The buzz is in the air once again. Penn State alumni and Nittany Lion football fans have been waiting a long time for the return of the tailgating, the food, the pageantry, the school spirit, and the “We Are…Penn State” cheer to shake the foundation of Beaver Stadium. We want this; we need this; and we can’t do without it again for another season.
So, let’s use common sense as a guide so we can actually get to enjoy an entire season of being able to cheer on our sports teams in person. The athletes thrive on our energy and passion, especially at Beaver Stadium, so let’s make sure we are doing everything we can to make game days enjoyable for all.
This begins by doing what every successful coach tries to instill in their athletes from day one: check your ego in at the door and do what’s best for the team. The team, in this instance, is the greater community (including the university and the athletes and coaches) who all benefit when we can be together cheering and supporting each other. Our actions over the next few weeks will fuel the economic engine that makes Happy Valley not just survive but thrive. Quite frankly, I am not sure our small businesses and hospitality community can survive another year without sports, especially football.
We all must do our part and it starts with just using good old fashioned commonsense behaviors. Have your masks with you and be ready to wear them at a moment’s notice. Don’t judge others. Be respectful and empathetic. If you aren’t feeling well, do everyone a favor and sit this one out. No sense risking a super-spreader fiasco by being irresponsible and immature.
I have heard enough stories lately of the impact of the Delta variant of COVID-19 to know we must respect it and do what we can to prevent the spread. I have some friends who, in a few cases, believed that COVID-19 was a hoax and then ended up in an ICU themselves. I spoke to a good friend on Sunday who told me of a young pregnant woman who contracted COVID-19 and lost her baby at 8 months.
In other words, this stuff is for real. Yes, we want you to attend (assuming you are healthy) and yes, we want you to have a great time (within reason!). You absolutely can enjoy the game, but common sense must prevail. Wear a mask if you feel the slightest bit sick or simply stay at home.
I admit that I have a healthy skepticism about the “science” or “pseudoscience” that is out there about the virus and the vaccines, but I would rather be safe than sorry. I am not trying to make a political statement; I am just promoting using common sense and being empathetic toward others. We’ve been getting vaccinations all our lives and they have overwhelmingly been effective. Did some people get sick because of some of these past vaccinations? Yes. Did some people die from reactions to the vaccines? In rare cases, yes.
I will also admit that I continue to be disappointed that with the collective research, medical talent and ingenuity there is in the world that we still don’t have a better means to treat people who have the virus in a more expedient and successful way. But in lieu of better news. I will let common sense be my guide once again and continue to be concerned, careful and cautious.
I wish I could take credit for writing the poem below, but in full disclosure my wife received it from a friend, and unfortunately, I could not 100% verify the source. I did trace it back to an “All Poetry” website titled “Ode to Vaccinations” where it was attributed to G.F. Mchale-Scully. Regardless, I think it’s profound enough for everyone to read and heed the free advice:
I
I’m vaccinated and, no,
I don’t know what’s in it,
neither in this vaccine
nor in the ones I had as a child,
nor in the Popeye’s chicken sandwich,
nor in smoked sausages,
nor in other treatments,
whether it’s for cancer,
AIDS or for polyarthritis
or vaccines for infants or children.
II
I trust my doctor when he says it’s needed.
I also don’t know what’s in Ibuprofen,
Tylenol or other meds:
They cure my headaches and my pains.
I don’t know what’s in the ink for tattoos,
or what’s in cigars or every ingredient
in my soap or shampoo or even deodorants.
I don’t know the long-term effect of cell phone use
or whether that restaurant where I just ate
REALLY used clean foods and washed their hands.
III
In short,
there’s a lot of things I don’t know and never will.
But I know one thing: life is short, very short
and I want to do something
other than just going to work every day
or staying locked in my home.
I want to travel and hug people without fear
and find a little feeling of life “before.”
As a child and as an adult I’ve been vaccinated
for mumps, measles, rubella, polio, chicken pox
and quite a few others.
My parents and I trusted the science
and never had to suffer through
or transmit any of said diseases.
IV
I’m vaccinated, not to please the government but:
not die from Covid-19;
not to clutter a hospital bed if I get sick;
not to be deprived from hugging my loved ones;
not to have to do PCR or antigenic tests.
I want to go dancing,
to go to restaurants,
to go on holidays
and many more things to come.
I want to live my life.
I want to have my kids/grandkids
return to school and play sports.
I want Covid-19 to be an old memory.
I want to protect us.
V
Just saying…
Seems like common sense to me. You may agree or disagree but as I have said in this column many times in the past 18 months, we are in this together and we had better let common courtesy and mutual respect rule the day.
I didn’t get the vaccine because of the government either I got it to help us get back to some sense of normalcy. I got it, in part, to be able to enjoy the tailgating, the food, the pageantry, the school spirit, and the “We Are…Penn State” cheer so we can once again shake the very foundation of Beaver Stadium.
