From 0 to Irish in 72 hours

Crazy weekend. My buddy, Paullie Walnuts, went to Notre Dame alum, & he wanted to expose a group of his friends to his alma mater.

Well, whatever you think about the Fighting Irish's football squad (they're in the middle of their worst season ever), I can tell you that seeing one of their games in person is an experience every sports fan should have once.

As a serious, longtime Red Sox fan, I know a lot about sports loyalty. I had never been to a big time college football game, but now I understand the vast gap between zeal for professional vs. college athletics. It's not even close. Sox fans are nuts, and I'm one of the nuttiest, but even tame Notre Dame fans would be considered over-the-top in Boston.

I wanted a truly authentic South Bend experience from this weekend, & that's exactly what we got. We walked around the campus a ton. We tailgated like crazy. We saw every second of the game. We listened to a CD of the bands common songs so we could sing along throughout the game. We even threw one of our friends in the air 21 times after the 3rd touchdown, b/c that's what tradition dictates.

2 key takeaways from my time in Indiana:

1. It's a lot of fun to be a part of a group with traditions & passion. I'm going to seek out these groups whenever I'm given options.
2. It's unhealthy and unproductive to spend 48-72 hours obsessing about a sporting event, from the time required to the food and drink associated with fandom. I saw this during the Sox playoff run, & now it's been reinforced. I only have room for so many of these experiences in my life.

These are somewhat contradictory. Perhaps I need to sped more time at tailgates and Sox playoff games to solidify my learnings :-)

Comments

[Barrett]

Need to get you to a Michigan so you can compare the two. I believe you will find watching the game with 110,000 of your closest friend a much mroe exciting experience than dumb old Notre Dame