"

Pro Leaving Games Early

Emma Vales

At the University of Notre Dame, football games are more than just sports events — they are cultural touchstones that reflect tradition, pride and the Fighting Irish spirit. The idea of leaving early, then, can feel almost sacrilegious to many of the students and alumni. Does life go on if one decides to forgo singing the alma mater because they didn’t stay for an entire football game? However, it’s okay — completely okay — to leave a football game before the final play of the fourth quarter. Here’s why:

First, leaving early doesn’t diminish your commitment to the school or to being a real fan of Notre Dame football. More than half of a student’s gameday experience starts early on in the day with various morning dorm traditions (especially on the first home game), tailgating for an entire afternoon and standing in the hot sun (or blistering cold) for four hours of a football game. Participating in any of the many gameday traditions on campus is a demonstration of real school spirit and commitment. After participating in any of these rituals, it is easy to be exhausted, and it becomes more and more tempting to watch the game from the comfort of your dorm’s common room couch with snacks and a more appropriate temperature.

Second, if Notre Dame is winning by a blowout or, conversely, if the opposing team is up by an insurmountable margin, staying until the very end might feel unnecessary. Sure, there’s always the potential for a miracle comeback or a record-breaking play, but this is usually unlikely. Leaving early in those moments doesn’t mean you’re less of a fan; it means you’ve chosen wisely to skip the lines for the classic post-game dining hall dinners — we all know how crowded South Dining Hall can get on gameday weekends, especially during their fancy candlelit dinners. Beating the crowd to the dining hall makes for the perfect end to any gameday, win or lose.

So… you feel like leaving early? Do it guilt-free. After all, Notre Dame football is about being a part of something bigger than yourself, not about when you leave the stadium. The idea that there is a "right" way to be a Notre Dame football fan is flawed. You can cherish the team and Notre Dame traditions without standing on the bleachers for four hours straight.

Anti Leaving Games Early

Samuel Coffman

“Notre Dame, Our Mother” the crowd sings, at the end of each football game. Arm in arm, a symphony of Irish-faithful sing the alma mater in Notre Dame Stadium each week. It is the privilege of being a fan of the Fighting Irish that we each partake in this longstanding tradition. Most of us aren’t on the field, but we show up each week to tailgate, cheer, sing and yell our hearts out like we should be playing. It’s why we all have to stop leaving the game when our team starts losing.

Yes, Notre Dame football can give us very frustrating results, especially when we pay to be in the stands and spend time watching the games. But it’s still our team, made up of student-athletes that are our peers. When we seek to believe in the community of Notre Dame, staying in the stands until the final note of the alma mater is a vital part of it. We wouldn’t hesitate to storm a field after a big win when we’re the underdog; we wouldn’t hesitate to stick around after we’ve beaten a small MAC school we’ve brought in to play.

But if we win together, then we must lose together, too. It’s what’s different about Notre Dame football. I will concede that I think we’re drastically better than other schools. When I’m watching the fourth quarter of an away game where we’ve dominated, their student section is often nearly empty. Many of us do stick around if we’re losing at home. But, we can do better.

I believe that it is essential to our student body’s character to stick together in the face of triumph or adversity. No matter how the game goes, we all should have a commitment to the full game. We buy season tickets, yes? A full season consists of the full games. Yes, losing sucks. And you may not think what happens if we’re clearly going to lose is important. But if the loss is clear, the way we do it matters.

Stick around for the full game the next time we lose. (Hopefully not for quite a while). Sing the alma mater anyway. Remind yourself that win or lose… “love thee, Notre Dame.”