In early September my family and I took a trip up to State College, Pennsylvania for the Rutgers Penn State game. Even though it was not the outcome I wanted for my Scarlet Knights, we still had a great time. Just being there for only a couple minutes, I quickly learned that when you travel for an away game with your desired sports team, you are going to feel like the minority.
Kickoff was at eight o’clock in the evening, so that meant my day started at eleven in the morning in “Happy Valley.” Driving into the college town, College Avenue was filled with vocal fans and vibrant colors of blue and white. From cheerleaders handing out stickers labeled “Unrivaled” to extremely loud “We Are” chants filling the town, State College was turning into New York City by the second. As the opposing fan, it got really intimidating.
Luckily, my family and I caught up with our Penn State neighbors who took us under their wing and kindly guided us around campus. We hit all of the main locations like Old Main, the Nittany Lion Statue, Penn State’s Berkey Creamery, and the Penn State Bookstore, where I felt really uncomfortable being
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Many obnoxious students who were clearly out of control “kindly” greeted us. From the student wearing an orange jumpsuit (in regards to the 5 players who were dismissed from the Rutgers Football Team for armed robbery) to the dirty mouth students who could not find better words to describe Rutgers, it was bad. At the time, it was safe to say, “We are… not surviving this mess alive.” It felt like hours walking through the lot. Finally, we got to the appropriate tailgate were we greeted by very nice alumni who welcomed us with open arms and delicious food. Obviously my family and I were not the only Rutgers fans in State College; there were a numerous amount of Rutgers fans in pockets all around the