WHY WAVING GOLD MAKES SENSE
My family has had Penguin season tickets for nearly two decades, I love all Pittsburgh pro teams, and I realize that colors typically are less important discussion than other things (I played ice hockey for 15 years and love the technical discussion). HOWEVER, I think it is finally time to take on waving white towels and the Whiteouts. I’ve been to two playoff games this year, and I did wave a white towel excitedly for Game 1 against the Senators. And certainly, I respect and revere Mario and the organization. But I strongly believe the majority of fans would prefer waving (and wearing) gold.
Many fans are frustrated with the generic white that many teams do, but excited enough for the Pens that we keep doing what they tell us and wave (and sometimes wear) white. It is time the some fans who share this perspective to start wearing and waving some gold. Consider a few things if you aren't yet convinced...
(Below are some thoughts about Myron Cope's take, a Gold Rush, and more reasons I'm not crazy to bring this up!)
White towels:
• Don't represent Pittsburgh as well as gold
• Are the universal sign of surrender when waved
• Are waved by many other NHL cities
• Are the color of the away team
• Are inferior to gold in most respects
History is interesting on this issue... As an 8th grader during the Pens first cup run in 1991, I bought at the game (and waved) a gold "Tuxedo Towel." People began buying these gold towels and also using Terrible Towels. Myron Cope came out and said people should only use Terrible Towels at Steelers games. I LOVE Myron and want to honor him appropriately. He did not say this in the context of most NHL teams waving white towels - nobody waved towels back then. It is time to reexamine this issue and consider which color should be waved at Pens home games. I believe that Pittsburghers should wave gold. Our professional teams root for each other. BLACK AND GOLD = PITTSBURGH.
The whiteout is a bit contrived because the Pens have to hand out white t-shirts. I think it would be even better to have a fan generated Gold Rush -- let people figure it out and find some gold; that will be easy in Pittsburgh! Grassroots GOLD RUSH for Game 5 anyone??
THE APPLE DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE...
Funny, but I had been talking about this waving gold thing for a while, and then my dad (who had no clue I was talking about this) emailed me and several other Pens fans the following:
I am a LONG TIME season ticket holder. Can we PLEASE re-examine the "white out"? It is really generic. Every other city does it and it does not feel right in Pittsburgh. For one thing, the visiting team is wearing white.
Another thing, Pittsburgh is black and gold ( does anyone notice that??)
I know that many years ago Myron asked that we not wave terrible towels. We all love Myron but he is gone now and that was his worst moment.
Pass out gold shirts and wave gold towels. This is PITTSBURGH --can't we be who we are and not imitate generic cities??????
I was able to prove I cared first with some emails. Ha ha.
