E-Mails Suggest Paterno Role in Silence on Sandusky

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by 33girl

OK, asking this because I think this is what a lot of PA people were trying to say. Aren't there big rivalries in some of the states mentioned, like Alabama/Auburn, Georgia/Georgia State and Kansas/K-State with people being pretty evenly divided? Not just in sports, but admissions and loyalty and devotion to the school. There's no "Penn State/Penn" rivalry. And the Pitt/Penn State rivalry pretty much died when PSU entered the Big XII. It's still around, but not nearly what it used to be (i.e. when you couldn't wear the other school's shirts on campus).

This is what a lot of people in PA are meaning when they say they think that it's different.

Then you have Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU. Those are the flagship schools. People go to Vanderbilt but not for sports.

[KSig RC]

Originally Posted by 33girl

OK, asking this because I think this is what a lot of PA people were trying to say. Aren't there big rivalries in some of the states mentioned, like Alabama/Auburn, Georgia/Georgia State and Kansas/K-State with people being pretty evenly divided? Not just in sports, but admissions and loyalty and devotion to the school. There's no "Penn State/Penn" rivalry. And the Pitt/Penn State rivalry pretty much died when PSU entered the Big XII. It's still around, but not nearly what it used to be (i.e. when you couldn't wear the other school's shirts on campus).

This is what a lot of people in PA are meaning when they say they think that it's different.

Again, not unique. OSU and Wisconsin have the same (in-state) setup just within PSU's division, and right around the same academic reputation as well (UW slightly higher ranked, OSU slightly lower).

PA people might think it's different, but it's not.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by 33girl

There's no "Penn State/Penn" rivalry. And the Pitt/Penn State rivalry pretty much died when PSU entered the Big XII. It's still around, but not nearly what it used to be (i.e. when you couldn't wear the other school's shirts on campus).

This is why I hate PSU slightly less than WVU.

[AOII Angel]

Oh, and any rivalry in Georgia would be btwn UGA and Georgia Tech.

[AXOmom]

Again, same holds for Nebraska (no other in-state competition whatsoever, and virtually a complete state-wide loyalty to that one school with incredibly devoted fans) and WVU (some state officials have tried to get a rivalry going between WVU and Marshall by having them play each other) - but that hasn't really worked out for several reasons and WVU has a virtual lock on state loyalty as well as completely insane fans...and I mean that in the most literal sense of the word insane - and while it started with football in both cases (as it probably started at least partially from football for Penn State) - it is not limited to that and has morphed into a loyalty to the schools themselves.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by AXOmom

Again, same holds for Nebraska (no other in-state competition whatsoever, and virtually a complete state-wide loyalty to that one school with incredibly devoted fans) and WVU (some state officials have tried to get a rivalry going between WVU and Marshall by having them play each other) - but that hasn't really worked out for several reasons and WVU has a virtual lock on state loyalty as well as completely insane fans...and I mean that in the most literal sense of the word insane - and while it started with football in both cases (as it probably started at least partially from football for Penn State) - it is not limited to that and has morphed into a loyalty to the schools themselves.

I'm sure we could keep going. Texas should get a pass for UT and Texas A&M since it's such a huge state, you could put ten PAs in there. (hyperbole, folks, I don't need anyone to give me a literal approximation of how many would really fit )


ETA: I'd say UMD, but from experience during my time in MD, despite being the only game in town, no one really cares.

[AXOmom]

Yeah, I thought about UT and decided not to mention that one because there are the aggies and then some smatterings of Texas Tech I would imagine.

Really, if we're going to give an award for state most completely entwined in the fortunes of one flagship school I'd really have to give it to your state - LA or to Nebraska, but I'd lean towards Nebraska because you have New Orleans, jazz, and really great food to distract you.....what do they have...yeah, the state of Nebraska. Enough said.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by 33girl

OK, asking this because I think this is what a lot of PA people were trying to say. Aren't there big rivalries in some of the states mentioned, like Alabama/Auburn, Georgia/Georgia State and Kansas/K-State with people being pretty evenly divided? Not just in sports, but admissions and loyalty and devotion to the school.

At least in North Carolina that would definitely be the case -- you have UNC, NC State and Duke, and then factor in Wake Forest, App State, East Carolina, A&T . . . . Particularly in the case of UNC, State and Duke, you'll have as many people who hate them as who support them.

We may be the exception compared to other states, but there is not a single school here that gets all of the loyalty and devotion.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by AXOmom

Yeah, I thought about UT and decided not to mention that one because there are the aggies and then some smatterings of Texas Tech I would imagine.

Really, if we're going to give an award for state most completely entwined in the fortunes of one flagship school I'd really have to give it to your state - LA or to Nebraska, but I'd lean towards Nebraska because you have New Orleans, jazz, and really great food to distract you.....what do they have...yeah, the state of Nebraska. Enough said.

Yeah, but Arkansas...what is there to do in Arkansas?

[AXOmom]

^^^Uh, Arkansas, Arkansas.....it has..hmm....good southern cooking and produced my former pastor who was really funny? Yeah, I don't have much for Arkansas.

Of course now that Gus Mazalhn (sp?) has gone to Arkansas State everything could change. It could become a heated, nasty football rivalry that splits the state into fiercely divided loyalties! The Clintons and Mike Huckabee could take opposite sides and it would take on far-reaching political dimensions! Okay probably not.

[AXOmom]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

At least in North Carolina that would definitely be the case -- you have UNC, NC State and Duke, and then factor in Wake Forest, App State, East Carolina, A&T . . . . Particularly in the case of UNC, State and Duke, you'll have as many people who hate them as who support them.

We may be the exception compared to other states, but there is not a single school here that gets all of the loyalty and devotion.

You know, this might be the one case that is truly unusual on the opposite end of states where the school loyalties are extremely divided. California and Texas might be similar but they're a little more spread out. Oh wait, Florida would be very similar.

I think the one thing that's a bid different in the case of North Carolina is that three of those schools are soooo close, and while my N. Carolina relatives would draw and quarter me if they ever knew I said this (since they are Wolfpack people), two out of the three are not only close, they have outstanding academic reputations and are both traditionally phenomenal in one major sport.

Are there examples of other states where this is the case that I've missed?

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by AXOmom

I think the one thing that's a bid different in the case of North Carolina is that three of those schools are soooo close, and while my N. Carolina relatives would draw and quarter me if they ever knew I said this (since they are Wolfpack people), two out of the three are not only close, they have outstanding academic reputations and are both traditionally phenominal in one major sport.

Historically, four were close. As it's name suggest, Wake Forest was originally in the town of Wake Forest, just north of Raleigh (both are in Wake County). The main traditional rivalries were UNC-Duke (about 10 miles apart) and NC State-Wake Forest (about 17 miles apart). Until 25 years or so ago, Easter Monday, not Good Friday was the state holiday associated with Easter. The reason had nothing to do with religion; it had to do with the fact that until WF up and moved to Winston-Salem and the new Reynolds-financed campus, Easter Monday was the day the State-WF baseball game was traditionally played, and half of Wake County went to see it.

[AXOmom]

^^^Interesting. I had a cousin (who ironically grew up in Pennsylvania) that went to Wake Forest, and I grew up a Southern Baptist (not that Wake Forest has maintained many SB ties), but I didn't know this....well, other than knowing it was orginally in Wake Forest. How close is E. Carolina (Greenville)?

Given that it's N. Carolina, the Easter Monday thing doesn't surprise me. A little loopy about their basketball, but I kind of love that about them....and Kentucky....and Kansas.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by AXOmom

^^^Interesting. I had a cousin (who ironically grew up in Pennsylvania) that went to Wake Forest, and I grew up a Southern Baptist (not that Wake Forest has maintained many SB ties), but I didn't know this....well, other than knowing it was orginally in Wake Forest. How close is E. Carolina (Greenville)?

Greenville is about 80 miles east of Raleigh.

Given that it's N. Carolina, the Easter Monday thing doesn't surprise me. A little loopy about their basketball, but I kind of love that about them....and Kentucky....and Kansas.

This was the baseball game, not the basketball game.

But yes, people get rather worked up about basketball here.

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

Oh, and any rivalry in Georgia would be btwn UGA and Georgia Tech.

Which, if you've ever lived in GA, is not really a rivalry on the scale of Alabama/Auburn, etc. UGA owns the state. So many students at Tech have academics as their top priority and not as many stick around in the area post-graduation as happens for UGA.

My husband grew up in Atlanta and is a Tech fan, but they're few and far between.