Ah, the White Out, often the most anticipated game on the Penn State football schedule, and the event that changed Beaver Stadium from a place with a reputation as one of the largest and most lifeless stadiums in college football to a venue where fans can have an impact on game with regularity.
It’s been an impressive transformation.
Fans love the White Out. Everyone from long-time season ticket holders and freshmen in the student section to sports tourists making bucket-list trips anticipates its arrival.
On the field, Penn State has won four White Outs in a row but has only a 9-6 record in full-stadium White Outs overall. Some of the W’s have been especially memorable, including four overtimes and a beautiful Allen Robinson catch against Michigan in 2013 and that lone James Franklin victory over Ohio State in 2016, thanks to a blocked punt.
The four recent victories have come against Michigan (28-21 in 2019), Auburn (28-20 in 2021), Minnesota (45-17 in 2022) and Iowa (31-0 in 2023). Each of those games started at 7:30 p.m.
With this week’s game against Washington set to start at 8 p.m., you can probably expect a fifth consecutive victory.
The nighttime starts consistently produce fan energy, whether those people are wearing all white or not. That’s because daylong tailgating allows some fans to drink more and because evening kickoffs provide more time for fans to get into the stadium.
But what if every game was a White Out?
Seriously, Penn State has tried to repackage the promotion — with the Helmet Stripe and Stripe Out, for example — so why not simply go all in all the time?
There would be no guessing when the game would happen, because every game at Beaver Stadium would all be an all-white experience. In terms of traditions, that’s one that seems to make more sense than waving a flag and asking fans if they’re ready for the fourth quarter.
There would also be a logical connection to the 1-0 mentality preached by coach James Franklin. If every game holds equal importance, then why not ask fans to treat them all the same?
Earlier this season, the game against Illinois produced the “White Out energy” Franklin requested on short notice, and even last week against Ohio State, Penn State fans were ready to go for a noon game, a big game. That was the Helmet Stripe, so most were in white anyway.
Sure, someone would fret about the wording of the all-white game promotion, and the usage of the specific words, but that’s not a deal breaker. If you’re going to embrace something, you find a way to lean in and make any copyright-related issues work.
Others might fret about limiting the need for blue clothing. Again, a first-world problem and small potatoes. You just sell enough white merch to offset any diminished need for blue — and if you commit to seven Saturdays of all white, that leaves 358 other days every year to wear the blue stuff.
Of course it’s not going to happen. Consistent, all-stadium whiteouts would be too logical, and admittedly a little promotionally lazy. If the idea generated any initial cachet, it would eventually fizzle because one-time, once-a-year events are special because they’re uncommon.
The annual promotion basically creates an in-person viral opportunity. Because it’s a special event, people respond. They would eventually get bored with an every-game, all-white approach, though, and no promotion drives record-setting attendance anyway — matchups and quality opponents do.
Still, it could be cool, a way for Pen State to differentiate and a way for fans to display their commitment and passion. They’ve long done so — from the program’s road to No. 1 in the 1970s, to the down seasons in the early 2000s (a full stadium for a game against Michigan State when the Nittany Lions finished 4-7 in 2004 remains impressive to me two decades removed) and into this season, when what will likely be Beaver Stadium’s biggest crowd for years to come showed up last week.
The White Out clearly has a part when telling the story of all that success. It might remain a consistent and important part of Penn State football, which might be enough. Or, it could have a bigger role.
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