Because of Penn State’s football losing streak, many students and fans have been overly harsh online. While the Yik Yak posts can fill your dorm or apartment with laughter, it’s important to remember that everyone is human, and college athletes deserve our respect.
The Nittany Lion In The Room
It’s no secret that Penn State’s football team has been struggling and will probably not make a comeback this season. From hopes of winning a national championship to uncertainties about the future of the athletic program, this season has proved to be frustrating for the Penn State football team and its fans.
The nature of college sports leads to hilarious and sometimes cruel social media posts. Typically, these posts are directed at rival teams, but recently, the focus of the negativity has been directed at Penn State athletes by Penn State fans.
Before James Franklin was fired, many students would “boo” him and some of the football players during starting lineup announcements at the beginning of games. Criticism and controversy isn’t a new concept, but it’s unreasonable for fans to expect the team to perform well when all of Beaver Stadium is rooting against them.
College Athletes And Mental Health
In 2023, The NCAA released a study revealing that “40% of head coaches felt mentally exhausted on a near-constant basis.” The same study also found that 55% of Division I coaches are very concerned about supporting student-athlete mental health.
Not only do coaches have to take care of their own mental health, they also have to worry about that of their players. Just like other Penn State students, student-athletes also have difficult classes, personal problems and financial situations.
A study published in the National Library of Medicine examined how social media impacts athletes. Although there are more opportunities for athletes to enhance their career using social media, it can also be a tremendous source of stress.
Not even professional athletes are immune to the pressure. A few years ago, Simone Biles decided to take a step back from the Olympics for her mental health, which caused her to receive even more hate and scrutiny.
Fellow Students, Fickle Fans
When it comes to college athletes, it’s important to remember that before they are athletes or campus celebrities, they are humans first. Imagine that crazy night out, messy breakup or embarrassing mistake at work that you would love people to forget about. Now imagine the whole campus weighing in.
After the losing streak started, fans joked online about taking away some of the football team’s privileges like scooters and special facilities. Feeling the breeze of an electric scooter zooming past you while running late to an 8 a.m. class is an all-too-familiar experience.
However, instead of focusing on the benefits and amenities PSU athletes receive, students should be grateful their young and messy lives aren’t under a microscope.
Fickle fans have forgotten that we are a community. No matter where you are in the world, it’s customary to yell “WE ARE!” to someone wearing Penn State gear. Random conversations at tailgates can lead to unique opportunities and lifelong connections.
The conditional love for our fellow Nittany Lions weakens the strength of the Penn State community. So even when the headlines are full of negativity, keep your peers in your hearts.
What are your favorite ways to support our athletes? Let us know @VALLEYMag on Instagram or X!
Thanks for this marvelous post, I am glad I observed this website on yahoo.
Sweet blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News. Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Thanks
Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an really long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyways, just wanted to say excellent blog!
Pretty! This was a really wonderful post. Thank you for your provided information.
After research just a few of the blog posts in your web site now, and I truly like your approach of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark web site record and can be checking again soon. Pls take a look at my web page as well and let me know what you think.
You are my breathing in, I possess few web logs and sometimes run out from post :). “No opera plot can be sensible, for people do not sing when they are feeling sensible.” by W. H. Auden.
I regard something really interesting about your weblog so I saved to my bookmarks.
Thanks for the sensible critique. Me and my neighbor were just preparing to do some research about this. We got a grab a book from our area library but I think I learned more clear from this post. I am very glad to see such wonderful information being shared freely out there.
I am not sure where you’re getting your info, but great topic. I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more. Thanks for excellent info I was looking for this info for my mission.
Hello there, I found your blog via Google even as searching for a similar matter, your site got here up, it looks good. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.