Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" Removed from Playlist at Penn State Football Games

Jesse Diamond/NeilDiamond.comNeil Diamond's 1969 pop anthem "Sweet Caroline" has long been a staple sing-along tune played during various sporting events, perhaps most notably at Boston Red Sox home games at Fenway Park. The song also traditionally has been heard during the Penn State Nittany Lions' games at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania, but the tune has now been removed from the playlist for the college football team's upcoming season.

A writer for the Altoona Mirror reported that the tune was yanked from the list because some of the university's officials were concerned that its lyrics "touching me, touching you" would seem inappropriate in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child-abuse scandal.

However, a Penn State spokesman claims that "Sweet Caroline" wasn't cut from the stadium's playlist because of its potentially suggestive words.

"Absolutely no song changes were made based on lyrics," the rep said via an email, according to StateCollege.com. "This song has come up on the list in recent years because it happens to be played in so many other professional and collegiate venues and has no real origination here at Penn State."