It was a plan that was hatched after a few drinks at a get together of family and friends shortly after Christmas 2014. You know the type of plan I’m talking about. Everyone is feeling pretty good and together they come up with an idea that seems brilliant. Of course in the light of the next day (possibly aided by a headache) the flaws are exposed and the plan rarely materializes. The idea was for four friends to travel to Chicago and ultimately South Bend to watch Notre Dame play USC on October 17, 2015. Fortunately, in this case the plan didn’t die. By the grace of understanding wives and the tireless effort and incredible generosity of a good friend the plan became reality. Notre Dame vs. USC. Under the lights. Sellout crowd. Millions watching on TV. A dream come true.

I always planned to write about the trip. I wanted to share the Notre Dame game day experience through the eyes of a relative neophyte (I had been to campus twice before, once for a game). I’ll do a little bit of sharing about the game day experience, through some of the pictures I took. A quick caveat, the pictures were never intended to be published and as such aren’t of professional quality. It wouldn’t be difficult to find higher quality photos through a Google search. But the pictures are part of a greater story that has been percolating in my head for the last 9 months. I’m not sure why it took so long to write this. Some of the delay was simply that life got busy. In retrospect, I also think some of delay was serendipity. At the time of the game I didn’t know that I would be writing for a new site when I finally published this article. But it now seems like a perfect fit for my first post on 18 Stripes. What I do know is that this trip changed the way I view Notre Dame football. It provided me with a clarity that I wasn’t necessarily looking for, but one that I’m grateful to have.

practice field 2

Because the game was a 7:30 start we had plenty of time to take in all the sights and sounds on campus. Our first stop was the practice fields. As luck would have it they were open to the public.

I believe we all spotted the 5 man sled on the grass field at the same time. Like a migrating herd of wildebeest, without a word spoken, we instinctively made our way to the sled. When we arrived, we did what any self-respecting male would do. We started to hit the sled. In our zest to demonstrate our physical prowess, we failed to notice the usher (who had been watching us closely) had abandoned his post and was quickly approaching. When he arrived he said “we only have two rules here and you’ve already broken both of them… please stay off the natural grass field and don’t hit the sleds”. After a moment of feeling like kids being scolded for misbehaving at recess, we all had a good laugh and enticed the usher to take a few pictures for us. Without further incident we left the practice fields and explored the rest of the campus.

Campus Sights and Sounds

TD Jesus

There has to be a picture of Touchdown Jesus!

grotto

We took some time to visit the Grotto, and light candles for some friends who had fallen ill.

player walk

We got a great spot for the player walk (even though this is a picture of the head coach and not a player).

Band at Bond

We made it over to Bond Hall to watch the band play.

The Stadium

Next it was time to head to the stadium.  When we found our seats an usher approached and told us that the team doesn’t come out of the main tunnel for warm ups so if we wanted to see the players close up, all we had to do was go to the concession area.

players concession

Walking right through the concession.  Pretty cool.

Game Time

game time

The moment the team came out of the tunnel was electric. Here come the Irish!

the moment

In many ways, the picture above is just a random crowd picture. The point is, when I took this photo the energy in the stadium was so thick, you could almost touch it. At face value, the entire spectacle was actually pretty strange. For a few brief hours, 80,000 people in Notre Dame stadium had been transformed into screaming, raving, lunatics. The impetus for this descent into lunacy? A group of 18 to 24 year olds running around on a fake grass field, hitting each other and chasing an oddly shaped ball.

Yet there we were, a full stadium overjoyed by what was happening on the field. Logically, it could be argued that football really has very little residual value. It is a game and nothing more. But to many this game was important. And that’s when it struck me.  When people talk about Notre Dame they use words such as faith, tradition, excellence. No doubt, these are all woven into the fabric of Notre Dame. However, the word that came to mind at that moment was community. I never thought it would be possible to feel a sense of community with 80,000 people. But when I took this picture I felt exactly that.

I started as a fan of Notre Dame football primarily because the team was good. Over the years, I came to respect the institution and what it stood for which deepened the roots of my fandom. As I’ve reflected on the game day experience I’ve come to realize that the concept of community now permeates my relationship with Notre Dame.  I will always cherish the time I had on this trip with my 3 good friends. They are incredible people and there is no doubt that sharing this experience brought us even closer. I’ve also been fortunate to be part of what I believe is a vibrant online community. The nucleus of this community is Notre Dame football, but it is so much more. The people that I had a chance to write with at OFD and now here at 18 Stripes are people that I consider good friends. Those who comment at OFD and now at 18 Stripes have also become friends. All of us brought together by the magnetic pull of Notre Dame football, but with bonds that are about more than football. That is a gift that transcends the game and I am grateful for it.

In the spirit of growing the community here at 18 Stripes, it would be great if you would be willing to share your thoughts in the comment section on what you believe makes Notre Dame special and why you are a fan of the football team.