Spring Break
The Shirt provokes controversy
Students, alumni debate importance
Maddie Hanna
Issue date: 9/16/05 Section: News
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It's about what students will be wearing in the stands at the Irish home opener.
Although this year's Shirt sales are stronger than the past two years - Bookstore director of retail operations Sally Wiatrowski said more than 54,000 Shirts have been sold so far - the new gold color and design has some fans up in arms.
Following three years of kelly green Shirts, this year's model is gold and bears the words "The Spirit of Notre Dame." The color and design immediately sparked debate after The Shirt's unveiling last spring, and sizeable groups of students have rebelled by pledging to continue wearing green or by creating their own original gold designs.
"I was absolutely appalled and dismayed. [The Shirt] was just bad. We expected something that would reflect the students much better," said one of the two sophomores who has been selling the "Charlie's Army" T-shirts dotting the campus. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because he feared repercussions of selling alternative shirts.
His shirts, which are gold and read "Irish Football 2005: We're Putting the Nasty Back in Dynasty," are just one example of the many student-produced alternatives to The Shirt circulating around campus.
The sophomore, who has sold about 150 shirts so far by word of mouth, said alumni associations have been contacting him and requesting batches of 25 shirts at a time ever since he was spotted wearing it on ESPN's College Gameday at the Notre Dame-Pittsburgh game.
Sophomore Taryn Lewis will also be sporting an alternative shirt to Saturday's game - "the one that has [head Irish coach Charlie] Weis' yearbook picture on the back."
Although Lewis has bought The Shirt - "I don't mind it," she said - she has fallen head over heels for her new purchase.
"I might wear [The Shirt] to a couple of games," Lewis said. "But the 'Bring on the Nasty' shirt is just too tempting."
When asked what she would wear Saturday, senior Katherine Graziano laughed and said emphatically, "Not The Shirt!"
"I'm just going to stick to wearing something green," she said. "I don't really like the color, and I've never really been a proponent of oversized shirts."
Sophomore John Lentz saw The Shirt for the first time at the Bookstore on Wednesday. His initial reaction?