Joe Paterno,White Patriarchy and Privilege

Abstract

The death of Joe Paterno prompted a national moment of silence, a treatment usually reserved for dignitaries. This paper argues that this level of national mourning says less about his importance as a football coach or even a man, but more about the meaning JoPa icon, especially in light of his firing from Penn State. It says as much about us and fears about a lost white masculinity than Paterno. Signifying the end of an “era” and a perceived community under attack, on the heals of Jerry Sandusky’s arrest, his death was reframed as a sad affair because of the cloud hanging over head at death’s door. Yet, as argued here, it was that cloud and the level of nostalgia that led to heightened media coverage and national sadness.