The 2014 version of Notre Dame’s Blue-Gold game saw great weather, a decent crowd, and the announcement that Notre Dame will install fieldturf inside Notre Dame Stadium after this years commencement.
The news is certainly not surprising given that Notre Dame just announced the Campus Crossroads project over 2 months ago, but it still has some “shock factor” since this is the University of Notre Dame and long known for its unchanging ways. The news was also not from a recent decision as it was said that their minds were made up back in February.
Oh, Savvy Jack indeed.
Now, if you have followed this site, or the social media branches of this site from the beginning- or even quite recently, then you know that I am overjoyed by this news and have given this subject a hundred stump speeches over the years. I wanted it for a lot of different reasons, but most importantly, I wanted it because I thought it would help Notre Dame win football games in one way or another.
Our resident turf expert gives an opinion on #NotreDame's move to artificial turf: pic.twitter.com/56UmIkTGv8
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) April 12, 2014
No matter what other reasons are given, that is the most important detail. But still, something doesn’t feel right about this, and it all points back to Jack Swarbrick. Although I fully understand and expected Jack to give all of the reasons that he gave for the decision, there was a small part of me that was enraged that he just didn’t say:
“Notre Dame Stadium is getting fieldturf because we want it.”
That’s all. No other reasons about money (laughable considering the wealth of Notre Dame), multiple uses, and fear about field destruction during construction of the Campus Crossroad project should be needed. It’s a lot like when a wife is pissed at her husband- not for what he has done, but for the reasons (or stated reasons) that he gives her. It’s a test and a tough one at that.
Jack Swarbrick failed my test. I have never had sex with Jack Swarbrick, and probably never will, but if we were married, he’d be sleeping on the couch for a few nights- for doing exactly what I wanted but not how I wanted. Oh, I’ll forgive him, but probably not until the first shovel is dug into the current surface, which by the way… is not the same surface as 5 years ago, let alone over 50 years ago.
The same grass my father played on in 1949-51 will be gone – awful news.
— ND fan Comments (@NDfanComments) April 12, 2014
Time to roll with the times and give way to progress instead of sanctifying freshly planted sod.
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