No, this is not a viewpoint about which color or design of a shirt the students should wear to a football game. Although, I proudly wore the new design of "The Shirt" this past Saturday, each student has their own opinion about what should be worn at the games. In all honesty though, when "The Shirt" was revealed this past spring, I was surprised like many to learn the color was yellow. What was to become of the "Sea of Green?" With the new color of "The Shirt," the sea of green could be no more. I was disappointed because it was what made the student body stand out among the thousands of people. It was what everyone had come to call the student section, but with the new color yellow, this phrase could no longer be used. But there are greater tragedies in life.
Although Notre Dame lost to MSU, we saw the spirit live among the student body. Then I realized that it is not just the color of "The Shirt" or even the design that makes the students stand out. It's our energy, our passion for the game, and most of all, our spirit that makes us known nationally. Sure, it may be easier to spot us when we all wear the same color but what matters is how we contribute to the game by showing our spirit, whether it's screaming so loud that we can't talk in class Monday morning or shushing the other ND fans to be quiet when the offense is on the field.
When other student bodies might have left when their team was down 38-17 in the third quarter, we stayed till the end. Even after the game was over, we still stood proud in our sections and waited for the band to come onto the field so we could all join together and sing the Alma Mater. Swaying left to right with my friends while we all sang, I finally understood and appreciated what the quotes really mean on "The Shirt." "The Sprit Lives. If you could find a way to bottle the Notre Dame spirit, you could light up the universe." The Notre Dame spirit is bottled in the students and we light up the stadium and the entire campus. The spirit lives through us. It's our job to keep it alive and what better way to remind us of this job then through this year's design of "The Shirt?" So, if you do wear "The Shirt" to football games this year, wear it proudly because we represent the spirit of Notre Dame. And the spirit is now more alive than ever.
Brittany MazurjuniorLyons HallSept. 19
