The Altoona Mirror lists some changes at football games for Penn State, a program in the midst of a gigantic tradition following the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal. We've already heard about many of them, but this one is striking.
↵↵↵And while the Boston Red Sox, Pitt football and others have elevated "Sweet Caroline" to a staple for their games, that popular PSU tradition may be interrupted or discontinued.
↵Some concerns by university officials about its lyrics - "touching you touching me" - and the perception of people singing along to them in light of the recent scandal have been expressed ...
↵(Editor's note: The Mirror has now received confirmation that "Sweet Caroline" will not be included in the musical play list for Penn State games this season.)
↵
Good move. It might sound like a frivolous decision, but the last thing Penn State would want is to give anyone an excuse to take things the wrong way.
↵For what it's worth, the lyrics to the song are vague, and they don't appear to be about anything scandalous, but the "touching me, touching you" part is so conspicuous that the Nittany Lions are probably right to avoid it.
↵UPDATE: Nate Mink writes that the song was not removed due to the lyrics, but simply because "the playlist is being updated."
↵Via SBNation.com.
↵For more Nittany Lions football, check out Black Shoe Diaries.