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Okay, so this is one of those stories that make a person wonder if the person doing the writing about the topic is just trolling people for the sake of trolling, or if they are indeed serious about what they are saying. You know the type.
So, in the wake of all the talk about the Redskins, Indians, and other sports teams possibly changing their team nicknames, one writer, Daniel Morrison of FanSided’s Slap the Sign, decided to ask if Notre Dame should also be on that list and change its Fighting Irish nickname. Doh!
Here’s how he framed the need for discussion…
The term came from sportswriters, who who would use it to describe the manner in which Notre Dame played. Preferable to other terms used for the team, like Vagabonds, Dirty Irish, and Papists. Others, claim it came from an Irish brigade during the Civil War, and Notre Dame merely adopted it. Notre Dame’s third president, Rev. William Corby, C.S.C., was in that brigade. Yet another origin is said to come from a halftime speech in 1909, when a player called out the Irish players on the team, saying, ““What’s the matter with you guys? You’re all Irish and you’re not fighting worth a lick.”
Unequivocally, the origins of the nickname stem from a desire to differentiate Notre Dame for its Catholicism. It is a negative portrayal of Catholics and immigrants. It is a stereotype of the violent Irish. It’s just been spun into a positive over time.
While everything he writes is true, to a point, there is zero chance of Notre Dame ever changing its nickname, especially based on the responses he got on social media.
As an Irishman the name doesn't project any negatives against me or any of my Irish brethren. Max Kellerman brought this up a few years ago and Lou Holtz gave him an education on the name. I can't believe that you actually wrote this.
— Chad Fellers (@irish2844) July 6, 2020
Some serious mental gymnastics to be offended here. Having said that they should probably start preparing now to change it. The avalanche is coming
— Cubs Curmudgeon (@CubsCurmudgeon) July 6, 2020
I’m Irish and have always been insulted that the word “fighting” should be supplanted with the word “drunken”....get it done cancel culture.
— bjmac10 (@Bjmac10Bjmac1) July 7, 2020
So I am sensing that the answer to his question is a “no.” Now the only question is, if he had written a similar story about any number of other teams like the Atlanta Braves, the Illinois Fighting Illini, the Ole Miss Rebels, the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, the Florida State Seminoles, or the Kansas City Chiefs, it would have been a good story, but of course it wouldn’t have gotten nearly as much backlash and multiple calls for him to be fired (seriously). Was that by design or is he being serious about Notre Dame?
I just don’t care anymore. Everything is stupid
— Jeremy (Not a Canes Insider) 🙌🏽 (@JeremyRFLA) July 7, 2020
I think he speaks for many at this point.