Catholicism and the Irish

There are a lot of good reasons to be a Notre Dame Fighting Irish supporter, but according to Clay Travis of CBS Sportsline, being Catholic is not one of them. In his recent article, which he has dubbed part of ClayNation (a title which deserves about as much criticism as Catholic girls and East Coast bandwaggoners’ arguments in support of Notre Dame… but I digress), Travis contends that if somebody tells you that they are a Notre Dame fan because they are Irish, they clearly do not understand that religion is not a good reason to root for a team. He lays it out pretty clearly, and even though it is obvious that he has some personal experiences with this kind of frustration, he makes a few good points. You should read it if you get a chance.

Of course, there are a few points that he might also want to consider. First of all, I think his frustration is misplaced. He is disgusted by people who don’t know anything about football claiming to be a Notre Dame fan because they are Catholic. But why do their opinions matter all that much. In my own experience, having lived exclusively on the West Coast, the only people who can get away with rooting for Notre Dame without a legit reason are people who don’t end up in sports conversations much. So let them root for (what has become) a symbol of their religion if they want to. At least they don’t root for them because they are Irish.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Posted in General on August 28, 2007

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