Last year, Penn State's football was a far cry from being ranked. This year, a lot of students did not purchase student tickets. They feared that their money would lie in a pool of upsets for Penn State. However, those students would be very wrong. Because in a single season we came from being an unranked team to number ten, according to ESPN's latest rankings. Penn State football deserves its turn in the spotlight after years in the shadows.
1. The student section.
Looking around at the stands at a football is something surreal. To see students filing in so fast that Beaver Stadium can't even swipe ID's is unknown. No matter what time kick off is, the Penn State students will be standing on the bleachers cheering on their team.
2. Hard work.
If you are awake at 6 a.m. on a Monday, you will see all the lights on in Nittany Apartments. These players put a greater amount of work into their sport, more so than most people will ever put into their careers.
3. Confidence.
Many people wrote off Penn State after the Sandusky scandal. A variety of people believed that Penn State football would come back in another ten years, but not this soon. However, every time our black cleats hit the field there is a sense of confidence. Every football player leaves everything they have on that field.
4. Leadership.
It is important for a leader to understand the strengths and weakness of each member. In order to be a great leader, you must understand your team better than you understand yourself at times.
5. Loyal Alumni Section.
The student section is always full. Sometimes, it is overcrowded. However, all of the people in the other stands are loyal alumni. They donate when they can, buy tickets to support the cause, and wear their alma mater shirts with great pride. No matter where our alumni live, they hold true to blue and white.
6. Trust.
Every player trusts that the other one will be there for them. They believe in the play they make. They have faith each player will do his individual job.
7. One Team.
There is not just a simple win. There is no player better than another because a team is only as strong as its weakest link. There are no names on our jerseys because we are one. We rise, we fall, we win, we lose, but we do it all together.
8. School Pride.
There is a reason people outside of Penn State remark about our alumni as a strong-held community. Because no matter who you intern for, where you work, or the country you are in, Penn Staters are always loyal to each other first. There is not just a sense of pride, but a sense of family.
9. Heart.
On and off the field, people bleed blue and white. People give nothing less than everything they have to this university, and everyone involved can tell.
10. Playing for a bigger purpose.
Penn State players play for more than just a game. They play for the people before them. They play for the students cheering them on. They play for their coaches and their team. They play for the people who encourage them to always be better. They play for more than just a win.
