Dear Brian Kelly,
I just read the Chicago Tribune article saying that the towels and music were a good start to energizing the fans, but now you want more. First off, look at the 2009 USC game. Day game, green out, no music, incredibly loud stadium. We lost that game, but the game was much closer than the one you coached last week.
Playing recorded music can only do so much for a football game. The students loved the music, but they make up less than a quarter of the stadium and cheer no matter what. Music won't excite the alumni — good football will.
But instead of focusing on fixing the team's problems (there's a lot of problems too), you're more focused on dreaming up your "ideal" Notre Dame stadium. First, you want a jumbotron. Every time I've gone to a stadium with a jumbotron, I've been distracted by the massive screen and have had to suffer through TV commercials and endorsements (ND would abuse this). I love coming back home to Notre Dame and being able to watch the entire game without feeling I was watching it on TV. The only good thing that can ever come from a jumbotron are replays, and controversial plays aren't replayed. Besides, we couldn't hate the refs if it turns out they were right.
But what infuriates me more than anything else is that in the article you declared that you want a turf field. If you think that your players aren't performing well because they're standing on natural grass, there is something wrong with you. All of our championships have come on this grass, and we're one of the few grass stadiums left.
Brian Kelly, there are so many things that you should be focused on. Like winning a National Championship. I'll even settle with getting us into a BCS bowl, or no longer dropping games that we should win. Destroying the few traditions we have left at Notre Dame should not be on your list. If you wanted to play in an environment similar to Cincinnati, then you should have stayed there.
Matt Roe
senior
Morrissey Manor
Oct. 27
