Beaver Stadium has long been named one of the best atmospheres for a sporting event in the country. EA Sports ranked it No. 6 in its new game NCAA College Football 25, and 247Sports ranked it second behind only LSU’s Tiger Stadium.

There is a lot of truth to these claims. After all, Beaver Stadium hosts the White Out game every year, one of the most anticipated sporting atmospheres in the country, fitting over 106,000 people on any given gameday.

With that being said, if you broaden your view to sporting events outside of the United States, the atmospheres are even more electric. In global soccer, fans classified as Ultras are organized groups that perform stunts during games, such as pyro displays or tifos, a visual display of support for a sports team that is performed by fans in a stadium.

That is why I think the United States should start allowing flares in sporting events.

Yes, I know this is dangerous, and I was just arguing earlier this week about fans throwing things. But, if there was a sanctioned time of the game, maybe before it started when no one is on the field, a pyrotechnics display would add to the Beaver Stadium allure.

It also doesn’t have to be through the fans. A fireworks show by the fans would never work. However, if Penn State officials separated themselves amongst the student section or on the field, the already used fireworks show during the game could be 10 times better.

Imagine at this weekend’s White Out game, before the team walked out, the student section was engulfed in white flames and smoke. It would be the best atmosphere in college football of all time.

Here is an example from earlier this month in a Copa Libertadores semifinal. This game took place in the home stadium of Club Atlético River Plate in Argentina.

ABSOLUTELY INSANE ATMOSPHERE.

River Plate fans showed up & showed out for their Copa Libertadores semifinal pic.twitter.com/dJZaidBNEX

— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) October 30, 2024

I know that this doesn’t look that safe, but if done the right way it can be. There were no injuries recorded from this event, from home or away fans. The only listed consequence was that River Plate had a temporary ban on hosting games at home.

While I would never want Beaver Stadium to be banned from hosting events, that is why I am calling for a legal and organized display of fireworks and flares. It should not be run by the fans, but multiplying the use of fireworks and adding flares would make for an electric home-field atmosphere.

Another addition to “the best student section in the country, by far” should be tifos.

The ‘We Are Groot’ tifo from the Austin FC fans is amazing

(via @MLS) pic.twitter.com/NLYKnvsWVJ

— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) May 21, 2023

This is a silly example but in Austin FC’s logo, there is a tree, so they decided to display this before a game. This season we could have easily displayed a tifo for Saquon Barkley, Tyler Warren, and countless other Nittany Lions.

It is a simple, yet productive way to show the team our support and improve the atmosphere in Beaver Stadium.