Let’s play a little word association. If I say Notre Dame, what are the first three words that you think of?
I’m willing to bet that “tradition” was one of those words. If not, it has to be fairly high on the list. The point is that the history of Notre Dame football is steeped in tradition. Whether it be Drummers’ Circle at midnight under the Dome, the players’ walk from the Basilica on Saturdays, or hell, even 40s at 4 (the best tradition if you ask me), there are many things that make Notre Dame a truly special place on football weekends. The question that I’m going to discuss is whether or not current students feel like they control their own fan experience, or if it is dictated purely by the past. I’m going to touch on four of what seem to be the most hot-button issues in the eyes of fans: the Band vs pumped-in music, the Shirt, Fieldturf, and of course, the Jumbotron.
Starting off with seemingly the least controversial of the issues (although some will furiously debate that), the idea of pumping music into the stadium. First off, this is controversial because it supposedly takes away from the band. Everyone agrees that we have an absolutely phenomenal band, and undoubtedly the greatest fight song in the nation, the Victory March. By playing music in the stadium, you are intruding on their turf, and some would believe that this is a direct insult to the band, that they aren’t good enough, and that they need to be “helped”. I assure you, this is NOT what students (and many older fans too) think.
First off, students love the band too. We are proud of it. But the band is inherently limited, there is only so many songs they have to play. So songs can get extremely repetitive. And as cool as some of the student chants look in the stadium, the one thing that many of them don’t do is create noise. The Celtic Chant for example (which the students do the leprechaun fist arm movement to) looks really cool in the stadium, but students are quiet when they do the motions. We need something that students actually get loud to, for noise is probably the biggest factor in home-field advantage.
Additionally, it has become obvious over the years that there are too many gaps during the game where the band doesn’t have enough time to get a song going, or if they start they have to cut off prematurely, and often those games are marked with an uneasy silence. Filling those gaps with a well-timed, noise-inspiring music clips sounds fantastic to me.
The students have been calling for music for years, but it took until the Michigan road game this year (and despite how much we all hate Michigan, they had the place rocking for that night game) for the administration to wake up and realize how effective a tool that music can be. Regardless of how long it took, music is now going to be a staple in Notre Dame Stadium, as evidenced by its presence from the USC game forward. The crowd responds to it so positively, and I have never heard Notre Dame Stadium louder than it was that USC night, and that was in a game where we were often playing from behind, and thus would typically be quieter. The one thing that students would like to see going forward with the music, however, is much less of a copycat playlist from around the country. Yes, some of those songs were effective the first time around, but that was more due to the sheer novelty of having music period. But Notre Dame is about being distinct, being independent — we need music that is exclusive to Notre Dame. This is an issue that students feel like they are gaining more control over each day. For what it’s worth, I would highly support playing this at key moments:
Next up, the Shirt. HLS’s very own The Biscuit has already put together a nice piece on the Shirt, and his thoughts on what should be done with it, linked here: LINK.
The students also have an opinion on the matter. The one thing that the Shirt committee always points out is that almost every single student buys the Shirt each year, and they use that to argue that the students think they do a phenomenal job. Not really the case. The students just like cool new shirts in general, but importantly, the students see the merits of showing unity on Saturdays. Overall, the students overwhelmingly want to establish a single color for Notre Dame Stadium. While it is cool to see the students matching the first few games, it would be so much sweeter so see the entire stadium decked out in the same shade. When you look around the country and see the Wisconsin Red, the Penn State White Out, the Texas Burnt Orange, etc., it seems outrageous that we haven’t already created that uniform color throughout the stadium. It really is intimidating to look at.
It also seems like every season we, the students that is, tried and get a sea of green going for one game, and typically, it is an epic fail. This year I think the Michigan night game should be the target for the sea of green, because if it works well there it could be potentially established for the future. I also think it is something that falls under the territory of the Leprechaun Legion, who HLS interviewed recently: LINK.
Hopefully they can get something done for that, because their green sections at basketball in particular are pretty sweet looking.
On to strange issue of FieldTurf. I classify this as strange because truly I believe that it should have very little pertinence to fans. I would also argue that having natural grass is not a tradition — there just wasn’t artificial turf when we started playing football. If we used that excuse for why we should keep all things the same, then we should go back to the “tradition” of leather helmets. Enough said.
Regardless, it is seemingly only a matter of time before FieldTurf is installed on the field. For an inside peek of how crazy rumors are at Notre Dame, here is a list of things that I have heard about progress on FieldTurf:
1. Heard from several players that Coach Kelly guaranteed them that they would have turf by the start of next football season.
2. Notre Dame begins doing stadium maintenance on the drainage system under the field. We know that they had to put in a new drainage system in if they were to acquire FieldTurf.
3. I then hear from multiple sources that the drainage system is actually meant to make field conditions worse this year. That getting FieldTurf was not approved, and that alumni did not support the idea of changing the field. So by altering the drainage to make the field awful as the year goes on, it will prove to alumni that it is absolutely necessary to get FieldTurf. In simple terms, self-sabotage. Seems strange to meet but it does make sense in terms of all the red tape that the athletic department has to deal with when it comes to rich donors.
4. I then hear from players that they are still told that it will probably be here for next season, and that the deadline they will know by is May 1st.
So as you can see, the athletic department is fantastic at sending out mixed signals. But either way, all of these rumors seem to point out that whether you want it or not, FieldTurf is going to be part of the program.
Last up, the big bad Jumbotron. You are hard pressed to find many stadiums in the country anymore that don’t have at least one giant screen. There is absolutely no doubt that they cue the crowds with their on-screen directives, and having the ability to replay controversial calls for the entire crowd to see is a surefire way to fire everybody up. And it’s something that once again, students overwhelmingly approve of adding. It is cool to see sweet highlight videos pregame, or to see replays, or throw trivia up there. Hell, it would be pretty cool to see Officer Tim McCarthy on screen as he announces his weekly pun at the end of the third quarter.
You have to look that current students are growing up in an age of technology, so commodities such as a Jumbotron seem almost standard. It is an effective tool for keeping the crowd engaged. It is also an effective tool for recruiting. While I personally have no problem watching a game in the stadium now without replays, and I am about as loud as humanly possible without needing directives, that is not the case for everyone. And since recruits want to see the loudest, rowdiest environments, we need to ensure that everyone meets that standard. Additionally, Jumbotrons themselves can be impressive. When players saw how it was utilized in Yankee Stadium they were in absolute awe. One step further, sometimes you need to keep up with Jones’s to satisfy players and recruits. It’s not so much about getting ahead of the game, but not hurting yourself by lagging behind.
While students do seem to be for all of these proposed changes, there are certainly many people not in favor of them, which is why they haven’t all occurred yet. But it does seem that the way the wind is blowing, that even the Jumbotron will come about sooner rather than later. It seems that the year 2015 is being floated around an awful lot as a Jumbotron deadline, but nothing is official at all. I would imagine that even if that was set in stone, the administration wouldn’t make an announcement until 2016 so they wouldn’t have to hear from a million angry fans for breaking tradition.
Either way, today’s students are tomorrow’s alumni, and we all have to work together when it comes to fan experience. New traditions can be established at any time, and we need to embrace them if we want to strive to be the best once again.
Love it/Hate it? Let me know in the comments below or Tweet me @GrantlandX
- The Shirt 2016: A ND Student’s Perspective - April 21, 2016
- Thank you, DJ - April 4, 2016
- The Stages of Watching a Notre Dame Basketball Game - March 25, 2016
Great read GrantlandX. I think some changes most definitely need to occur, but I also don’t want ND to completely abandon the traditional things that most of us take pride in. If I had to list the first thing to change, it would have to be the the installation of FieldTurf. Personally, I can wait on the Jumbotron, although I do believe that it may be a necessary component to modernize ND stadium in the future. Lastly, I would LOVE to see a “sea of green” for the Michigan game, and hell, lets not stop there. Bring it on for Miami at Soldier!
Grantland-X – Agree with your four, but I think you are missing one. The biggest issue I believe is season tickets holders, Alumni of both the University and the Subway. You can sit in the student section and at times it can be deafening. Then you can sit in Section 19 and all you hear are the cracking of backs and the gentle hummm of oxygen tanks. I know there isn’t a way around it, but perhaps by getting a new field, new music, and a jumbotron, maybe we can shed the geriatric ticket holders and get in the blue and gold blood that can make some noise. Every time I enter the stadium I can still see black and white images of fans in overcoats and fedoras. I still hear 150 year old chants and cheers. It is what makes ND great.
I am in Dallas and I am a Cowboy fan. It kills me to see Corporations controlling the best seats in the house and never even watching the game. Jerry Jones has out priced the common man. Having ND tickets is a status symbol. It isn’t about cheering on the Irish, it is about having something that everyone else wants, but can’t have.
Sorry for the ramble. Just so much inside needing to get out.
GO IRISH!
100% agree here too. I’m tired of that shit: being yelled at by a 75yo with an oxygen tank lol. You must sit near me cause there is one just like that telling me to sit down.
One more small change. the stadium should be renamed “Knute Rockne Stadium”. It honors the past, but also gives us a place to call our own. Imagine sportcasters saying “The Rock” is jumping…..Like OSU’s “‘Shoe”. Do it before some rich Alumnus buys the name and it’s called “Tampax Field at Notre Dame Stadium”.
And music? There are plenty of “irish” bands and songs out there. They just don’t look hard enough. There are also tons of great Metal songs out there that fit perfect. It’s just time to unify the fans, not just the students. I get so tired of hearing “be quiet”, “sit down”. Thanks for a great article. If anyone thinks you are wrong, remind them of the Nebraska game. I have friends that were on that field that day, and they were never more embarassed by the fans.
Have thought about that in the past, and STILL love that idea Mayhem.
Wow glad I’m not the only one. Wish we could have a section of people like us. Agree completely with what you said.
Well done sir. You hit the mark on all points. I only hope the jumbotron gets here sooner than ’16.
Also agree with davie dave on the geriatric wing in notre dame stadium. Its not just the fogeys though. We had seats one time with guys in their 40’s seated around us and they left in the middle of the 3rd qtr!!!
Btw we were winning
I personally am for virtually all of the changes except the jumbotron. My favorite part of ND stadium is the distinct lack of distraction. To me it’s a place where the rest of the world ceases to exist, and all that matters is between the goal-posts. I understand the argument that this can actually be a distraction (because people may now be staring at their smart-phones), but I personally found it to be focusing. That said, should they decide to install a jumbotron, I’d fully understand.
I think you’re 100% on on all points and I’ve only recently come around on the tron idea. It was really the only one I was ever against because I thought it was something that made ND special. However last year, I was at the Navy game on the first row directly behind the Middie band and I couldnt see a good bit of the game and always was unsure what had happened. It was then that I craved seeing replays on SOME kind of video board. Hopefully when it is finally put up, we dont experience everyone’s nightmare of 5-minute commercials and further shunning of the band and cheerleaders during the breaks. I would be all for it if the only thing it is used for is video replays, game highlights, on-field look-ins and statistical info. Please keep the commercials OUT. ND has one of the largest endowments of any school in the country and the athletic dept is rolling in dough. We dont NEED to sell out.
Turf is an absolute MUST have and I’ve been shouting for that one for years. It is safer, looks 10000% better, and is more appropriate for the type of team that we are building. Speed, passing, and spread offense is going to be our bread and butter. We dont need our receivers slipping and falling on crappy sod in the middle of November against SC.
For the record, if ND was to install a Jumbotron, it would NOT be ad space. Solely for football purposes only. That has been strongly intimated to me.
Ya the turf should get done asap.
I would support the jumbotron if there is a clear consensus that it would get ND Stadium rocking. Should be the only reason to install it.
Nd will start dominating again once more fans get loud and into it. Everyone has commented how there are some hags ruining the experience.
I think a major stadium renovation is in order. You can never go wrong with making your officials happy. I can speak from experience in that the sites that have nice lockerrooms, treat you well with good food, and have HOT WATER IN THE SHOWERS are a place officials always want to go to. It’s not so much that we would alter our officiating because of the treatment, but would you rather have grumpy officials or ones that are happy to be there and on their best game? Upgrade the facilities.
The fan in me echoes this that we should probably build a few more luxury boxes to help with the problem of the aging alumns in the stands. It seems a common issue that the fans are frustrated with being told to be quiet and stop cheering, we’ll that will only be solved by getting the 80-90 year old benefactors into a climate-controlled environment and out of our sight. This will help the stadium atmosphere for all and probably make the ‘House’ a little more exciting to play in. I saw some amazing plans on the “big site” one time and was really impressed. It kind of looked like a replica of Mile High with some interesting design work to ensure that TD Jesus was still visible.
I agree, but I still believe that its a lot of the stadium not just the oldies…
It is hard to get one color when people want a sea fo green and the team colors are blue and gold. Pick one or the other.
Fixing the lack of noise on Celtic Chant is easy. Voice it! It would sound very similar to FSU’s “tomahawk chop” thing. I think it could be very cool and intimidating if the crowd put some effort into it.
YES YES YES
Glad I found this forum.
Great points GrantlandX. Tradition will always be a big part of ND. I agree with the point the new traditions can be started also. A nice blend of past and present would be fabulous. ND needs to stay current with technology and trends. The new helmets and uniforms last year are a perfect example. Recruits love that new look all the time. I do however disagree with Jtrain. I’m in my 40’s and have never left a game early no matter the outcome. Thanks for keeping us thinking all the time GrantlandX.
Hey fossilman sorry for not being clear. I am by no means saying kick anyone over the age of 40 out of the stadium..that would suck i wouldn’t be able to go to games after the next 10 yrs. I was speaking to what davie dave was saying about being at the game was a status symbol. These guys obviously were there for status or maybe even business but it wasn’t all about the team as it should be. Once again i apologize didn’t mean to offend.
Good read.
I was so pissed at the USC game and not just because of the outcome of the game. Yes, the stadium was louder than usual (which isn’t saying much), however I had a tough time cheering for the HOME TEAM. I was constantly being yelled at to sit down from an old (75 yo) and a guy who didn’t seem to have been to a football game before. Along with another guy in my row is very disheartening to pay all that money and then not even have the freedom to stand and cheer for the Irish. It was not excessive either only on big plays, 3rd down on D, and between plays. Despite Swarbrick preaching to for people to get on their feet during that week it seemed 3/4ths of the stadium didn’t get the memo. ND will never be as loud if Ushers do not encourage it or we allow supposed “fans” to curb our loud cheering.
I can’t tell you how pissed I was during that game and others are just the same, but for how hyped up the Sc game was and for that to happen is unacceptable!
Jtrian no worries. Thanks for clearing things up. I can’t wait to watch the Irish and the blue gold game this weekend. Go Irish!
that makes 2 of us…can’t tell you how happy i am that they started televising the game. I have an addiction to irish football. Now with the spring game on tv and the notre dame athletics channel on youtube with irish connection and practice updates i can get my fix….
The Leprechaun Legion is frequently trotted out as the model for what should be done with the Shirt. Same color year after year, so everyone knows what to wear and the color of the shirts create an intimidating environment. So …
– Why are so many people in this picture not wearing green? http://30fps.mocksession.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012-January-21-20-14-41.jpg
– How come we beat Syracuse anyway?
Thesis: the color of the damn shirt and the number of people wearing it have nothing whatsoever to do with what happens on the field.
Actually almost every one of the students was wearing green…you just can’t see their shirts in the moshpit. Additionally, nonstudents stormed from the other side of the court. I see your point, and truly shirt colors don’t matter…but it tends to be that when fans are united in one color they are emboldened and get rowdier. Just my opinion though.
PSU set the bar with their white-out. Plenty of geezers go to Penn State games but a unified stadium and appropriate, piped-in music contribute to get that place rocking. Gramps can’t yell at you to sit down when he’s the only one in the section not going bananas.
Btw, great job, Grantland and the rest of the HLS team. I love the direction this forum is going.
Also, think back to Nebraska and all that red in ND Stadium. You think that didn’t matter? It most certainly did. And when ND is on the road, looking for their fans, and all they see is a muddling of different colors, causing our fans to wash out/blend in. You don’t think theyd like to actually SEE their fans?
Agree with every point. To be specific with the jumbotron, I like how Bama did theirs. 4 smaller screens in each corner. Gives everyone a good viewpoint and doesn’t take over the aesthetics of the stadium. The shirt needs to start being uniform yesterday and I’m still amazed field turf hasn’t happened yet.
Calling it Rockne Stadium? Rock’s House? Hell Yes!
Great Read! While I am not an alumni or student and have never been to Notre Dame Stadium, I don’t know if my fanaticism gives me less of a footing but, I cannot agree with you more on all of your “hot-button issues.”
I love Notre Dame Football and have been a fan since I can remember; my dad reading the Blue&Gold paper, watching televised games on Saturday’s and going to games at Stanford. I believe in the traditions that she holds and how her past has become the example that everyone else wants. Notre Dame Football is like the New York Yankees, steeped in tradition and held on high but unlike the Yankees, Notre Dame has not moved passed her shadow to create a new version of herself. Perhaps this is because of her own doing or perhaps it is the alumni as you mentioned earlier but whatever the case we need to march onward and be the leaders we were and still are today. Technology is more commonplace now than ever before and kids today use it as easily as they breath, from social networking sites, YouTube, texting, iPads and computers to EA Sports games. We need to be creative and use technology as the new tradition and show the rest of the college world we are Notre Dame and that we are more than tradition but are innovators! I believe in Tradition and think that it is great that Notre Dame has the best of them but I also believe we cannot hold on to tradition so tightly that we strangle ourselves.
2 of ND’s greatest traditions are winning and innovation (the forward pass). We need to get back to both.