10 Ways to Spot a Notre Dame Hater

Let’s face it, Notre Dame is the most polarizing team in college football. So just for fun, I thought it would be a good idea to compile a list of fool-proof ways to spot the haters out there on message boards. Here is my list, but feel free to add your own:

10. Use the phrases “Notre Shame” “Notre Lame” “Golden Homers” and the like. That was probably funny at the age of 10, so either these guys are indeed 10 or can’t think of a better nickname.

9. Uses some lame pseudonym, often identifying their true allegiance instead of their real name. Some examples of this would be “Go Blue” or “Roll Tide” (not real user names to my knowledge). You get the idea.

8. Instead of making a logical argument or citing stats, they just say the Notre Dame gets too much media attention. Critics often point specifically to the NBC contract and say that ND has its own network. Last I checked, the conferences with their own network included the Big Ten and SEC, not Notre Dame.

7. Ridicule the Notre Dame-Navy rivalry. I guess that they don’t understand that Navy basically helped ND keep a football team during WWII and they have played every year since. Besides, Navy has had 6 consecutive winning seasons and gone to six straight bowl games. Not too shabby.

6. They can’t spell the head coach’s name properly. Wies? Weiss? Really? With the amount of ink this guy gets, you think it would sink in. Just for the record, its Weis, like we is gonna kick your butt this year.

5. Anonymous and nonspecific user names (especially on B/R). I guess that allows you to say what you want without retribution. Leaving random notes about their team on ND message boards, along with the hit and run articles/comments, really doesn’t add much to the B/R environment.

4. Make fun of the “easy” schedule by not playing in a conference. Last I checked, seven teams on the 2009 schedule went to bowl games last year. I expect that at least eight (and probably nine) go to bowl games this year. Not exactly a push-over schedule if you ask me. And just for the record, Nevada, Michigan, MSU, USC, Navy, BC, Pitt, UConn, Stanford are the teams that will probably play in bowl games.

3. Take unnecessary shots at Rudy and the Gipper. As if a fan of any other school wouldn’t want Hollywood making movies about the stories, traditions, and history of their program. Yeah, sure.

2. They bring up the ND/BCS agreement, commonly referred to as the “Notre Dame Rule” or “the Clause”, and they will maintain, even when presented with evidence contrary, that it is only to the benefit of the Irish.

1. Can’t think of anything more insightful than the Irish being “the most over-rated team of all time.” Umm, I guess 11 national championships (or 13, depending on how you count), seven Heisman trophy winners, and 96 All-Americans will have an effect.