Where does Penn State football rank in your life?
- Thread starter Jerademan74
- Start date
Pretty damn high. It's clearly my #1 recreational outlet. You could tote up the annual expense, except I don't want to.
I'm a demanding customer, too. I want top on field performance competitive with anybody in America. And I want the performance performed honestly, by the rules, and by student athletes who belong at Penn State, stay out of serious trouble, and give me a legit academic effort. I want the whole thing baby, and I won't settle for anything less than excellence.
I'm a demanding customer, too. I want top on field performance competitive with anybody in America. And I want the performance performed honestly, by the rules, and by student athletes who belong at Penn State, stay out of serious trouble, and give me a legit academic effort. I want the whole thing baby, and I won't settle for anything less than excellence.
When I was a younger man, I was always a fan, but on life's treadmill.....
Since my wife passed away and I'm "semi" retired I actually wonder sometimes why I'm so obsessed. My whole body aches(like it did when I coached myself) watching the games and a poor performance, let alone a loss, ruins my week. To make matters worse, my sons are perhaps as much or more fanatical than I am. I can't begin to tell you the telephone conversations and the tears exchanged the week they assassinated Joe.
Since my wife passed away and I'm "semi" retired I actually wonder sometimes why I'm so obsessed. My whole body aches(like it did when I coached myself) watching the games and a poor performance, let alone a loss, ruins my week. To make matters worse, my sons are perhaps as much or more fanatical than I am. I can't begin to tell you the telephone conversations and the tears exchanged the week they assassinated Joe.
At one time it was just as important for me, and not just during football season. I held season tickets for almost 40 years. I missed a half dozen games in all those years and often traveled to away games. After the season ended I counted the hours to Letter of Intent Day, and then to the Blue White Game. After that it was waiting for the Football Magazines to come out (Street & Smith, etc.), and then fall practice. I don't think there was a week that went by that I did not spend some of my time on Penn State Football. Now, it is behind just about every other thing in my life, beginning with family, religion, and my law practice, and filtering down through travel, guitar lessons, learning to paint, reading, and on and on. It is a diversion, but in the late fall of my life I have many diversions. I will watch our games (and no others), but not at the expense of a night out with family or friends, or even an art class. I am not judgmental about those who place it higher in their lives because I was once where you are and I admit I occasionally miss the old days, but only for a few moments. Then I realize I am much happier with my current choices and I turn my attention to my next canvas. That said, if you are a devoted fan, as I once was, I wish you many wins, in good weather, with a thousand happy memories.
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Faith
Family
penn state football
friends
Before 2011, I'd have listed Friends before football....but I lost a lot of friends in my JoeBot afterlife.
Family
penn state football
friends
Before 2011, I'd have listed Friends before football....but I lost a lot of friends in my JoeBot afterlife.
Fairgambit: I don't know how old you are, but I'm 65. I am not retired yet, but often think about what it would be like to have the types of other diversions you seem to have happily found and made your life fuller at this stage. I try to do this too, but especially during the football season, Penn State football seems to dominate my life and I often feel guilty about it. In retrospect though, I don't know if I would want it any other way! If a person loves something that much, why try to hide from it! I may have a difference perspective though once I do finally retire and get older (or should I say more mature).
IMO any friends lost because of being a self professed JoeBot....aren't worthy of friendship. Fum.
Ok Picasso you have 25k posts on this messageboard are you typing with your toes as you play the guitar at a family dinner?
A fair point. I have substantially cut my time here this past year, and when I am here I manage my time much better. I often visit between clients, or while waiting for a pizza, etc. This past month, due to a change in circumstances, I have much more time than I expected, but I mentioned in a post not long ago that my visits will be greatly reduced beginning in mid February. Beside, I love you guys and you benefit from my wisdom (or so I tell my wife).
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I am a tad older (not much) and continue with my law practice 40 hours a week, because I love what I do and I am very good at it. Even before Sandusky, and Joe's firing, I was looking back on my life and thinking what a waste of time, and money, certain things appeared to be. Penn State football was near the top of that list. The Nittany Lion Club donation, football tickets, motel reservations, gas, food, and souvenirs, were my priority in life for almost 40 years. It was selfish and I regret it. Again, I am not being judgmental. Many can probably manage their football passion much better than I did. For the benefit of myself, and my family, I am now trying to make up for lost time. It is a difficult task.
It matters, but it's not important relative to those things that are.
Family
Friends
Travel/adventure
Career
Exercising
Coaching youth sports
Snowboarding
Music/reading
Enjoying good food and beverage
Cigars / bourbon
Mastering my own domain
Technology
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- Penn State Football
Friends
Travel/adventure
Career
Exercising
Coaching youth sports
Snowboarding
Music/reading
Enjoying good food and beverage
Cigars / bourbon
Mastering my own domain
Technology
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- Penn State Football
It's the only spectator activity I really care about, but as I've gotten a bit older and lost a wife my life is now focused on personal enrichment and happiness.
Being healthier, smarter, giving more, being there for my kids and family and shutting out the echo chamber.
Doing things that make me happy....enjoying the success of Penn State football is somewhere on that list.
Being healthier, smarter, giving more, being there for my kids and family and shutting out the echo chamber.
Doing things that make me happy....enjoying the success of Penn State football is somewhere on that list.
It may make me a bad person, but for me, Penn State football definitely comes before your family and your career.
Reminds me of a line from Matt Millen, when Millen was with the Raiders and they were about to play the Redskins in the Super Bowl
Some reporter asked a Washington O-lineman how important winning the Super Bowl was - and he said he would run over his own mother to win. To which Millen said - I would also run over his mother to win the Super Bowl.
1) The McAndrew Board
1A) PSU football
(Wonder if Tom bought this.....
You know, you should be a moderator here.
Like Fair, it's not as important as it once was--for many reasons, some the same and some different. But "to everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under Heaven". We realized, for one, that the money we were spending, if saved, could get us to Europe every couple of years. But it was still a lot of fun to go to Iowa this year, and I am looking forward to taking my Kent State niece to the game next season and visiting my Auburn cousin in Auburn in a few years. And I don't regret the family time it got me with my brother as we try to meet once a season for a game somewhere.
A
anon_1eeb2b426hv3y
Guest
I enjoy the banter when I have time for it. And PSU holds a special place in my heart and past, but my interest is def at the hobby level. And hobbies have their place. I could remove PSU sports at any time and would probably miss the games most, followed closely by the banter here. Some of you guys have been great for banter over the years.
The scandal and some other issues that cross sports and big picture issues sometimes have a life of their own for me in terms of time wasted here, but some of these issues are huge and complex issues and ones worth really exploring and taking personally.
Good luck making up for lost time. Glad you’re here and really glad you’re doing that. Like you, I don’t want to be judgmental but IMHO PSU should only be a huge priority for the very few whose lives and stations are tied to PSU and it’s goings on. And even then it should still fall well behind family, friends, work, religion, healthy lifestyle and just about everything essential to a good life. It’s just an interest.
I spend way too much time in this board to pretend that it's not important to me. I quit trying to rationalize this years ago.
I was always able to rationalize my football obsession. For example, I told myself I worked hard and needed the diversion, ignoring the fact that my wife also worked hard and would have preferred to do other things with our time and money. She knew it was important to me and always put her interests behind mine. As I said earlier, it was selfish on my part and now I am trying to make it up to her.
How did that date go? Did you report back to the Board on it and I just forgot or missed it?
You mean he's not?
Hey Tom. What's up with that? Wait a minute! He must be a secret moderator! Secret means we don't know and he and Tom can't say. I'm sure that's it.
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My wife is also a graduate and loves psu football as much as me -- plus our son is a sophomore there and is really into it. As such it ranks very high on our list and I don't feel one ounce of regret. The weekends we spend in state college are priceless and penn state football has brought a lot of joy to us -- especially the last 2 years!
Both my daughters went to games as toddlers and both, excellent students, were accepted to University Park and are alums. I hope your situation turns out better than mine. For reasons I would rather not explain, but are partly STEP related, over time that has not turned out well and neither has set foot on campus in years.
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I definitely understand your frustration with the whole STEP thing, and I certainly respect your decision to de-emphasize penn state football, but hopefully you have many great memories from your 40 years. It's still a very positive experience for us and hopefully it stays that way for awhile.
