As a life-long Philadelphia sports fan, I am used to seeing disappointing results, near misses and embarrassing failures in this city. But the fall of 2011 has delivered a series of blows that are unparalleled in my lifetime, without any end in sight.
Yet no failure or loss can possibly compare to the child molestation scandal at Penn State that is taking Joe Paterno and the entire program down. As a Penn State fan and one that has written about the Nittany Lions all season long, it is still unreal that I have to write about this instead of a gigantic series of games in November. But in this ugly fall for sports in Philadelphia, it almost makes sense – because nothing else in this horrific story does.
Penn State isn’t technically a Philadelphia institution, as Temple is more closely associated with the city. However, the Nittany Lions are the closest thing to a winning Division I college football team that Philadelphia has. I wasn’t old enough to follow them during their glory days, yet the fact that they got over the hump to win two national titles in the ’80s after falling short for years is an inspirational tale – at least to someone like me who keeps seeing the Phillies, Eagles and Flyers fall short in most years themselves.
Before Nov. 5, it looked like the Nittany Lions were having a charmed season, as they were overcoming a flawed offense and two-quarterback system to lead the Big Ten. They were getting countless breaks in surviving games while divisional rivals like the Wisconsin Badgers and Ohio State Buckeyes started losing. What’s more, Penn State got another break in having the Nebraska Cornhuskers get upset by the Northwestern Wildcats on Nov. 5 before their visit to Happy Valley.
It was a season of lucky breaks that now had the chance to become legendary – and to perhaps be a heartwarming swan song for Paterno. On the morning of Nov. 5, I wrote that Penn State could finally rest and take it easy on their first off Saturday of the season, as they prepared for the games that would make or break the year.
But of course, hours after I wrote that it would be an easy Saturday for Penn State, it was revealed that Jerry Sandusky was arrested and accused of molesting eight children. Then the days where Penn State and Paterno could relax officially came to an end forever.
While the Nittany Lions aren’t a purely Philadelphia team, they were the closest thing to a winning and rock-solid organization that this city could count on. The Phillies, Eagles and Flyers have found ways to inspire backlash and frustrate us even when they win consistently. Yet Penn State at least had Paterno’s legend and its prestigious reputation to fall back on and draw inspiration from.
Philadelphia teams have been blowing promising seasons at a startling rate over the last few months. Penn State still hasn’t blown its season yet, since it is still 8-1 and can still win the Big Ten. But even if it does, none of it will matter thanks to Sandusky, Paterno and the sins of the Penn State administration. And given that it keeps digging its own grave with decisions like canceling Paterno’s press conference on Nov. 8, there is little hope that it can salvage anything right now.
This is a national tragedy that goes beyond Philadelphia, Happy Valley and the world of college football. Yet while this makes the other negative stories in Philadelphia sports this fall look insignificant, the Penn State scandal remains a case of horrific overkill in this ugly period for the city’s fans to witness.
Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and Penn State fan.
Other stories by this contributor
Penn State scandal taints the past and present
BCS rankings finally have Penn State as Big Ten leader
Penn State football showdowns now shockingly irrelevant
Penn State finally rests during LSU-Alabama week
Temple remains model of inconsistency