Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/195693
in the trenches andrew owens Dame has used its monogram logo more than the leprechaun that was popular in the late 1990s. If you look at apparel, "Irish" is emphasized and chosen more often than "Fighting Irish" these days, but that's not to say the latter has been tossed aside. Unlike the Redskins name and logo, Notre Dame's Fighting Irish identity was created out of respect and suggested the school — criticized for its Catholic identity in the early 1900s — shared values and an underdog mentality with Irish-Americans that were discriminated against after emigrating from Ireland. According to university archives, the nickname was not officially adopted until 1927. Early in its athletics history, Notre Dame would compete against local colleges, with the press referring to teams by the school's religion. Although the entire roster was not composed of Catholic players or men of Irish descent, the team was typically referred to as the Catholics or the Irish, and it was not meant as a compliment. Although the nickname was considered a slur, Notre Dame embraced it. Fighting Irish served as a reminder of the school's heritage: more than a name or a people — a faith. It became a symbol for anyone discriminated against and represented the Catholic institution's core values. O'Dowd disagrees and considers the nickname and mascot that runs along the Notre Dame sideline at football games to be offensive to Irish-Americans. He says it has historical significance, but that the name is outdated today and no longer applies to Irish-Americans. What O'Dowd misses is that the leprechaun is not a caricature of the Irish people, but rather a fantasy-based creation — introduced by the Irish people — that the school has used to physically represent its underdog spirit. A major component of this discussion that is often lost is who controls the naming rights. Local Native American tribes had no hand in naming Washington's football franchise, but Notre Dame's Fighting Irish roots are a result of the discrimination the school received in the early part of the 20th century. Notre Dame — composed of many Irish-Americans — chose the name for its followers to rally around, as a positive symbol of its underdog status while aligning itself inextricably with the plight of Irish-Americans across the United States. Simply put, with the name, Notre Dame intended for honor to be given to the school and other Irish-Americans. "Yes, I know the underdog history and how vital that image is to the football team today, but it does not reflect modern Irish America or the Irish identity," O'Dowd contends. But does it need to reflect modern Irish American history? Part of the purpose of the name is to consistently remind people of what a university — and a people — overcame a century ago. ✦ Andrew Owens has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since August 2013. He can be reached at aowens@blueandgold.com