Notre Dame Football Fans Booing The Team: Fair Or Foul?

Are Notre Dame fans crossing the line or justified in expressing their frustration?

Sep 7, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; The Northern Illinois Huskies pose for photos after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 16-14 at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

There have been loud, audible boos coming from the Irish home crowd in each game

Notre Dame Football has many longstanding traditions. On the field, off the field, before games, and after games, there's a tradition for everyone. What isn't a tradition but has become one this year? The home Irish crowd booing its' own team.

Unfortunately, in both of Notre Dame's home games in 2024 boos could be heard loud and clear coming from the visibly and audibly frustrated Irish fan base. Is this justified behavior coming from a crowd who expected to see high-level football from Notre Dame and didn't, or is this classless behavior from a crowd that should support the home team no matter what? Depends who you ask.

The Fighting Irish leave the field to showers of boos and cries of “you suck” from their own fans.

This one is gonna be tough for Notre Dame to get over, to say the least. pic.twitter.com/d7hilhRBhc

— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) September 7, 2024

Modern changes come with logical consequences

I've heard plenty of boos in my day as a sports fan. Especially when it comes to my White Sox. But it feels different when it involves Notre Dame. Hearing some jeers after the Northern Illinois loss doesn't shock me at all, but I was a bit surprised by how quickly the boobirds came out in the game against the Redhawks.

It feels to me like Irish fans have changed alongside the game changing itself.

It seems like the more the college game leans into NIL and players are being compensated, the more harsh the fans feel like they are justified to be. Money changes things. It always has and always will. I think that's some of what is going on here.

Once fans feel that players are no longer "amateur student-athletes," especially highly compensated one-year rental quarterbacks, they feel that there are expectations of play that are to be met. Is this fair or unfair? That's for you to decide. In the meantime, Notre Dame hopes there will be no reason to boo this Saturday in the stadium Rockne built.

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