Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Under the Dome made a change two years ago that the players can sing with the student body after a win, but they exit the field immediately after a defeat. Because the Irish did not lose at home last season, or the last two in 2011 and the first two this year, it was forgotten by many. "A lot of them had never lost at home and they weren't sure what to do — I didn't communicate it to them clearly what the protocol was," Kelly said. The sting of defeat is painful enough, according to Kelly. "I just don't think it's appropriate to put your players after defeat in a situation where they are exposed," Kelly said. "I want to get them in the locker room. It's important to be able to talk to them, and I just felt like in those situations after a loss, there are a lot of emotions. It's important to get the team back into the locker room and get them under my guidance." A counterpoint was offered by Notre Dame senior Lily Banker in a letter to the digital version of the campus newspaper, The Observer. Her argument was that the Alma Mater is not about winning or losing; it's about maintaining solidarity within the Notre Dame family at all times. Wrote Banker: "If you are a player, don't listen to him [Kelly]. Stay. It's your choice. If you are a student, don't support this decision. By all means, boo the players who turn their backs on you. If you are an alumnus, spread the word. You don't want a coach who will sever his team's con- Notre Dame Football tickets 25 years in business Best selection & Prices 1-800-925-2500 www.NotreDametickets.com nection to the fans … In the words of one of our very own football players: Win or lose, we play for each other. Win or lose, we cheer for each other. Win or lose, we sing with each other." The opinion here is that the singing of the Alma Mater had become too artificial, similar to pep rallies (in contrast to the ones in the old Fieldhouse or Stepan Center). It especially became a chore to the players after a defeat. In an open letter to the school Oct. 3, Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick wrote: "After consideration of the matter, and with the input of the studentathlete leadership of the football team, Coach Kelly and I chose to sing with our band as it plays the Alma Mater only after victories ... In this way the singing of the Alma Mater honors our University and becomes an expression of solidarity with the student body that we enjoy only after we achieve our shared goal of a victory for Notre Dame — whether that triumph comes at home or on the road."