In response to the recent opinions in the viewpoint section, articles such as "Celebrate Seniors" (Oct. 26) and "Absence of toughness"(Oct. 26) are unfair to both our football program and the athletic department. I believe that it is obnoxious that one fan can possibly have a letter published about how he should "storm the field," after a loss. As an athlete here at Notre Dame and on a competitive team (fencing) that realistically can win a national title every year, the last thing I would want to see in my campus newspaper is an article by a fellow student which would celebrate our loss for a national title. Letters like this are not motivational, but rather insulting to the program and won't change anything.
Although students have criticized the apathy of the alumni, it needs to be remembered that the lack of motivation starts from the ground up with the students and fans. Writing letters which are negative towards the players only adds up to the incredible amount of stress players already receive from media, alumni, bloggers and especially Mark May.
The stigma of losing is more taxing for the players than any fan or class here at Notre Dame. No one will remember any individual fan or student, but people later down the road will point out names of players and coaches. They don't need our help thinking about that.
To follow up, if you feel important insulting the football team by writing in a newspaper, go further. I would love to hear you say how awful the team is to the faces of say, Dayne and company. They would love to hear your opinions in person. And how about next time you fail at anything (a test, a Madden game, attempted hookup, etc.), let's invite the football team to painfully insult you with low blows and storm your residence.
Jack Piasio
sophomore
Stanford Hall
Oct. 27
