As the new era of Penn State football continues to take shape before us, the program is making some changes to their gameday traditions at Beaver Stadium. The first, and most notable, change was the inclusion of player names on jerseys. A newer change that just came out today has to deal with the Blue Band's playlist, and the exclusion of "Sweet Caroline" from it.
I understand why the Penn State braintrust is going through with this, as they feel that the lyric "touching me, touching you" (which isn't a throwaway lyric) will conjure up memories of the Sandusky scandal on campus. Penn State is attempting to distance themselves from the old regime and many of the things that made that regime stand out, and this is a step in the right direction.
Not much else will be changed. The football team will arrive at the stadium at 9:15 AM for a noon game (as opposed to 90 minutes before gametime), and the players won't be in their uniforms as they exit. Fans are still welcome to greet the team's arrival to the stadium in the same manner that they always have. Also, the pre-game hype video will include members of all varsity sports teams as opposed to just the football team, emphasizing the "One Team" philosophy that has become a rallying point for the university in recent months.
[h/t: Altoona Mirror]
