Penn. State bans "Sweet Caroline" at sporting events

Dead Man Toker · Aug 29, 2012

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4udYq7-0Gg]Neil Diamond - Sweet Caroline ( From "The Thank You Australia Concert" DVD) - YouTube[/ame]

When pop music legend Neil Diamond woke up Monday morning, he could have never fathomed that one of his most beloved songs would be in the crosshairs of the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal.

But such is the case of Penn State these days, where the culture police are in full force in an attempt to save the once-proud school from any more embarrassment. On Monday, it was revealed that Diamond's â€œSweet Carolineâ€ - a Beaver Stadium staple - will not be on the playlist when Penn State opens its season Saturday against Ohio U.

While the school denied the song's removal had anything to do with the lyrics, â€œtouching me, touching you,â€ it's hard to imagine the powers that be at Penn State just decided the song had run its course.

â€œSweet Caroline has been brought up in recent years as to whether or not it should remain a part of the playlist,â€ Greg J. Myford, Penn State's associate athletic director of business relations & communications, said in a statement. â€œWe hear from fans each year on whether or not we should continue it, given that it happens to be played in so many other professional and collegiate venues and has no real origination here at Penn State.â€

It's nice to see the school has its priorities straight.

Again, Penn State is more worried about its image than the real crime here.

First, the school decided to put names on the backs of uniforms, now this â€œSweet Carolineâ€ fiasco. What's next, close down The Waffle Shop, a pregame hot spot, because Sandusky once ate there?

Diamond's 1969 smash has become a cult classic at sporting events, played in the middle of the eighth inning at every Red Sox home game and at numerous other arenas for years without repercussion. But this is a new era of political correctness at Penn State, which apparently doesn't want to embarrass the school any further. But by banning the song, it has done just that.

Diamond said back in 2007 that President Kennedy's daughter Caroline was the inspiration for his smash hit. He performed the song via satellite at Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg's 50th birthday party.

Diamond was a â€œyoung, broke songwriterâ€ 40 years ago when a photo of the President's daughter in a news magazine caught his eye. â€œIt was a picture of a little girl dressed to the nines in her riding gear, next to her pony,â€ Diamond recalled. â€œIt was such an innocent, wonderful picture, I immediately felt there was a song in there.â€

Years later, holed up in a hotel in Memphis, he wrote the words and music in less than an hour during more innocent times.

â€œIt was a No. 1 record and probably is the biggest, most important song of my career, and I have to thank her for the inspiration,â€ he said in an interview with AP. â€œI'm happy to have gotten it off my chest and to have expressed it to Caroline. I thought she might be embarrassed, but she seemed to be struck by it and really, really happy.â€

Myford also said in a statement that music - recorded and songs performed by the Blue Band - changes every year, while some of the staples remain in place.
Please.

The culture police are everywhere in Happy Valley, looking for ways to cleanse the university's soul in any way possible. But it is hard to believe there is any connection between this song and the worst scandal in the history of college sports.

This is like putting a Band-Aid on a patient after open heart surgery. If the school or the administration thinks replacing one song can change the culture that engendered the Sandusky scandal, good luck to them. It's not that easy.

Everyone inside 109,000-seat Beaver Stadium knows what happened and it has nothing to do with Neil Diamond or his song.
Click to expand...

Source: NY Daily Mail

IMO they are taking this too far. Yes what happened with Jerry Sandusky is a shame.But to ban a song that has been played for a long time at sporting events because of lyrics in a song is just ludicrous.

What do you blades think of Penn States actions?

Sploojum · Aug 29, 2012

I think at this point it is just annoying. Sure there reputation was ruined, but the more they do shit about it the longer it stays in the news and the longer it takes for the school to recover and get over it.

Like seriously, had the school just dropped it and continued, this would have been out of the news a few days after the trial was over. But no, sadly not.

Blaze · Aug 29, 2012

Music is music, it should never be censored or excluded do to any event that took place.

Olesmoky · Aug 29, 2012

...

This song is about girls though...

I mean, I could understand banning a song called, "I fuck little boys", but Sweet Caroline?

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