How the Penn State Soccer Team's Colors and Mascot Helped Build a Strong Fan Base

The Penn State soccer team is known for their distinctive colors and vibrant mascot. The team proudly dons the color combination of navy blue and white, which has become synonymous with Penn State athletics. These colors reflect the rich tradition and history of the university, instilling a sense of pride and unity among the players and fans. Whether they are playing on the field or cheering from the stands, the Penn State soccer team proudly represents these colors with passion and determination. In addition to their colors, the Penn State soccer team is also distinguished by their iconic mascot, the Nittany Lion. The Nittany Lion is a symbol of strength, courage, and fierce competition – qualities that the team embodies in their gameplay.

Books 9–16 of the New York Times bestselling Magic Tree House series!

Morgan, the magical librarian of Camelot, sends them to find the books in the ancient worlds of Roman Pompeii, imperial China, Dark Age Ireland, and classical Greece. Morgan, the magical librarian of Camelot, sends them to find the books in the ancient worlds of Roman Pompeii, imperial China, Dark Age Ireland, and classical Greece.

The Nittany Lion is a symbol of strength, courage, and fierce competition – qualities that the team embodies in their gameplay. The mascot serves as a source of motivation for the players and serves to rally the fans, creating an electrifying atmosphere during matches. The Nittany Lion is a beloved figure throughout the Penn State community, evoking a sense of tradition and allegiance among supporters of the soccer team.

Book Reviews: An Unpopular Opinion about the Popular Magic Tree House Series

I am continuing my dive into popular and frequently requested series to better recommend them and better hold conversations with customers about them.

I never read The Magic Tree House as a younger person. My sister did. She read all of them that she could do. My friends, aged 30-26, have been excited when I’ve told them I’ve been reading this series.

But it’s unpopular opinion time! I have now read 12 of these novels, and I’ve decided that I just don’t like Jack—and I’m not sure that I like this series either.

My dislike for Jack is admittedly wrapped up in the appearance of people of color in these novels. It came to a head in the twelfth of these books when Jack, after disparaging the beliefs of an Inuit “seal hunter” (this man is only ever referred to as a seal hunter and never identified as Inuit), takes sacred masks from his home without permission. He later claims to have done so “accidentally,” but it seems a very willful act to “carefully put” the masks into his backpack. Later without being instructed in the way to respectfully do so, Jack and Annie (at Annie’s prompting) make up a prayer and dance to the Polar Bear Spirit whom they see in a mother polar bear who helps them escape from thin ice.

This isn’t the first time that I’ve disapproved of Jack’s interaction with or Osborne’s depiction particularly of the characters of color in this series. I was off-put too especially by the depiction of the silent, “noble,” “graceful” Masai warrior with whom the two share peanut butter and honey sandwiches when they land in the African savannah in the eleventh book. The people that the pair meet in the ghost town in the “Wild West” were a missed opportunity for inclusion, the Wild West being a Blacker, browner, and more queer place than it is imagined in American mythology (also if a horse still looks like a foal, please don’t try to sit on it, let alone ride it). The pair borrow from a Cro-Magnon family that they fear. The Japanese ninjas are depicted as historical rather than mythological as they were in Dragonbreath, even while far more drawing on the mythology of ninjas than on history. The Egyptians that they meet are a queen’s ghost and grave robbers. How all of these people speak English when Osborne wants them to do—and why the Masai man does not—is never explained.

Further, the pair frequently borrow, often without asking, essential items from the times and the places that they land: warm clothing, boots, a boat. Rarely are there consequences for their theft—

—”borrowed—borrowed without permission but with every intention” of leaving it someplace different in the same time and general area in which they land. They know enough at least not to take most items back to their own time and place of contemporary Pennsylvania.

But as a science-fiction reader and viewer, the lack of consequences for their time travel is a touch frustrating. My mind shouts about the time-space continuum as they interfere with the timeline without consideration or seeming consequence to themselves or to the future.

There is science and there is history wrapped up in these stories. I see the appeal. I admit that I learn a little, and I’ve been surprised by some of the detail included in this series for young readers (I had graduated college, I believe, before learning about the Cro-Magnon people), but more often than not they seem to rely on mythology and an impression of a place and time, a child’s view of a place and time born of other stories more than on history. There’s far more of fantasy adventure here than of fact. *I have not read more than a preview attached in several of the books of the corresponding Fact Trackers, which may clear up some of the mysticism and naïve impressions that pervade the novels.

Annie is possessed of a sort of magical innocence. She can talk to animals. She has an innate sense of which beings are there to help them on the journeys. She frequently feels surety where Jack feels fear. She is impulsive, but usually the impulsivity is rewarded because her instincts are driven by this innate understanding of a creature’s nature. Her instincts are to care and be cared for in return.

Annie bothers me less than does Jack. Annie at least seems to show more respect for the creatures and people that they meet in their travels. But still without Jack to ground her, I think I would find her naivety too saccharine.

The titular tree house belongs to Morgan le Fey, who in these tales appears as a magical librarian and is thwarted by Merlin. This reversal of the Arthurian tales intrigues me. It was at first jarring, but it makes me question why Morgan is reviled in Arthurian tales while Merlin is revered. I have not read enough of the source material (being more generally familiar from modern retellings and appearances) to know the answer to this. Perhaps Morgan was hated for good reason. Perhaps she was hated because she was a woman with power who did not yield to a male king.

The series seems to come in groups of four. The first four books are Jack and Annie discovering how to use the Magic Tree House and exploring places and time periods aimlessly. In books 5-8, Jack and Annie seek to rescue Morgan. In 9-12, the pair solve riddles in a challenge set by Morgan. Osborne does a good job of recapping previous books in these sets in successive books, so I stand by my assumption that it is possible to skip around in the series. Nevertheless there is more of order and a building, overarching plot to these books than I expected before reading them. Pay attention perhaps to each set of four.

I may continue reading this series, if only because I hope that they will get better over time as the books are published more recently and into more modern sentiments and because they are easy reads while I battle insomnia and because there are so many that if I continue to read them I will be spared having to choose another series for a long while. If my opinion changes with further books, I’ll be sure to let you know.

Have you read this series? Have you read it as a child or as an adult? I would love to hear others’ opinions on this series.

My favorite has been I think Book 9: Dolphins at Daybreak (where there are consequences, but they hurt no one with their actions) and after that probably Book 1: Dinosaurs Before Dark (dinosaurs, baby dinosaurs, naivety, accidental usage of the tree house’s magic). Do you have a favorite?

Osborne, Mary Pope. The Magic Tree House, Books 1-12. Illus. Sal Murdocca. Random, 2010 (Kindle editions). Originally published 1992-1998.

Intended audience: Ages 6-9.

Visit the series’ page for links to order, summaries, sample pages, and games.

This review is not endorsed by Mary Pope Osborne, Sal Murdocca, or Random House. It is an independent, honest review by a reader.

A Sidebar about Dragon Bite Books: If you’ve been with me a while, you’ll notice that this week Dragon Bite Books underwent a MAJOR remodel. There are things that I love about this new theme, and there are things that I miss from the old. If you’ve been with me for a while, I would love your input and comments on the new look. Do you prefer this or the old? Are there features of the old that you’d like to see on the new?

Reviews for "The Penn State Soccer Team's Mascot: A Symbol of Pride and Strength"

1. John - ★☆☆☆☆

As a long-time follower of college soccer, I was truly disappointed with Penn State Soccer Team's choice of team colors and mascot. The colors, blue and white, are so bland and uninspiring. They don't represent the passion and energy that a sports team should embody. Additionally, the mascot, the Nittany Lion, is just plain boring. It lacks the fierce and intimidating presence that other mascots bring to the field. Overall, the team's colors and mascot fail to create the excitement and enthusiasm that is expected from a college sports team.

2. Sarah - ★★☆☆☆

Penn State Soccer Team's choice of team colors and mascot is just underwhelming. The blue and white colors are so generic and unoriginal. It feels like the team didn't put much thought or effort into creating an identity that stands out among other college soccer teams. The Nittany Lion mascot is also quite uninspiring. It lacks the excitement and charisma that a mascot should have. Overall, I expected more creativity and uniqueness from Penn State Soccer Team when it comes to their colors and mascot.

3. David - ★★☆☆☆

As a fan of college soccer, I was hoping for a more vibrant and visually appealing color scheme and mascot from Penn State Soccer Team. Blue and white are traditional colors for sports teams, but they lack the boldness and excitement that I associate with a successful team. The Nittany Lion mascot is also quite lackluster. It doesn't evoke any emotions or represent the team's spirit effectively. I think Penn State Soccer Team could benefit from reevaluating their colors and mascot to create a more memorable and engaging identity for their fans.

4. Laura - ★☆☆☆☆

Oh boy, where do I even begin with Penn State Soccer Team's colors and mascot? The blue and white color combination is just so plain and uninteresting. It lacks the vibrancy and uniqueness that would make the team stand out among its competitors. The Nittany Lion mascot is also a disappointment. It's just a generic lion with no defining features or characteristics that would make it memorable. Overall, I find Penn State Soccer Team's choice of colors and mascot to be quite forgettable and uninspiring.

Exploring the Symbolism Behind the Penn State Soccer Team's Color Choices

Penn State Soccer Team: An In-Depth Look at Their Vibrant Color Scheme

How the Penn State Soccer Team's Colors and Mascot Helped Build a Strong Fan Base

Book Reviews: An Unpopular Opinion about the Popular Magic Tree House Series

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Reviews for "The Penn State Soccer Team's Mascot: A Symbol of Pride and Strength"

Exploring the Symbolism Behind the Penn State Soccer Team's Color Choices

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