Our First Time

This is the most beautiful sight these eyes have ever seen!
– Daniel Ruettiger on seeing the field at Notre Dame Stadium, Rudy 1993
(Take that Walt Whitman)

There are a lot of people with opinions on the playing surface at ND. Go figure. From the Brawling Hibernian’s take to Subway Domer’s piece and even Rocket89 over at the Bleacher Report. The fact that so many have commented and paid attention to the topic means that the field at Notre Dame is something special. Here is what I have to say about it…

We all remember our first time walking into Notre Dame stadium. Coming out of a tunnel and gazing upon the field. Seeing the yellow flowers, the stripped end-zone, the cheerleaders and the greenest grass you have ever seen. Imagine if that changed. What it would it be like if you walked out of the tunnel and gazed on the field and the grass was plastic? Would that vision be forever etched in your mind? I think it would. That doesn’t necessarily make it a bad thing. We would all be in shock that first time we saw synthetic grass in ND Stadium. I also think that we would survive. If I were to tell you that the players performance would be enhanced if the field was synthetic, in this day of 6-6 records, I think we would take it. The filed gets tore up and ripped apart and that cant be a good thing when playing on it.

In a climate where grass doesn’t normally thrive, why would we expect it to hold up all season. Seven games will be tearing up that field this fall and by the end of the season, that image that you have burned in your mind, will not look like the actual field. The field will be tore up and muddy come November. Some young kid experiencing his first ND game will come walking through that tunnel and see a field that doesn’t look anything like he thought it would.  His first glimpse of the field and his memory will be forever tarnished. Thats why I am advocating that the field be changed to synthetic turf. Change it for that impressionable kid, who doesn’t need to see the Kentucky Bluegrass looking like this past Kentucky Derby. It will take some time for the change to sink in but once we get that new image burned into our minds, it will always look the same. Perfect looking grass, just like we remembered that first time we saw the field our first time.

Change will be tough to embrace, but look at other fields that have made the switch. Imagine if you will you are a Boise State Bronco fan. Picture going to the stadium the first time and seeing the blue smurf turf. I’m sure you would be appalled, embarrassed and slightly drunk because you live in Boise. That field must have been shocking to the fans the first time they saw it. I am not advocating changing ND’s turf to Golden carpet, I’m just saying the fans at Boise had to embrace the change and boy have they ever. The smurf turf is a symbol of Boise Football and the people love it. It took some time to grow on them (not literally, its fake turf) but  they enjoy it now. Its a symbol of that schools football team just like ND has their own symbols. I advocate we keep the Golden Dome, the Marching Band, the Irish Guard and lets update the field for the players sake. So maybe we can turn around one more victory at home on a new synthetic turf. I guarantee that little impressionable youngster will enjoy that victory more than seeing real grass.

110 days until kickoff.