What it Means to be a Nittany Lion

In my search of resources, I found the book "What it means to be a Nittany Lion". In the introduction of the book it discussed traditions of Penn State: dedicated fans for tailgating, the cheer of "We Are...", the flip by the drum major, white helmets, plain jerseys with no names, etc. Penn State represents tradition. I grew up around these traditions and have embodied them as I am now a representation of this school as a cheerleader. As I was skimming through this book it went through different decades and different key players that talked about their career and experience at Penn State. Each player then talked about what it means to be a Nittany Lion to them individually.

1. "...felt like Nittany Lions because of the kindness of coaching staff as they continued to encounter racism on and off the football field". 
2. "We were national champions. But heck, we're Nittany Lions. That's worth much more than a national championship" (106).
3. Darren Perry said, "To me, what it means to be a Nittany Lion is representing a great tradition, a program that stands for not only a lot athletically but academically, as well. There's a pride there that may be unlike any other school" (264). 
4. Michael Robinson stated, "that's what it means to be a Nittany Lion. Pride. Respect. Class. I'll always be a Nittany Lion" (332). 

 These players learned more than just football. They learned how to pride themselves as a Nittany Lion and to be a part of one of the greatest traditions that a university has. It was amazing to read some of the things the players said about what it meant to be a Nittany Lion. It truly formed who they are as a person. I was so engaged in this book that I even lost track of time and our class left without us! I did not want to stop reading this book because it was so intriguing to see how much Penn State effected the lives of these football players by so much more than just their sport.

This would be a great aspect to incorporate in our classroom. It would teach the students to be a part of something that is bigger than themselves. It would teach them about pride and traditions and how they can create their own traditions.