Catholic Wolverines
I meant to post this before the ND game, but I am still interested in finding out. My manager at work is an ND fan and claimed he "had no choice because he was Catholic." I was wondering how many mgobloggers out there have fought the urge to join in the tradition of mediocrity and root for the Wolverines as Catholics.
As an aside, the expression on my managers' face when I mentioned Saturday's game was priceless and his misery was delicious.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:15 PM ^
I actually hate ND more because I find it insulting that, just because I'm Catholic and part Irish, I'm supposed to love a team that sucks.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:15 PM ^
Uh, if he's Catholic why wouldn't he be forced to be Boston College fan or a Georgetown fan? Nope. He's a ND fan because of lack of refinement not an overindulgence of religion.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:54 PM ^
September 16th, 2010 at 9:54 AM ^
Liking Georgetown is like hating puppies.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:15 PM ^
He could have been a BC fan. I wonder why he roots for ND when those two schools play each other.
September 15th, 2010 at 8:16 PM ^
Because when they were young, ND was good, and it was easy to root for ND. Who adopts Boston College Football as their team? Nobody.
September 15th, 2010 at 8:24 PM ^
BC! How could you not after watching Matt Ryan?
September 15th, 2010 at 6:15 PM ^
Being Catholic means nothing to the huge Latino-Catholic population in Texas when it comes to schools.
I'd comment on myself as I was raised Catholic, but that ship sailed before I was 14. Even then, ND had nothing to do with Catholicism.
September 15th, 2010 at 7:04 PM ^
http://statsheet.com/cfb/games/2009/10/31/washington-state-14-notre-dam…
Over 50K came to watch a crappy ND team play an even crappier WSU team in distant San Antonio. The crowd was decidedly pro-ND and, while there are no demographics reported anywhere, you can probably make some inferences who was cheering for who.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:21 PM ^
I am Catholic and before going to Michigan, I loved Notre Dame. Now, I hate them more than any other team. In Catholic school, it was almost required to be a fan of ND. All my friends were Irish so that was double. I still get strange looks when I wear a Michigan tie on sunday.
My first day at the dorm freshman year, some guy ran over took my ND cap and stomped on it. Came back a little later with a Michigan hat and that was all I needed to know.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:27 PM ^
You wore a ND cap your first day in the dorms? You, sir, had balls.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:34 PM ^
It was like yeah, I from NYC, dont mess with me. I learned real quick that Detroit was scarier than most parts of the city.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:41 PM ^
Wearing my Kieth Byars jersey under my UM sweatshirt for my first edition of "the game" as a freshman?
I can't help that I was raised by a Buckeye!! (only grad school so hes not that bad a father)
September 15th, 2010 at 6:36 PM ^
I didn't mind ND until I took a tour of it while in high school. The school is ugly and the people are annoying. Took a tour of Michigan in the middle of winter in a foot of snow and fell in love. Notre Dame is a cult down here. People here are shocked that I hate ND and I'm catholic Michigan is just better.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:48 PM ^
Geez, I feel like i'm reading something i posted... save the ND cap thing... I did have an ND Sweat-shirt. Did you go to HS in NYC? I went to Xavier and share the exact same experience.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:57 PM ^
Was going to go to Regis, but ended up at Bronx Science. My best friends went to Regis.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:28 PM ^
And as a kid I always liked Michigan and never liked notre dame it wasn't until I went to Michigan until I really hated them.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:30 PM ^
Well, I'm Catholic, but I never had to fight off any urge to root for Notre Dame. Not difficult.
September 15th, 2010 at 8:59 PM ^
....and fucking hate Notre Dame.
September 15th, 2010 at 10:26 PM ^
My grandparents on my Mom's side came over from Ireland and I was born and raised catholic, however I can still remember throwing my 'M' hat at the TV at the age of 12 when Bo kicked the ball to Rocket Ismail the second time in '89. My old man went to UM so I was raised Maize and Blue despite the Irish-Catholic heritage, and I've hated ND as long as I can remember. My hatred is solidified each Christmas as my cousin and her husband both went to ND, and they are your prototypical golden domer slappies that we all hate so much. Actually, for the second year in a row he owes me a fifth of Jameson complimants of Rich Rod and the boys!
September 16th, 2010 at 8:17 AM ^
Nothing else needs to be said.
September 16th, 2010 at 1:56 PM ^
I went to Brother Rice in suburban Detroit, which had about 500 guys named Kennedy or Kelly. There were a lot of ND fans, mostly if their Dads went to ND, but all in all there were more Michigan and MSU fans than anything.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:33 PM ^
Indian Catholic here, but I cheer for Michigan. My degrees are from Michigan, not Notre Dame. In any case, I don't think that the spheres of religion and sports should intersect.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:34 PM ^
I was raised Catholic, went to Catholic grade school and high school and just recently graduated from Michigan and I am still a practicing Catholic. I actually hate ND so much more BECAUSE I'm Catholic. I can't stand the attitude, "oh, you're Catholic, you have to root for ND". Bull S***. ND doesn't represent the Catholic faith/Church well at all and I think Michigan's football team is much more humble and representing of good values then ND ever will be.
From a full-fledged Catholic: Screw ND, GO BLUE!
September 15th, 2010 at 6:34 PM ^
(raised Catholic), attended Catholic grade/High schools, grew up in the Midwest ambivalent to ND and loving UM. The only reason I'm reluctant to say I "hated" (or even currently "hate")ND is because the standard bearer for that emotional reaction is OSU. I strongly dislike ND, always did.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:35 PM ^
September 16th, 2010 at 8:45 AM ^
Sometimes the answers to prayers take a little longer than we mortals might like (or understand)... My 1973 prayers of a National Championship finally came through in 1997... It just may be that your prayers that day were answered several years later in the form of a "Shoelace".
September 15th, 2010 at 6:35 PM ^
And honestly it was nearly a three-way split between Michigan, Little Brother, and Notre Dame. If anything, I would guess ND had the least fans of the three schools.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:37 PM ^
Ya, I was raised Catholic in Saint Louis and spent my whole life in Catholic schools until I came to Michigan.
Despite all of that I was never a Notre Dame fan. When I am became a big Michigan fan my freshman year of high school (didn't follow college football much before then), I instantly became despised by half of my school.
I was just never tempted by the dark side. I noticed very early on that people liked ND for no real reason at all other than religion, Rudy, and a bunch of other irrelevant bull.
I love the fact that we have won 4 out of 5 against those bastards despite having one of the worst stretches in our programs history.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:40 PM ^
Not only was I raised Catholic (in the Cleveland area, at that), but went to a Catholic grade school, and THEN a Catholic high school run by the Brothers of the Holy Cross. I was the first graduate in 15 years to attend Michigan, and the last for the next 7, I think.
Like all things they taught me, such as abstinence from sex, drugs and booze, blanket acceptance of papal doctine, and love of all things ND, I pretty much assumed the other way would be more fun and rewarding.
I think your manager is a complete pussy and tool for employing the German WW2 era prison guard defense.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:41 PM ^
I'm Catholic, and years ago considered rooting for ND if they weren't playing Michigan, but not anymore. I hope they lose every game.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:42 PM ^
September 15th, 2010 at 6:45 PM ^
and I've NEVER had the urge to be a fan of Notre Dame, or even pull for them to win except maybe for some geographical matchups against, say, USC or some SEC/Big 12/ACC teams b/c ND represents the Midwest/Big Ten region, I guess (ie - to combat the North v South media bias).
It's funny this question was brought up because one of my seminarian brothers was at the game and visited the Notre Dame Basilica beforehand. He went there being pretty much 1/2 Michigan fan, 1/2 Notre Dame fan (long story)... he kept "discerning" in his heart which team he could truly call his own, and unfortunately, he sided with Notre Dame because he could feel the turmoil of losing "deep down" in his heart that he hadn't had with Michigan before.
Happy Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows, my fellow Catholics!
September 15th, 2010 at 6:43 PM ^
I grew up Catholic in Boston and was a big BC fan, so I had a hatred for ND long before I had any affiliation with Michigan. I did have a lot of Irish-Catholic friends who were big ND supporters though.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:46 PM ^
Not every Catholic can go, or wants to go to ND. There are other Catholic schools around the country, many of which are not as expensive.
Anyway religion should really have nothing to do with the rivalry. It's about the tradition and history, mutual success of the programs, the close games, etc.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:48 PM ^
notre dame.... more like notre...LAME!!!! LOLZ
September 15th, 2010 at 6:50 PM ^
But I had no choice in the rooting matter. I was a Wolverine and Tiger fan since I could remember.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:54 PM ^
I remember Lou Holtz recruiting a Jewish QB (who ended up transferring to MSU - name escapes me), and telling him that his religion wasn't an issue since only a third of the roster was actually Catholic. So the university that makes this big show of its religious identity, and acts like it's every Catholiic's duty to support them, actually has no problem fielding a roster largely composed of non-church members. The hypocrisy is breathtaking.
September 15th, 2010 at 7:03 PM ^
Gus Ornstein was his name. I remember a particularly awkward moment when he was on Regis and Kathie Lee and Regis was interviewing him and Regis pointed out that he was Jewish and that he was going to a Catholic school. He then said that that was ok, as if he was addressing a perception amongst ND fans (which there very well may have been) that a Jewish QB should not play there. However, Regis pussyfooted around this issue and it was just awkward.
September 15th, 2010 at 8:09 PM ^
the university that makes this big show of its religious identity
Well it is a Catholic university, I don't see how they make a "big show" out of it. I mean the very name of the school iimplies Catholicism. Should they hide it somehow? What about BYU, TCU? Southern Methodist?
actually has no problem fielding a roster largely composed of non-church members
Next thing you know they'll have a team that doesn't have many Irish people on it.
I don't like ND any more than the next Michigan fan but uh, dude. Chill.
September 15th, 2010 at 8:33 PM ^
I'm chill. I find this more laughable/pathetic than anything.
But their football program makes a big show of the school's Catholicism, more than any other religious school I can think of does. Lou Holtz used to regularly say crap like "God doesn't care if we win, but His mother does." When they played Miami, their fans wore shirts saying "Catholics vs. Convicts." And so on. Never mind that most of their players weren't even Catholic.
It just goes along with what I was saying earlier: much of ND's legacy is built on a bunch of bogus legends and half-truths.
September 16th, 2010 at 7:47 AM ^
Raghib Ismail (raised Muslim)
Manti Teo (Mormon)
They've had non-Catholics play there before, and I don't see how it's any bigger deal than a non-Mormon playing for BYU.
IMO the whole "catholics v convicts" thing was just meant to be one of those joke t-shirts you see at every game, like Michigan fans wearing "Rudy sucked" t-shirts.
September 15th, 2010 at 6:58 PM ^
I used to love Notre Dame as a kid. I'm catholic, and my step dad went there. I visited the campus a lot, games etc. I told one of my teachers in HS (he was a priest) that I wanted to go to Notre Dame and he laughed at me, asking me why I wanted to go to a Catholic Disneyland.
I digress... my step-dad also recommended that I apply to other universities in the midwest (Xavier, and Michigan) being among them. At any rate, I didn't get into ND (blessing in disguise) but I was accepted to U of M. I visited and instantly fell in love.
After a few years of absolutely hating ND, when I graduated in '06, I stayed in Ann Arbor for the summer, then realized I needed to get my happy ass a job. Long story short, I went through both the ND and U of M alumni database, and an ND guy (complete stranger at the time) actually helped me land a job at a company I've been working for ever since. That spoke volumes to me about ND (helping out a Michigan guy.) At any rate, I feel obliged/compelled to show ND some love.
September 15th, 2010 at 7:00 PM ^
I am Catholic.
Went to catholic school K-12 grade, always hated ND because everyone seemed to think it was "Harvard with a football team" (my quotes).
Buck the trend is my motto. Go Blue.
September 15th, 2010 at 11:14 PM ^
...is Michigan without a football team
September 15th, 2010 at 7:02 PM ^
i'm catholic and i hate notre dame
September 15th, 2010 at 7:06 PM ^
Im Irish/Catholic who grew up a Michigan fan. My mom wanted me to go to ND so bad. I could not even apply. Went to Michigan, still true Blue.
September 15th, 2010 at 7:04 PM ^
Im a Catholic from South Bend and I hate Notre Dame so I hate when people use the "Im Catholic so i love Notre Dame." thing. I grew up around it and went to private Catholic schools all my life and trust me you can hate Notre Dame. Go Blue
September 15th, 2010 at 7:07 PM ^
He said that he had no choice kind of tongue in cheek (and he's really a nice guy), but you can sense the "Irish arrogance." Of course, "if Crist had played the whole game, it would have been different...."
If the officiating had been competent, Michigan would have won by three scores!
September 15th, 2010 at 7:09 PM ^
BTW, as a Methodist who was raised to hate ND almost as much as that team in the worst state ever, I am loving these stories.