Let us start with a fact that will help show why Notre Dame fan base needs to come together now more than ever.
Notre Dame has not won a National Championship since 1988.
Even so, they have stayed relevant in the college football landscape and are positioning themselves well for the future.
And while coming close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades – the Irish did make a national championship appearance, as well as a college football playoff appearance – only to be embarrassed by superior teams in both instances.
Instead of trying to defend the program, fans have divided.
Can Head Coach Brian Kelly “win the big one” or, can a collection of 18-22 year old college students withstand the barrage of outside influence from fanatics to stay focused enough to achieve the ultimate goal of bringing a national championship back to South Bend?
This year more than most in recent memory has felt like Notre Dame fans versus Notre Dame fans versus the World with the shock wave from October 26, 2019 still being felt.
The Fighting Irish Identity
Think for a moment – why do you root for Notre Dame?
As we quarrel, we ultimately find that many of the reasons we remain loyal to the Irish are similar to one another.
Sometimes it is passed down from generation to generation, or a feeling you experience. Whether it be on campus, the couch or the bar – it becomes hard to argue that it is not a part of who you are.
For some, this is to the extreme – for others, a bit more casual – but in either case, it is your team.
Realist vs Pessimist
Across social media, I see a range of fan archetypes that seem to favor being correct in predicting disappointment and failure, rather than embracing the success.
The argument typically is qualified with a statement that they “are a realist.”
To them I say, well, you are not wrong. Nevertheless, the expectations we have for Notre Dame as fans, directly correlates to success and that point always seems to fall behind the criticism.
Yet, on a daily basis it goes too far – I cannot force another fan to root for a team the same way I do – as hard as that is to accept. However the diversity of the fan base, perhaps the most diverse given the national & growing international reach of the Fighting Irish – opens the door up to a variety of perspectives.
One perspective I believe we can all agree with at this point:
Ten seasons of Kelly, no national title and it seems the program is at the tipping or boiling point – and this is one of the reasons why the Notre Dame fan base must band together rather than fall apart at the seams.
The Golden Standard
As Irish nation banters back and forth about firing the head coach, questioning his hiring or recruiting decisions, and the capability of the current players, it is often lost that these kids chose to come to Notre Dame to be part of something bigger than football.
The University of Notre Dame ranks in the top 4% (ranked 15/399) of recognized national universities according to US News. The next closest academic and football powerhouse would be rival University Southern California at #22; although the Trojans have been imploding for a few years now and are still trending seriously downward.
Where does Notre Dame rank when compared to the “elite” teams this past season such as LSU, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State?
They do not begin to appear until the 50th spot on the list (University of Georgia) while LSU was #153 overall and the rest in between.
While other teams promote their students only going to online courses, the Irish pride themselves on the student-athlete and graduate their players at the highest clip among any of the aforementioned schools.
When Notre Dame wins, they ensure it is done the right way. If they cut corners along the way, they admit wrongdoing. Even if the punishment is unfair.
You do not have to like it, but you damn sure have to respect that position.
The Golden Expectation
Not only are student-athletes at Notre Dame held to the highest of academic standards, we as fans are quick to have even larger expectations, a by-product of our current success.
The 2020 season is no exception – and might in fact carry the highest of expectations since Kelly arrived on campus.
This is another reason why the Notre Dame fan base needs to realize how important it is to unite as a team for a common goal.
Aligning Of The Stars
Keep this in mind as we approach the spring game.
Ian Book is on pace to become the longest tenured starter in the Kelly era. Currently, that would be current offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.
Book is also on pace to be one of the winningest quarterbacks in Notre Dame history with twenty or more starts.
Only Tony Rice has won 90% of his games as a starter – Rice was the last ND QB to win the national championship.
It will not be easy- there will be plenty emotional roller-coaster games. That is Notre Dame Football.
We know the Irish will have a tough test against a Wisconsin team in the Shamrock Series at Lambeau Field. Before another heavy weight fight against Clemson in the house that Rockne built.
Sometimes we take the other ten games for granted always expecting the Irish to be victorious. This expectation once again is because the Irish have made the leap from a good to a great football team, but still have to complete on an elite level against the Clemson’s of the world.
Win One For The Gipper
No doubt in my mind that fans of the Fighting Irish will have both games circled, but a divided fan base contributes nothing towards the success and betterment of a program in the current climate. We must be all-in, together.
The rest of college football has written the Irish off, and out of frustration, we have begun to take it out on one another.
So this year let us embrace the fact that the Notre Dame fan base needs to come together now more than ever.
Because, what the hell do we have to lose?
