Exactly. The 1970's era of 5 deep Barry Switzer teams is over.

This is now a business the students are employees and getting eyeballs on the screen is the product. ND literally can't afford to operate like Biff and Chaz's boutique cigar club unless they really do want to become "irrelevant".

In my view, the tea totaling fans have been the problem forever. Sit on your hands and make no noise, give dirty looks to those that do. Yeah, way to support the team and create an environment that's hard to play in. Or even to inspire recruits to want to play there.

The Michigan man style air of superiority doesn't hold water when you lose for nearly 4 decades straight.

And the depth of family ties from Catholicism and ND representing it's values shoukdn't be understated. To say you're a real fan because you have a degree is pretty arrogant. Notre Dame's football victories over secular and Protestant schools is/was a source pride for millions of Catholics. Fandom was passed down through generations in Catholic schools, and families as an extension of the faith. I'd say in many respects Catholics have a greater tie to the university than their non-Catholic degree holding brethren. Or the cafeteria styles that use the degree, but dont uphold the core integrity of the faith.

To minimize the cultural contribution and significance of ND to degree holders as simply a school is incredibly short sighted. What about those families who have graduates and scrapped and saved to put them through school? Should the rest of the family be shunned and relegated to root for State U as they don't have the required elite fandom credentials?

Do run of the mill Catholics have to sit behind the degree holders during mass in the basilica? Is that the atmosohere ND elitists want to foster? For crying out loud watch Rudy.