Penn State's tribute to Mike Mauti: Too much?
Glorifying just one player -- essentially putting him on a pedestal -- seems misguided. Mike Mauti wasn't the only player who stepped up this summer.
Penn State's tribute to Mike Mauti: Too much?
There is no way to describe what Mike Mauti means to this Penn State team. He gave the program a backbone this summer when all seemed disjointed, everyone seemed dejected and perhaps everything was at brink of falling apart. He convinced underclassmen to stay. He lead by example,playing gritty, determined football every game this season - that is, until this game.
When Mauti left the Indiana game with a knee injury, it was a cruel ending to an epic collegiate career. Really, Mauti is the stuff of legends. The linebacker is a quiet leader. He doesn’t like the attention. He plays with a chip on his shoulder, but he plays with class. He embodies every positive trait Penn Staters pride themselves in; Success with Honor, the whole 100 yards.
Penn State is playing today with No. 42 on their helmets, to honor Mauti whose collegiate career, barring a surprising petition for a sixth year of eligibility, is over. The “42” is large and blue and takes up pretty much the entire left side of the helmet. In a sweet gesture, senior linebacker Gerald Hodges changed his jersey to No. 42 today to honor his good friend. The helmet decals are a way for the senior to be on the field with his teammates without actually playing.
A nice tribute. According to a Penn State spokesperson, it was suggested by the team. But doesn’t it seem a bit much? He didn’t die. His football career is not over. He can still rehab and has prospects for a long and successful career in the NFL. He is just missing one game.
Glorifying just one player -- essentially putting him on a pedestal -- seems misguided. Mauti wasn’t the only player who stepped up this summer. He wasn’t the only senior who called and texted underclassmen. He wasn’t the only player to keep an even keel, persevere through unprecedented adversity and leave everything out on the field. The tribute seems like something Mauti, one of the most modest athletes you'll ever come across, would not sign off on. He'd be the first person to stress that football is a team sport and Penn State's success was a team effort.
Before the game, Penn State unveiled blue letters that read “2012” above the section on the East end of Beaver Stadium, the equivalent of the rafters at a basketball arena. It sits next to the year 2008, 2005, 1994 and 1986. In total, there are 15 other years there. They represent all of Penn State’s undefeated or championship seasons. With that, the university is saying this season is just as important, just as special.
There are more than 100 players on this year’s team that contributed to that, including 30 seniors who were honored before the game. Each played a role, not just Mauti. Penn State’s motto this season is “One Team” not “One Player.” What does everyone else think of the Mauti tribute? Comment below.
Whatever his teammates want to do is fine. That is between them and him. But the TV coverage of the whole thing was outrageous. He got more air time than did players making the big plays in the game. The TV coverage throughout the game was all about him. Whoever the TV producer that was responsible for making him the game needs to be fired.— Kioto- Nice article. Typical responses from some people whose loyalty to the program has prevented them from engaging in rational thought or discussion. Has then been a "normal" year for Penn State? Of course not. Yes the players were penalized for no wrongdoing of their own and Mauti was obviously a huge leader for the team. However I think there is some perspective needed. Mauti misses his last home game of his collegiate career, certainly a tough break. But lets pretend this guy is never going to play football again or that his life was going to be changed forever due to this injury. Putting 42 on the helmet seemed a little overkill.
I don't remember Eric Legrand from Rutgers having his number cover the helmet after being PARALYZED in a game. A simple message "believe" above the facemask where it normally says Riddell or whatever was used. Newsflash, lots of seniors who are leaders get hurt and miss their last games. However you rarely ever see any "tribute" to this extent in football. So yes, it's a fair question to ask.— kp81 - It should have been a small decal on the back of the helmet. It was 10x the size of the Child Abuse ribbon. Once again it shows the "Idol"-ism that occurs at PSU. Eric Legrand at Rutgers was PARALYZED! They didn't pay tribute with numbers that take up they whole side of the helmet. The size of the "42" decal is the only thing that is bothering everyone, and rightfully so.— Mikey Fresh
- So, will O'Brien be the Eagles coach next year?— bobcitydoc
- Great season of overcoming adversity! This article is a negative reach. The leadership demonstrated by this young group of men is admirable!— mlogan49
- Where are my comments ?— frank castle
- It is so ironic, Emily Kaplan is one of the biggest defenders of Penn State and the Nittany Lions football team. Yet if she dares question anything, she is immediately denounced by commenters here who question her involvement at PSU, her loyalty, etc. This is the root of the problem with the PSU football community. If you question anything, you are branded a "traitor." It doesn't matter if you are asking a question, standing up for a principle, or challenging an assumption. What happens is you are either an unquestioning disciple of "the program," or you are branded as somehow not loyal to PSU. That is nothing less than a CULT, and cult mentality. This is the real challenge that must be learned from the PSU Scandal. It is sad that no one in the PA media gets it. Or perhaps that don't DARE say the truth.— psuchildrights
This season is Joe's fourth season on the paper's Penn State beat. He previously covered the Nittany Lions for United Press International from 1976 to 1984.
Emily Kaplan is the Inquirer’s fall intern covering the Nittany Lions. She is a senior at Penn State and has covered a variety of sports for the university’s student-run paper, The Daily Collegian. Over the last two years, she has reported for The Associated Press from State College.
A Montclair, N.J. native, she has also interned at MLB Network, NHL.com and covered the 2012 Olympics in London. Follow her on Twitter here @EKaplan24.
