The End of The Beginning

Ryan Williams, Domer Sports Report

Notre Dame Football
Commentary


After all is said and done at about 8pm this coming Saturday night, the future will be clear. Charlie Weis’ internship will be over. No more excuses of youth, no more excuses of inexperienced coaches, no more excuses about lacking team depth. When Notre Dame defeats Southern Cal this weekend the turn will be complete. The process that Charlie Weis, the alumni, the fans, and everyone associated with Notre Dame football started four years ago will be back on track. The painful Beginning we have all endured the last four years will be over. It will then be time to build again. Build a name, build a reputation, build a dynasty.

Our detractors say we cant live in the past. It is time to build a present. A here. A now. It is time to put Notre Dame back on the map where she belongs. In the elite heap at the top. It is a call to arms for all. The coaches, the players, and I think to an extent, most importantly the fans. It has been said as of late that playing in South Bend offers no home field advantage.

It has been said that Notre Dame stadium is full of an older generation that is content sitting on their hands to watch football. This is unacceptable. Have you ever seen a game at “The Swamp” or the game this past weekend at LSU? There is no sitting. I equate it to the famous line by Tom Hanks back in the day, “There is no crying in baseball”. Well “There is no sitting at big time college football games”. Implore your fellow fans to stand and cheer and put as much effort into the game as we are asking our young men on the field to. No matter their age. And if they are too old, tell them you are sincerely sorry, but you are about to go nuts. And scream and clap and stomp like your life depended on it.

I’ve been told before to calm down because there is more to life than football, and that is true. But not on a Saturday in South Bend. Football is Life. That’s how I’ve always known it and that is what we need to get back to.