Schlabach: Irish still relevant despite play
August, 17, 2012
8/17/12
1:08
PM ET
By
Matt Fortuna | ESPN.com
Colleague Mark Schlabach tackles the week's popular issue in a Friday column saying that Notre Dame football remains relevant, despite its recent history on the gridiron. The debate about the Irish's relevance has intensified in recent days following Rick Reilly's Wednesday column stating that the team is insignificant.
Mike Golic responded Thursday morning on his radio show, and Reilly fired back later that day.
From Schlabach's piece:
My two cents: We've spent three days now debating about Notre Dame, right? OK, I think that settles the whole "relevance" debate. Mark pretty much sums up why in his piece.
Mike Golic responded Thursday morning on his radio show, and Reilly fired back later that day.
From Schlabach's piece:
But, with apologies to my esteemed colleague Rick Reilly, the Fighting Irish are still relevant in college football.
When Notre Dame opens the season against Navy in Dublin, Ireland, it's expected to be the biggest single-day sporting event in that country's history. More than 35,000 tickets have been sold for the game in the U.S., and Sept. 1 is expected to be the busiest day in the history of Dublin's airport. ESPN will broadcast the game to more than 20 million households in Europe alone.
The not-so-Fighting Irish might not be the heavyweights they once were, but plenty of people still care passionately about them.
College football fans either love the Fighting Irish or hate them, as there's very little middle ground when it comes to Notre Dame football.
"I'd look at it as the most loyal fan base in the country because we haven't won," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. "Football is really, really important here."
My two cents: We've spent three days now debating about Notre Dame, right? OK, I think that settles the whole "relevance" debate. Mark pretty much sums up why in his piece.
Matt Fortuna | email
College Football- ESPN.com Notre Dame blogger
- Joined ESPN.com in 2011
- Wrote for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Matt Fortuna
Fortuna joined ESPN.com in 2011 after working for MLB.com and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, where he covered college sports. He grew up in New York and is a Penn State graduate.
You must be signed in to post a comment