Arriving at Penn State this year as a freshman, I was looking forward to the football culture on campus, especially when it came to game day outfits. However, going to the games every weekend has caused me to notice certain trends in game day outfits that I wasn’t expecting.
I’ve always had a certain idea in my mind of what the culture during Penn State game days would look like, but now I’m starting to wonder if that culture is transitioning towards that of SEC.
To understand how SEC trends could be working their way into Penn State game day culture, you first have to understand the difference between the SEC and the Big Ten. Penn State belongs to the Big Ten, which includes teams primarily from the East Coast and West Coast, as well as the Midwest. The SEC, which stands for Southeastern Conference, includes schools from the Southeast or South Central parts of the country, like Alabama and Ole Miss. But these conferences differ in more than just the regions they cover.
Other than the statistics and history behind these conferences, the lifestyle behind their football games is what separates them the most. The excitement and pride over the teams in the SEC stand out significantly, mostly due to their historical dominance over the Big Ten when it comes to national titles. However, teams in the Big Ten have recently dominated the top standings, which could be one of the reasons its culture is starting to shift.
How have these two conferences developed such different ideas regarding the same game of football? Part of the reason is likely due to the varying social norms of the regions the different conferences cover.
With the SEC being located primarily in the South, it takes on that classic Southern charm. College football fans in the SEC take on an almost pageant-like atmosphere on game days, showing up to the stadiums in maxi-length sundresses and cowboy boots. The way that the fans dress reflects classic Southern traditions and the more classy — possibly even outdated — social norms of the region.
It can be understood why the schools in the Big Ten conference have a completely different atmosphere around their game days, considering the different lifestyles they exist in. When looking at the fans of teams in the Big Ten conference, you can notice a much more comfortable, classic style of game day outfits. You see a lot more school merchandise, jerseys, jeans and things like the trend of the long blue-and-white striped overalls here at Penn State. The weather often controls the style of game day outfits for most of these schools, where it quickly turns cold, forcing the sacrifice of style for warmth.
Think of the style of the SEC as that of a Southern belle, and the style of the Big Ten as a classic New Yorker. These are two completely different styles, but each has a strong personality that allows it to be easily recognized.
In short, I don’t think Penn State has fully switched into SEC culture, and I don’t think it ever really will. The weather here alone is the main factor. It would be impossible for us Penn State fans to keep up with the sundresses and spaghetti straps of the SEC when it’s below freezing for some games.
However, there are small trends I’ve started to notice during Penn State game days that have definitely made their way up from the SEC, and with how fast fashion trends come and go due to social media, I’m not surprised.
The main trend I see that Penn State has in common with SEC schools is the turn away from wearing actual school apparel. I’ve noticed fewer people just wearing a Penn State jersey or sweatshirt and instead wearing clothes in the school’s colors of navy and white, often adding a pin that corresponds with the game of the week. This creates an almost capsule wardrobe for game days, where you have multiple pieces that can all be mixed and matched to make many different outfits.
I’ve also noticed more micro-trends that have made their way up, like cowboy boots during the warmer games or the denim-on-denim outfits later in the season. However, these trends are too small to say that Penn State has fully flipped to SEC culture.
Our identity within the Big Ten and as a school in general is also too strong to be taken over by a few new developments in game-day fashion. As long as the two conferences remain divided, it seems the game-day outfit trends will as well.