most in favor of the University and I have yet to see anyone mention how horrific this event is. Students are not rioting because they found out the team the support does not promote honor like they claim. They are not rioting to be a voice for the sexual victims but they are rioting because the head coach was fired. In videos we can see students outside JoePa’s home yelling “We Love You.” Chants in the streets of “WE ARE PENN STATE” show the loyalty they have to the school even in such a trying time. This scandal that is not as much about football as it about a man raping young boys, has turned into a large story in the media about the coaching staff at Penn State. Through news and social media I have seen much more about Paterno than I have the victims or even the offender himself, Sandusky.

One tweet I found to be meaningful was: if coaches and administrators are not protecting our youth, who is? I think the biggest issue in this scandal is that people are okay with Paterno following status quo about such a terrible act. Paterno did tell the Athletic Director but after all parties knew no legal action was taking place, the situation was left untouched. I read that students will be having a “blue out” for the next football game to promote awareness for sexual abuse, blue ribbons will be sold on campus. Fortunately there are some Penn State students are taking steps to make this issue widespread. We still see the students who are too focused on the college football legend being fired to even think about the negative impact the molested children are facing. Now days with information being so readily available we are able to voice our opinion and also see the opinion of our peers. Social media is a great way for people to promote their ideas and events. I think social media is a great way to get news fast and to voice our own opinion but it also can provide misleading information. It is great for sport managers to be able to spread news rapidly, but can also be a downfall if it is being used in the wrong way.

Alexandra Mitchell KIN 577