Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/131896
fighting words Wes morgan president, said after presenting an outline of the initiative to members of the Board of Trustees at its spring meeting. Other than some concrete resurfacing done prior to last season, the last major face-lift came in 1997, when 21,000 seats were added to bring the capacity to 80,795, along with a completely new façade around the original brick walls, which were erected in 1930. Like anything else concerning the Notre Dame brand, traditionalists are nervous and progressives want more. It's a never-ending tug of war in South Bend, not unlike the struggles that have taken place at other historic sporting venues such as Fenway Park in Boston and the fight going on right now over Chicago's Wrigley Field. Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts has threatened to move the team to another neighborhood if he can't get what he wants, which is primarily giant scoreboards to increase revenue that might block the view of the multiple clusters of rooftop bleachers outside of the stadium. Under no circumstances, Notre Dame said, is there a plan to rebuild entirely. And judging by the first blueprint, the fan experience inside the stadium would hardly change at all. The extra seating would bring in more money, which Swarbrick said is necessary to offset the cost of running the program. Without access to the financial books, it's hard to argue with him, though it's even more difficult to believe football at Notre Dame doesn't pay for itself 100 times over on an annual basis already. Folks shouldn't be all that concerned about these changes. After all, it's honestly a pretty bland building compared to many of the country's college football cathedrals. It's hard to know where the gray walls of Notre Dame Stadium end and the overcast fall sky begins some days. After the Fighting Irish climbed out of mediocrity in 2012, it's about time their facility does likewise, especially when it will benefit every single student on campus, not just football players. What Irish supporters should be worried about is what it will cost them. Ticket prices continue to rise, and if purchased through a third party, they can be astronomical. A recent report by CoachingSearch.com listed four 2013 Notre Dame games among the top-10 most expensive contests of the coming year. Two of those are in South Bend. When Southern California visits Oct. 19, expect to pay an average of $375. Oklahoma comes to town Sept. 7, and the going rate right now is $350. Sorry, son, daddy's going to the Irish game alone this year. Even if you're fortunate enough to be on the season ticket list, will you be able to afford them when the university raises the price in an effort to offset its cosmetic surgery? How the public will be affected financially is something to keep an eye on during this process. ✦ Assitant Editor Wes Morgan has been with Blue & Gold Illustrated since February 2011. He can be reached at wmorgan@blueandgold.com