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KELLY'S CORNER

Demise of Notre Dame mirrors demise of Irish Catholic America

By
Kelly Fincham

Published Friday, December 11, 2009, 12:00 PM
Updated Friday, December 11, 2009, 1:50 PM


Here come the Irish! Or will it be "there go the Irish?"
Here come the Irish! Or will it be "there go the Irish?"

IrishCentral.com Poll

Do you think Notre Dame should end the football program?

Yes, They could spend the money on something they're actually good at


No. Real fans don't give up when the going gets tough


Notre Dame and Boston College are now the only Catholic colleges playing at the very top of American college football.

But their glory days are over. Particularly for Notre Dame. New coach Brian Kelly might be able to revive Notre Dame somewhat but the reality is that the Fighting Irish have been on life support for some time.

Notre Dame watcher Murray Sperber says the demise of Notre Dame mirrors the demise of Catholic America.

Sperber, who wrote “Shake Down the Thunder: The Creation of Notre Dame Football,” says the game's up for the Domers.

Speaking to The New York Times he said; “They are still, in some ways, Catholic America’s team, but Catholic America is shrinking. A whole generation of Catholics haven’t grown up with the Fighting Irish.”

Sperber's right. Although the Times can probaly expect another broadside from Archbishop Dolan for entertaining such heresy.

Catholic America, at least Irish Catholic America IS shrinking. Catholicism itself is alive and well in America but it's losing its Irish accent.

Brian Kelly has been handed an impossible task but maybe this Irish American Catholic can pull it off.

It's not just the fans who are depending on him. NBC also needs him to rescue their college football slot.


NBC hooked up with Notre Dame 18 years ago and their $15m-a-year contract runs out in 2015.

NBC Universal Sports chairman told the Times that they wanted to see some more wins. Well, he didn't say it quite like that. What he did say, very daintily, was: "Unquestionably, we would always like them to have a higher degree of consistency."

Of course what Ebersol really means, but is too polite to say so, is: "It's time for the Fighting Irish to live up to their name."

Notre Dame's dreadful season has exposed them as an expensive resource for cash-strapped NBC.

The Times says that the team is paid more than any other school on a pay-per-game basis.

But while the money is clearly a God-send for the school, you've got to wonder what NBC gets out of it.

Back to the polite Ebersol: “It’s one of the most important institutions in the United States,” he said.

“It’s not a property that we’ve made an enormous amount on but we’ve never had a loss that would frighten anyone.”

I wonder what constitutes a frightening loss for Ebersol?

But a lingering question hangs over the whole Charlie Weis and Brian Kelly affair.

In a month which has seen Hofstra and Northeastern axe their football programs, does Notre Dame really NEED a football team?

Vote now - Buzz this story up!


Demise of Notre Dame mirrors demise of Irish Catholic America | IrishCentral


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Posted by michaelOgCollin on Jan 01, 2010, 07:33 PM EST
Kelly, According to a Forbes magazine study cited in the NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/24/sports/ncaafootball/24sportsbriefs-TEXASISNO1FO_BRF.html?scp=5&sq=Notre%20dame%20football%20program%20value&st=cse), the Notre Dame football program is the second most valuable "franchise" in all of college athletics at $108M, just $11M behind the leader, Texas, at $119M. The ink wasn't dry on your column when it was proven to be completely erroneous. A little research on your part would have revealed that the football is a HUGE net cash generator (gate receipts, TV/radio revenue and merchandise sales) to the University's general fund and a vital source for the financial aid provided to students. I see that the "high" standards of journalism from the Irish Voice have been transferred to IrishCentral.com.
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Posted by plasticpaddy on Dec 22, 2009, 03:28 PM EST
because irish football is ten times the sport American football is Vincent.
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Posted by jacersisityourself on Dec 17, 2009, 03:30 PM EST
I agree ND needs a football team. Dey don’t seem to have one at all - atall atall. American Football isn’t football – it’s a game between two players of throw, catch and run as fast as yr legs can carry ya – a kinda fast-paced ‘Donkey’ (you know de one kids play, don’tcha?) De rest of the players run amok agus amach pretending to be human dodgem cars, crashing into each other and doing nothing else but fall over in the process, gettin’ muck on their nice green uniforms. Heck! – Shure dey don’t even use a ball! - (defined as a spherical or globe-shaped object) – and *get this!* - dey wear shoulder bras! Shoulder Bras! – I ask ye! An’ motorbike helmets too, feranbegawdsake – in a ‘football’ game??? Hah!! Bunch’a Cissies dey are!! No right-thinking native Irishman - from de fields of Athenry, from Kerry to Donegal, from Antrim to Waterford an' from Galway right back to de Coombe would ever see himself playing ‘cissies’ football’ on ND’s fields. What a waste of great sports grounds... Now if they would only take up GAA football or even better still de new Aussie-GAA compromise football game... Then dere might be some hope! ND has a football team? - Will yez g’wan outa dat! An’ Kelly can g’wan ou’a dat too, never has a clue what she’s writin’ abou’... Cissies are leading de demise of Irish Catolick America?? Bedehokie and Bejacers! A nutter, she is – a righ’ effin nutter. She shoudn’ be allowed write any more – atall atall. *Tsk, tsk*
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Posted by vincentruane on Dec 14, 2009, 07:46 PM EST
Hey plasticpaddy: We got to think of something to keep up the fighting Irish name. And besides it could prove to be a great tourist boost for Kerry in the future. All joking aside if some person in Kerry or some other county in Ireland has the natural talent for American Football why not develop it to its physical peak potential.
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Posted by plasticpaddy on Dec 14, 2009, 10:47 AM EST
Ahhh Jesus Vinvent stop it, the Aussis Rules lads are alreay poaching our counies finest, we don't need American Football taking them to a bastardised overly commercalised sport.
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Posted by vincentruane on Dec 13, 2009, 08:05 PM EST
Notre Dames Football Scouts need to go to County Kerry!






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