In times of tragedy, the simplest things can offer the most help. In order to find this support, Notre Dame football and its fans should shift their attention from tragedy to tradition.
“Football-Saturday” tradition to be exact.
Notre Dame welcomes the 14th-ranked Utah Utes to South Bend this weekend.
One week ago, the Utes had National Title aspirations. Today, the team is looking to rebound after getting utterly embarrassed by Texas Christian at home 47-7.
In other words, Notre Dame might be the beneficiary of a despondent and emotionally decimated team. However, and unfortunately for Notre Dame, emotional decimation is a feeling with which the team is all too familiar.
By: Brian McCabe
The game of football has run a distant second to many Notre Dame fans, and most likely many players, coaches, and administrators in the 16 days since the tragic death of Declan Sullivan.
Every Notre Dame message board has been chalked full of armchair athletic directors calling for someone’s head through a resignation of one or many. Fans always need to put in their “2 cents,” but it is best for them to focus on the game at this time.
The Irish are having yet another embarrassing season. Just when things could not possibly get any worse on the field, Navy leveled the Irish in a blow-out three weeks ago that was just another “lowest of the low” points Irish fans have felt during the past four seasons.
A win Saturday gives Notre Dame a .500 record once again and a realistic shot at becoming bowl eligible by beating either Army or USC. As Brian Kelly has said, playing in a bowl game affords a team an extra month of practice, which is crucial for this Irish team as it looks to develop into next spring and next season.
Whether or not Brian Kelly is the coach in 2011 is not the focus right now. The attention should be paid to this Saturday’s game.
In the coming weeks and months, a litany of lawyers and administrators will decide the ultimate resolution to the horrible tragedy that killed Sullivan two weeks ago. Until this resolution has occurred, the only right and sane thing for Notre Dame players and theirs fans to do is to focus on football and continue praying for Sullivan and his family.
Nothing beyond that will be beneficial.
Arguing, meddling and spouting endless conjecture can do no good and serve no point.
“Gooooo Irish, beat Utes” will ring out across Notre Dame Stadium quite often Saturday. That is where the fans’ focus should be. It is the best way to move forward at this point.
Sports have an unparalleled ability to make the rest of the world melt away for hours at a time. When this happens, the outcome is all that matters. There are no problems or no worries. There are just first downs and touchdowns.
Here’s hoping that happens this Saturday in South Bend.