ND students should be extremely unhappy and the snowballs are indicative of their frustraction. However, the misguided idiots who hurled the snowballs at cameramen are aiming at the wrong target.
Mounting frustration (not snowballs) should be directed at the administration. Home football games are something this school is supposed to hold sacred.
Many students choose to attend the school in large part because they want to be a part of the ND football experience (I did in 1988). For many students, the home games are highlights of the school year (once again, true of me).
Despite this, the administration willingly and openly prostituted the entire football experience by selling it to NBC. Football games should not last 4.5 hours. If a game is more than three hours, it lacks rhythm and flow. The constant, extended commercial interruptions greatly diminish the experience for the students, the players and the fans across the country. Also, the team loses a big part of its home field advantage when these long breaks drain much of the emotion in the stadium. As the game is so annoyingly stretched into a marathon, it is difficult for fans to maintain their enthusiasm and for players to feed off of it.
The administration needs to protect home football games for those who love them instead of selling it to those who seek only profit. Yes, the NBC contract ensures that I can see every home game on tv; however, I will take the sanctity of football Saturday at ND over that assurance in a heartbeat. I love ND football. I will find a way to watch it when the NBC debacle ends and I will enjoy it so much more.
James Gillen
almnus
class of '88
Nov. 26
