I think we forget what tradition is sometimes at Notre Dame. Age does not make a tradition. The "Play Like a Champion Today" sign was put up by Lou Holtz. The leprechaun became Notre Dame's mascot in 1965. The first time we wore green jerseys under KnuteRockne in Oct. 8, 1921, we lost against Iowa. Should we have stopped wearing green jerseys?
The mascot, color of the jersey, shininess of the helmet, signs hung in the stadium or songs played over the PA system do not win or lose football games. At the end of the day, I believe Notre Dame's football legacy is about winning. We have no reason to stick our noses out at conferences like the Big 10 and SEC because we haven't won a national championship or lost less than three games in a season for over 20 years. Getting angry about songs that get students excited, even though we are losing, doesn't make sense to me.
There have been numerous condescending editorials written by alumni toward our student section displayed on these pages. We get excited with a little music, and now the alumni are unhappy with the music. Winning football games is the cure to the anger, not any of the frills. What I was most upset about is how the entire stadium, except the student section, began to head for the exits with six minutes left. In particular, the gold seats at the 50-yard line behind the away team bench was near empty. Tradition?
Thomas Voutsos
sophomore
Knott Hall
Oct. 26
