Friday, September 21, 2007
Wake up the Echoes
I’m not ashamed to say that I’ll be at Notre Dame Stadium tomorrow urging the Irish to beat Michigan State. My heart really does believe in victory, but my brain tells me that by about 7 p.m., Notre Dame will be 0-4 for the first time in its storied history. And because the schedule doesn’t get any softer in the following weeks, we could very well see a repeat of the infamous 1956 season, when the Irish won only two games.
So far, the team looks incapable of scoring an offensive touchdown. Nevertheless, like everyone else, I believe the Irish can compete against their last four opponents, Navy, Air Force, Duke, and Stanford. Let it be noted, however, that Notre Dame is currently ranked above only Duke, a team that hardly ever wins but last week defeated Northwestern. Notre Dame could enter that final stretch as an underdog.
Since 1887, fans have experienced brief periods of serious disappointment, and we may be in the midst of one now. All I know is that an 0-8 start is not out of the question this year. Such an occurrence would be unprecedented. Already it may seem to some fans exactly as though God has forsaken us. But we still feel some residual faith. If we arrive at the end of October winless in eight attempts, that faith will be gone. We’ll find ourselves in the football hell occupied by doormat teams like Duke, Vanderbilt, Indiana, and Rice – teams whose fans are deliriously happy on any play in which their team doesn’t fumble the ball.
I emphasize these worries not to rub salt in the wound, but to help us imagine the worst. To imagine the worst is to take advantage of an opportunity – in this case, a rare opportunity to reflect. True, the deeper we can descend into that heart of darkness, the sweeter the first victory will seem. But that’s only a psychological defense mechanism. It’s much better to face defeat on its own terms.
Notre Dame is the New York Yankees or the Microsoft of college football. Besides its numerous fans, almost everyone else wants to see the program fail. Why? Because, like Yankees fans, Fighting Irish fans are spoiled. We act as though a national championship is our birthright. For Yankees fans, making the playoffs, or even the World Series, isn’t enough. They scorn that kind of success. Only a World Series victory will do. The drive to win is admirable, in a sense. But no one ought to admire anyone for whom victory is a requirement and not a gift. Such an attitude used to be called spiritual pride, a shortcoming that some religious thinkers identify as the unforgivable sin.
Football really is a religion, a true American (that is to say, secular) religion. Its pagan rhythms speak of sacrifice and slaughter, triumph and ritual humiliation. Long ago, without knowing what they were doing, colleges and universities sold their souls to sports. You can’t call it good or bad; it’s simply who we are now. There’s no turning back. But a season like the one Notre Dame is likely to have this year can contain its own dark blessings. Each loss may carry to us out of a deeper past the echoes of our former spiritual lives. Something like an 0-12 season was once the starting point for considering the truth of our human weaknesses and needs. Let this be a winless season, whether we win or not. Let’s stand empty-handed in the circle of that zero. Let that be our spiritual home. We’ll welcome the fall equinox together. This is the way to prepare for the harvest.
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A random selection from more than 300 Michiana Chronicles -- refresh the browser to see another set:
Joe Chaney -- Wake up the Echoes / More essays by Joe
Louise Collins -- More essays by Louise
April Lidinsky -- More essays by April
Jonathan Nashel -- More essays by Jonathan
Jeff Nixa -- More essays by Jeff
Ken Smith -- More essays by Ken
Jeanette Saddler Taylor -- More essays by Jeanette
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About the series
Michiana Chronicles is a series of radio essays by Jonathan Nashel, Louise Collins, Joe Chaney, Jeanette Saddler Taylor, Jeff Nixa, April Lidinsky, and Ken Smith.
Michiana is the region of north-central Indiana and southern Michigan roughly centered on South Bend, Indiana.
Michiana Chronicles airs on Fridays at 7:35 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on WVPE (88.1 FM), the home of public radio in Elkhart / South Bend, Indiana.
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