Just about to head into the weekend, when I decided “let me check out what’s on ESPN.com” today. Big mistake.
I see a link that says “Take Irish Down A Peg”. I click on it. Big mistake.
(Disclaimer right away: I am a Notre Dame alum and played athletics there).
Though I hate to give him the traffic, here is the link.
Rick Reilly, journalist for decades and well-respected in his own right, decides to write a column saying they should “demote” Notre Dame football. That they’re not relevant. That they haven’t been relevant in 20 years. That they’re not a national brand any more than USC or Alabama. That they’ve lost to USC 10 of the last 12 years.
Yet, he seems to forget the following:
1) They’re very much relevant even if they’ve had mediocre seasons for the better part of two decades. Exhibit A: the column you just wrote, Rick.
2) They’re very much a national brand and always will be. Heck, the Yankees and Packers have had down years, even down decades. Exhibit A: you don’t see NBC shuttering away from the national TV contract even thought its up for renewal in a few years.
3) They’re the ones with a national TV contract and so how can he say they’re not a national brand? Exhibit A: see above.
4) They’re the ones who beat USC for the better part of two – two – decades in the 80′s and 90′s. No one claimed USC was irrelevant. Exhibit A: check the record books and be fair. Plus, I don’t seem to recall sanctions against Notre Dame for, well, anything.
People like Rick Reilly really burn me. He has become a sensationalist. A sensationalist journalist in the worst way. Sure, for Notre Dame fans (like me), we know it’s cool to bash on Notre Dame football. It’s well-deserved. So in comes Rick Reilly thinking he knows a thing or two about college football or about Notre Dame. He doesn’t. I mean, really, is there ever going to be another argument against Notre Dame than saying “they’re 7-5 or 6-6 and they’re not as good as they should be”?
Hey Rick…just because your Dad flunked out of Notre Dame doesn’t mean it should be demoted. Get over it. Sorry he flunked out. But I’m pretty sure that has nothing to do with ND’s struggles on the gridiron in the last several years.
You, of all people, take the “holier than thou” approach to Notre Dame more than any alum or fan does. “When did I quit on Notre Dame? Last year”, you say. BAH! You’re full of it. Pointing out one game they lost to a top-10 team. That’s rich. Against a team, by the way, they have a history of dominating.
You know the kicker in all this? That you even “went there” by mentioning Penn State in this same column. You invoked Penn State’s scandal with Notre Dame football.
Rick Reilly is an idiot. Rick, you’re a freaking idiot. I hope to one day meet you and tell you that in person. Become relevant and get your career back, because it’s slipping away quickly.
Is Notre Dame a national powerhouse like Alabama has been the last several years? No, not right now. Are they relevant? Yes, they are. Because people like you write columns about them. Which is fine, that is your right.
When you make silly comparisons and claims that are ultimately untrue is where your journalistic integrity comes into question. Slow news week? Nothing more to write about the Olympics? No other way to bash amateur athletes? Need to try and tarnish a legacy to fill an editorial quota?
I can’t stand people like Rick Reilly. Writing columns bashing Notre Dame because it is the “in” thing to do. Mediocre seasons. No conference affiliation. National TV contract. Tell us something we don’t already know and do some real journalism.
Until then, you’ll just be a fly sitting on the feces of sensationalist journalism. Get a life.
