The Fandom of Penn State Football

April 29, 2023

In the sea of blue and white, and the roar of the Nittany Lion, fans who have flooded Happy Valley know just where they are. This Division I football subdivision goes far beyond records and Rose Bowl championships. The fan base behind Pennsylvania State football is respectively deemed one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the United States(1). The place to be at the time of kickoff? Beaver stadium, hosting around 107,000 of these passionate fans at its maximum capacity. Looking at the ever-living legacy of Beaver stadium, it would not hold its "electric" energy without its following fanbase that reside all throughout the country. 

Tailgating Traditions                

Penn State Tailgate 

Penn State football fans partake in a multitude of rituals before the game. One of the most well-known, camping out before the game, was established in the 2005 football season. In honor of former head coach, Joe Paterno, fans would bring tents and camp outside of Beaver Stadium the night before a home game. This tradition, "Paternoville", known today as Nittanyville, shows fans' hearts in getting the best seats for the game. When Paterno was fired in 2011, this tradition still held great light in the community of Penn State. Students used this with great positivity and decided that Nittanyville would now "Return the focus to the overall team and the thousands of students who support it"(2). Today, people have taken camping at the stadium to new levels. Residents around State College will prepare as little as one bedroom in their house for traveling supporters to rent out for the night. When arriving at the tailgate on a Saturday morning, fans will appear with the Nittany Lion paw tattooed on their faces, wearing the lions' ears, and dressed in jerseys of past and current players. In their arrival to the tailgate, some fans will even look forward to each turn of an hour on the clock, known in Happy Valley as communion. Lot 13 holds great significance for this tradition, as it began as a group of Navy friends and now attracts hundreds of fans each hour leading up to kickoff (3). Fans support communion to bring more energy into the atmosphere. Supporters will migrate to lot 13, and on the hour, they will celebrate the Penn State fight song. The current communion leader, David Hutchinson, says in an interview, "I had a couple from Nebraska say they do it now at their tailgates. It's spread to multiple schools now, Nebraska and Iowa. They told me they do a 'We Are' chant at the end to honor Penn State, since we're the originators"(3). Overall, the fans of Penn State will forever hold tailgates in attempts to bring their nation of supporters together, and even so much so that other colleges will create them into their own. Fans at Penn State Tailgate

Penn State S-Zone 2022

"We Are" and the S-Zone
A chant that when said, will always be responded to no matter where you're at. The "WE ARE" and following "Penn State" holds a meaning deeper than the chills on your arms. Twenty years previous to Joe Paterno's coaching debut, this phrase was used in attempts to unify the football time in a time of segregation (4). Penn State refused to play against the University of Miami when they were told they could not bring two of their African American players (4). The chant is far from about winning, or even winning any way they can, but rather it represents the fans in tradition of their moral and ethical behavior. While this chant will forever fill the stadium on game days, fans will chant this the loudest in the student section, the S-Zone. The S-Zone is a large contribution of students showing their Penn State pride. It is 25 rows, with 32 students in each, forming a visible "S" that can be viewed from anywhere in the stadium. The "S", also meaning "state", depicts the game day experience of "countless fans rain or shine, a live-action depiction of resilience, spirit, and teamwork"(5). The zone was brought to life by a group of just four students, known today as the Lion Ambassadors. They are involved with many events and organizations on campus, but most importantly they value giving back to their community within Penn State football.

Homecoming Game 2012

The zone represents the fans and university through the colors of the "S", formed by free t-shirts. The lion ambassadors dedicate colored shirts to specific seating in the stadium. For example, during the homecoming game the zone is represented in black and pink, the school's original colors. After the pink and black flags faded around campus to blue in white, their colors changed but the S-Zone keeps their roots pure. During blue out games, the S-Zone extends its area to twice the size to include a blue ribbon in honor of child abuse prevention. Additionally, a gold ribbon can be found to symbolize pediatric cancer for their Thon game (6).

Intimidation Through Unity

The fandom around Penn State football is also represented by the energy that the fans inside of the stadium bring. Notoriously, this is represented by the White Outs. Current head coach James Franklin explains to anyone he speaks that, "If you're a sports fan, you need to have a white out on your bucket list"(7). The white out game falls near the end of October each year, at the time of Penn State's late night home game. The light of the White Out would not be the same today without the army of people it took to create such a large tradition. Guido D'Elia, the athletic director's assistant, explained that they struggled finding as many as 20,000 people (about the seating capacity of Madison Square Garden) to wear the same color, let alone 100,000. Fans needed a change in motivation in 2004, coming off 3 losing seasons in a row. D'Elia explained that Beaver Stadium was "Like a full dance floor. When there's a full dance floor, you're more likely to get a bunch more people out there dancing"(6).

Penn State against Ohio State White Out 2018

He sent interns to classrooms and dining halls to reach those which he could not through social media. The athletic department even created a commercial with a bus driver driving an all-white bus exclaiming "It's White Out week"(6). The White Out finally was able to define Happy Valley and its outlying fans in 2007 when Penn State defeated Notre Dame. During this game, researchers report that it was "Loud enough to cause physical pain on the eardrum"(6). Contributing to fans' efforts to create an overwhelming atmosphere, a theater class in 2020 even created a playlist of sounds that included Beaver Stadium's notorious cowbells. The White Out provides support to restaurants, bars, the local economy, and the entire campus and community as a whole, as it now attracts about 105,000 fans. As a whole, the history and current popularity of the White Out is known by anyone who watches college football. The strength of Penn States army of fans during the White Out atmosphere is said to give the Nittany Lions a 10-point advantage.

Overall, the Pennsylvania State University football fanbase is a unique and passionate nation that is deeply rooted in the university's history and traditions. They partake in traditions that date back over several decades and continually create a stronger atmosphere. Through the tailgating culture, the "We Are" chant, and the White Outs, Penn State fans have created a distinctive game day experience that draws thousands of people to Happy Valley every year. 

Works Cited

(1) “Penn State Nittany Lions.” American Football Wiki,

             https://americanfootball.fandom.com/wiki/Penn_State_Nittany_Lions. 

(2) “‘Paternoville’ Renamed ‘Nittanyville’ at Penn State.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 17 July      

             2012, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paternoville-renamed-nittanyville-at-penn-state/.

(3) Metts, Sarah. “Tailgating Traditions.” WJAC, WJAC, 7 Sept. 2019,

             https://wjactv.com/news/local/tailgating-traditions.

(4) Writer, Staff. “'We Are ... Penn State' Has Meaning beyond Football Field.” New Jersey Herald, New

            Jersey Herald, 16 Aug. 2012, https://www.njherald.com/story/news/2012/08/12/we-are-penn-

            state/3996023007/.

(5) Palmieri, Lizzie. “'S' Is for State: The Story of Beaver Stadium's S-Zone.” Onward State, 27 Oct. 2022,

         https://onwardstate.com/2022/10/27/s-is-for-state-the-story-of-beaver-stadiums-s-zone/.

(6) “The S Zone.” Words Matter, 1 Oct. 2015, https://sites.psu.edu/lukehenegar/2015/10/01/the-s-zone/.

(7) Wogenrish, Mark. How the Penn State White out Became the Greatest Show in Sports. Oct. 2022,

             https://www.si.com/college/pennstate/football/how-the-penn-state-white-out-became-the-greatest-

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