Exciting news! This newsletter is a guest post by local writer and educator David Rockower. We hope you enjoy it!

The author and his family at a PSU basketball game

Mention Penn State to anyone anywhere, and the first thing that’s likely to come up is football. Yes, we are a perennial powerhouse in the football world. Fans pour in from all over the state (and beyond) to tailgate and cheer inside Beaver Stadium. But Penn State is also home to a myriad of other competitive sports. From wrestling to track and field to lacrosse, the “We Are” chants ring out all over campus. How, then, does a sports-crazed family like ours decide which events to attend? As children we played baseball, soccer, basketball and competed in dance competitions. Though we no longer play organized sports, we tune in regularly for our favorite teams (Go Phillies and Eagles!). It just so happens that, locally, we latched on—from a very early age—to Penn State men’s basketball.

PSU basketball is not one of the top tier programs in the Big Ten; in fact, we often finish in the bottom third of the standings. It’s been difficult for men’s basketball to compete with the Michigan States and Wisconsins of the basketball world. Despite the many losing Big Ten records and end-of-season let downs, we still love watching them play. In fact, I’ve been attending games since the mid 1980s when my father took me to the raucous environment of Rec Hall. In college, I watched them lose in double overtime to the No. 1 ranked Indiana Hoosiers. After Michelle and I were married, we regularly attended home games and witnessed the 2001 team’s success—a visit to the sweet sixteen in the NCAA tournament, upsetting the North Carolina Tar Heels. When Nathan and Maddie were born, we were excited to introduce them to the sport we’d come to love.

With Nathan’s love of competition, brackets, and tournaments, basketball was a perfect fit. He joyfully attended games when he was just 3 years old, and by the time he was 6, he was sporting a Talor Battle jersey and sitting on the lap of the Nittany Lion with a smile plastered on his face. At home, he called games while dancing around and dunking on his Nerf hoop. When she first attended games, Maddie was more interested in seeing herself on the Jumbotron or making sure she could snag a pint of Creamery ice cream than she was on the game, but that quickly changed. As soon as she joined a youth basketball team, she started paying attention and cheering along with the rest of us. When she was 8 years old, she met her favorite player, DJ Newbill, and proudly hung his autograph above her desk.

One of our favorite memories was from February 2018, when Nathan and a friend recognized Penn State quarterback Trace McSorely sitting just in front of us. They introduced themselves and snapped a picture together. Meanwhile, the team was busy upsetting the favored Ohio State Buckeyes. Just before students stormed the court, the Nittany Lion held a TV aloft, searching for a lucky fan to receive the gift. We often talked about how these giveaways always went to the students and rarely to a random fan like us. Nathan and his friend waved their arms, screaming, begging. The lion made his way to our row and handed over the TV. What a night!

A few years ago, we took a trip to Mexico for spring break. While we should have been lounging by the pool, we were gathered in our room, praying the weak Wifi would suffice, as we watched Penn State compete in the The Big Ten tournament. Actually, this has happened more than once on our spring break adventures; we just can’t seem to give up hope that our team will finally turn the corner.

There have been many times when we think the team has finally made it to the next level. They may head into conference play with an impressive record only to collapse against the weight of the  mighty Big Ten. Or, they find themselves on the NCAA tournament bubble only to be left out. But we will keep showing up, cheering. There is something special about watching a team—one that isn’t expected to win—compete, come together, and every once in a while, surprise the fan base with a wild comeback victory or a trouncing of a top ten team.

This year, Nathan and Maddie are both students at PSU. They still attend games, but not typically with us. Our season tickets are directly across from the student section. Michelle and I spend the first few minutes of every game trying to spot one or both of our kids in the sea of students. If we are lucky, they see us and wave.