The 2022 White Out for the Nittany Lions demonstrated the poor regulations for Penn State’s Safety precautions. The Nittany Lions have fallen to a 6-2 record, and despite the loss against Ohio State, it is essential to note the changes the University made to ensure the students are safe. Here is a look back at what happened during this season’s White Out, and Penn State’s safety changes enforced this past week.
Penn State’s Safety: The White Out
During the 2022 White Out against Minnesota, there was an ambush of students attempting to get into the stadium without tickets. There were fans who were shoved to the ground, and could not attend a game they paid for. Thousands of students pushed past the gates and entered the student section. Not only was this unfair to those who paid, but it was also extremely dangerous to the students.
In addition to the hazards caused due to thousands of students shoving each other to get into the stadium, an article from Onward State explains security used force on the students. A fan stuck in the middle of the ambush explained that it felt as though they could not breathe. For more information on the horrible aspects of Penn State’s safety precautions, read my article on what happened during the 2022 White Out.
Penn State’s Safety: Changes Made
On Wednesday, October 26th, the week following the White Out, Penn State provided new safety precautions for the remainder of the home games this season. The newest addition to Penn State’s Safety regulations is wristbands for the students to wear before entry into the student section. To read the full statement click here, for a tweet from Penn State’s Athletics Twitter page.
Earlier Entry
In order to lessen the number of people rushing into the stadium, one of Penn State’s safety precautions was to open the lots and gates a little earlier. Penn State writer, Mark Wogenrich tweeted that Penn State would be opening their stadium lots at 6:00 in the morning, with the game set to begin at noon. In addition to this, Penn State writer for The Athletic, Audrey Snyder, tweeted that the gates would also be opening at 9:30, instead of 10:00 when they usually would for a 12:00 game. This gave people more time to get to their seats without feeling rushed.
While this is not part of Penn State’s safety regulations, Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff was also in attendance for the pre-game. This led to many students going to their show instead of rushing into the stadium.
The Wristbands
In order to get into the student section, those with tickets were told they must present their tickets and their wristbands before entry. For those who believe that they can just slide the bands off and pass it, that was also taken into account in Penn State’s safety regulations. When those with student section tickets were given the wristbands, it was put on them so it was ensured it was tight enough to not slip off. This is much more effective than letting the students do it themselves. In order to get the band off, it would have to be cut.
Student Section Guidance
When students arrived at the student section, they were told to show their tickets and their wristbands before entry. Following that, they were told which row to sit in. While this may seem unnecessary, it helps prevent shoving in one area. Fans tend to try to sit as close to the front as they can, resulting in people being shoved. This also makes it so there is less of a risk of overcrowding in one area, and everyone is spread out safely. While the area was slow to fill up, it was effective and much safer for the fans.
Increased Security
From the time of entry to after the game, there was an increase in security. While it was difficult for those who did not have correct tickets to get in, there were some Ohio State fans who snuck in. When Penn State supporters called them out, security was sure to escort the non-students out.
The Nittany Lions were very close to winning this game despite the final score. The Ohio State Buckeyes won 44-31. Going into the fourth quarter, they were only winning 16-14 in a very back-and-forth game. With just a slight chance of winning, security lined up in front of the student section. The security understood that if the Nittany Lions pulled off the win, the students would storm the field. Despite this not happening, it showed the school was prepared.
Penn State’s Safety: Moving Foward
The White Out is the university’s most popular game, and their most recent match was against Ohio State, which was also a game people wanted to see. There are only two more Penn State home games this season. Their opponents are Maryland and Michigan State. It will be important for these Penn State safety precautions to remain in effect, even if there is not as much of a demand to get in.
The last two home games will not be as big, but consistency can help the school see what works and how they can fix any issues next year for the 2023 season. The next game for the Nittany Lions will be an away game against Indiana, but it will be interesting to see what happens in the next home game.
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Check out my most recent article on Penn State’s loss and if there should be a change at the quarterback position. Also, check out my article on what happened during the Penn State Whiteout that was extremely dangerous.