Penn State football uniforms "will now feature a blue ribbon to support child abuse victims"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Just now on CNN.

Another option would be to stop abusing children.

[sadbear]

1. Maybe the Pope and other Catholic officials can do the same.

A new special hat, perhaps?

[rfranklin]

6. The Child Abuse Fighter Miter!

Here's how to make yours! http://www.catholicmissionaryfamily.com/2011/02/paper-bishop-miter-or-pope-hat.html

[tularetom]

2. Well, that'll make it all better, won't it?

Can we put the statue of Joe Paterno back now?

[CBGLuthier]

3. Sounds like those signs that say we support the troops.

How? by putting up the signs.
So how does a blue ribbon help anyone? Shows that "they care?"

Do they pay for the ribbons and the money goes to help children or will they just have foreign children sewing the fucking things onto their official NIKE uniforms?

[exboyfil]

7. So long as they don't push to have the NCAA lower

its sanctions, I think we can let PSU football move on with its season and its program. The current coaching staff and the athletes did not have anything to do with the abuse, and the program is being punished severely. The program will be paying into a victim's fund for the next five years, and they have been put at a competitive disadvantage. If you follow college football, you should cheer for the kids who take the field - they are now underdogs.

Granted the folks in Happy Valley are still in a state of denial not realizing how close they were to losing the program for several years. Stripping Paterno's victories was the correct move, and the most focused of the punishments.

If folks continue to pile on though, their will be a backlash. So long as we continue to see evidence of wanting to come clean then let the program go on in peace.

That raises a bigger question - is their anyway to eliminate big dollar sports from college? I don't see that happening even though I wish that it would. We could have a dozen Penn State scandals and not impact that I am afraid.

[CBGLuthier]

10. Every team in every sport in the NCAA uses products made by children in sweat shops.

NIKE owns the NCAA. SO the truth is ALL NCAA sports ultimately lead to abuse of children. Non-american children which of course, don't matter much to most sports fans, but children all the same.

[rurallib]

13. excellent point

[exboyfil]

15. But that is a different discussion than what to do

about Penn State football.

[Wait Wut]

4. It's a gesture.

A small one, but hopefully one that is taken seriously and gets noticed. I fully support breast cancer awareness, AIDS research/awareness, etc. But, child abuse/neglect doesn't get nearly enough support in the media.

While this may be a band-aid on a severed limb, I hope it sticks.

[JohnnyLib2]

8. Agreed. And it may resonate with the current....

players and fans more than doing nothing.

[AngryOldDem]

19. Exactly.

And I can't help but think that if the school and/or the players (who, I might add, had NO PART in this scandal) decided to do nothing, they would be catching just as much hell.

[DonRedwood]

5. And they will take a vow....

"If we see little boys getting raped in the future we'll stop it instead of just going home or off to football practice."

[msongs]

9. please present evidence that those players were abusing children. thanks! nt

[Amerigo Vespucci]

11. You misinterpreted what I wrote to suit your agenda, whatever that might be.

I didn't say the players were abusing children.

I said that Penn State football uniforms "will now feature a blue ribbon to support child abuse victims."

Then I said:

"Another option would be to stop abusing children."

Meaning that if the abuse stopped...in general...no one would need to wear a blue ribbon on their uniforms to "support the victims."

So you're asking me to "justify" a statement I didn't make.

Then again, you knew that...didn't you?

Bye now. Have a nice day!

[Initech]

12. Very empty gesture. It's no better than a "support the troops" magnet on your car.

It'll take decades to undo the damage caused by Sandusky - this will not really help that much.

[mr blur]

14. Not Catholics, then? nt

[Dreamer Tatum]

16. If you have evidence that abuse is ongoing, please link to it.nt

[Whisp]

17. this might mean someone is making money off of misery

I'll have to wait and see more details on this, offhand it smells like a PR campaign for the highers ups and not much to do about the poor kids that suffer from adult's overlooking their brutal rapes.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

18. Forget the ribbons. Tear down the stadium. And do what the Romans did with Carthage.

Plow salt into the ground.

[radicalliberal]

20. A nice hollow gesture ...

... symbolism without substance