#2: Complaining About THE SHIRT, and then wearing it

Every year on the day before the spring game, a committee of students unveils the next year’s rendition of THE SHIRT (the t-shirt that the entire student body is expected to wear to each and every home football game the next year).  And every year on the day before the spring game students almost unanimously begin to complain about the new edition.  Whether it is an ugly yellow color (2005), putting the current coach in the skies amongst legends of yesteryear (2006), or having sayings that make absolutely no sense (almost always) Notre Dame Students love to complain incessantly about the current year’s incarnation of THE SHIRT.

One of the main reasons why Notre Dame Students love to complain about THE SHIRT is because it never seems to fit them correctly.  Without fail every shirt is exquisitely crafted extra wide with a goofy neck so that the incredibly fit Notre Dame student feels like he or she is swimming in it.  Even worse is the thickness and the length of the sleeves that are always sure to keep us extra warm on those sunny August Saturdays.  Notre Dame Students will, without fail, complain about these shirts for the entirety of the football season, despite the fact that they are not being forced to wear them. 

The amazing thing about Notre Dame Students and THE SHIRT is that after they spend weeks and months complaining about it, almost every Notre Dame Student will proceed to wear THE SHIRT to almost every football game.  Whether the students love to be dressed the same or simply can’t help but do what they are told, everybody comes into the stadium wearing the shirt and the student section becomes a massive field of blue/green/yellow.  Notre Dame Students love it so much that everybody has failed to notice the increasingly apparent Curse of THE SHIRT (the fact that the Irish have failed to win a single National Championship since the project began).

This year promises to be no different.  With the unveiling of THE SHIRT scheduled for this afternoon, the committee is promising that it will be the best THE SHIRT of all the THE SHIRTs.  The color and slogan will be revealed to triumphant fanfare, only to be brought down a couple notches when everybody realizes how much they don’t like it; and the complaining begins.