Fight Song Friday: Michigan Week

As my fellow Fighting Irish faithful are acutely aware, it is Michigan Week. This week exemplifies what true college football rivalry is all about. Some people dispute the importance of the Notre Dame-Michigan rivalry game each year, so allow me to remind everyone why it matters. Given the historical context of this rivalry (as long ago as 1887, Michigan brought football to Notre Dame and taught the Irish how to play the primitive game) and the present-day implications of the wins and losses in this rivalry (Michigan and Notre Dame are both vying for the highest all-time college football winning percentage, separated by less than 1%), these two teams are what some have called "natural enemies."

Now, I fully support a heated rivalry between two comparable programs. In any rivalry, you would expect a fair amount of good-natured taunting between fans of the opposing schools. Hopefully there is some intelligent banter and enough collective knowledge for well-reasoned football debate. The fierce loyalty and pride that alumni and fans feel for "their" teams, coupled with the purity of competition and love of the games themselves, are what make college sports so exciting. Where I begin to have an issue with the natural competition is when "rivals" turn into "enemies." The word "enemy" implies a certain amount of actual hostility and hatred for an opponent. Enemies don't just want to win over an inferior opponent, they want to maim and destroy in the process. Enemies don't practice sportsmanship; they compete with reckless abandon and neglect all decency.

Obviously, this slant toward chaotic violence can be curtailed on the playing field by coaches, officials, and other players. In actuality, the most distressing enemies are the fans themselves. They can become so deluded into believing that their entire worth as human beings hinges on the successes or failures of their football teams, that they lose all sense of right and wrong and become actually wretched individuals. While I can respect the history and strength of the Michigan football team and University, it is the football fan base that I truly see as a threat to public decency and an "enemy." (Note that this assessment will be completely reversed when it comes to discussing USC as an opponent. A future post...)

The link above lists the outcomes of all the games in the Notre Dame-Michigan rivalry history. Note the 38-0 thrashing that Notre Dame took from Michigan in 2003. I was at that game in "The Big House" as a visiting Notre Dame fan. After about 5 plays, it was obvious that Notre Dame was not going to "shake down the thunder" that day, so I tried to remain low-profile and clapped politely whenever the Irish did do anything well. I attempted to respect the fact that I was in someone else's stadium, and I kept my mouth shut. In exchange for my reserved enthusiasm, I was treated to 4 entire quarters of verbal insults and drinks thrown on and around me. Not one Michigan fan welcomed me or tried to showcase the school in a positive light. Instead, they harassed not only me, but also their own team's players whenever they believed a play didn't work as well as it should have. As I left the stadium and crossed a major intersection to return to my car (and get the hell out of Ann Arbor), I was taunted by the police officer who was directing traffic...on his megaphone. I found this to be a particularly classy move, and at that moment I vowed never to return to Michigan Stadium.

I am a very passionate Notre Dame supporter. I get fired up when outsiders try to break down the school's mission, tradition, and values without understanding one lick about what they are degrading. I've been there...seen it from the inside. I've known the players as classmates, friends, athletes. I've worked practices, conditioning drills, games, in a thankless job that I loved. I understand school pride. In fact, you will be hard-pressed to find a prouder alumni and fan base than that of Notre Dame. But I will never treat anyone who visits Notre Dame as poorly as I was treated simply for supporting a sport I enjoy. I'll stick with rivals, not enemies.

This year's Michigan-Notre Dame game should be close and come down to the wire, and I can't wait for kickoff. May the best team win. Go Irish.