Penn State is considering the removal of its bronze Joe Paterno statue . Its removal would conflict with an important element of higher education , says Jeff Pearlman . The university has been under fire for months over a decision to remove Paterno's statue, which was erected in 1925 and stands outside Beaver Stadium. Pearlman : Why have sports have exceeded academics in importance at schools ?
Penn State is considering the removal of its bronze Joe Paterno statue . Its removal would conflict with an important element of higher education , says Jeff Pearlman . The statue needs to remain , because we need to talk about what happened , he says . Pearlman : Why have sports have exceeded academics in importance at schools ?