Penn State Cross-Like T-shirt Design Starts Controversy
College football is unlike few other American sports with blind allegiances people have to their schools — how many non-University of Michigan grads make up UM's humongous following?
Still, it's probably a bad idea to model your team apparel after a cross:
Penn State says it has received six complaints about the shirt, including one from the Anti-Defamation League's Philadelphia branch, from people who say it connotes a Christian cross. The logo design also has become the focus of controversy in the student newspaper, "The Daily Collegian," which has received several letters to the editor on both sides of the issue.
Here's one of said letters, telling everyone to chillax:
I thought Penn Staters were smarter than to go up in arms whenever they see anything that looks like a religious symbol, especially not to be so closed-minded as to get offended by a mere T-shirt because it happens to have two perpendicular lines that could possibly look like a cross.
In fairness, it does look exactly like a cross, it doesn't just so happen to look like anything.
Penn State officials have said the shirt is not controversial and will not be pulled from stores. Not surprisingly, it was designed by students and the design was voted on and approved by other students.
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