Notre Dame followers cheer as BYU and Notre Dame play Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012 in South Bend. Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information
Decked out as he was in full Notre Dame regalia, Michael O’Brien felt like a marked man as he made his means by LaVell Edwards Stadium in September 2004 in quest of a “Cougar Tail.”
He was within the coronary heart of BYU nation rooting onerous for the Combating Irish, and he anticipated Cougar followers to defend their turf, identical to their workforce was doing on the sphere.
However to O’Brien’s shock, the BYU followers who stopped him close to the concession stand weren’t all for smack discuss. They had been extra involved with ensuring he — and his favourite workforce — had fun on the sport.
“I used to be stopped by most likely six completely different BYU followers who informed me how welcome I used to be there,” he mentioned.
O’Brien, 61, recalled that “good reminiscence” this week when requested to explain what it’s prefer to stay in Utah as a Catholic Notre Dame fan (and alum).
Relatively than recount instances he’s felt misplaced or excluded, he emphasised how religion and soccer have solely introduced him nearer to his Latter-day Saint pals.
“These individuals are like brothers and sisters to me. Their solely imperfection is who they’ll be cheering for on Saturday,” he mentioned.
O’Brien does see BYU and Notre Dame as rivals, however not within the typical sense. The 2 groups need to beat one another, positive, however their fan bases bond over the distinctive expertise of rooting for a high-profile non secular faculty.
“It’s form of like a model of the Utah-BYU rivalry with out all of the unpleasantness,” he mentioned.
Hunter Hampton, an assistant professor of historical past at Stephen F. Austin State College who research the hyperlinks between soccer and religion, agreed with O’Brien’s evaluation, noting that connections between the 2 soccer packages run deep.
When BYU relaunched its soccer workforce within the Nineteen Twenties, it hosted famed Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne in Provo to assist practice the coaches. The varsity later requested Rockne for assist in its quest to beat its in-state rival.
“Coaches would ship him letters asking for his scouting experiences of groups that had overwhelmed Utah in hopes, I assume, that in the event that they studied how Rockne studied these different groups, they may emulate the groups and win their rivalry video games,” Hampton mentioned.
For each faculties, soccer has been a solution to increase acceptance of their at-times misunderstood non secular identities, he added.
“Notre Dame and BYU have had fairly a little bit of success utilizing the sport as a missionary instrument,” he mentioned.
That commonality helps clarify why the rivalry between the 2 packages is extra “healthful” than most, in line with Hampton.
“The rivalry is supposed to construct religion and construct group,” reasonably than sow discord, he mentioned.
From O’Brien’s perspective, the method is working, at the very least amongst his coworkers and pals. Anytime BYU and Notre Dame play, he finally ends up feeling nearer to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, not farther aside, he mentioned.
“It’s numerous enjoyable to have our groups play and be capable to discuss it,” he mentioned.
Nevertheless, he is aware of that not all Utah Catholics see the BYU-Notre Dame rivalry the identical means. Some choose Catholic viewing events over extra combined occasions, approaching sport day as an opportunity to bond with different Notre Dame followers reasonably than anybody who’s watching.
“If you develop up Catholic in Utah, you recognize you belong to a a lot smaller group,” he mentioned. “Some Catholics choose to silo themselves off.”
On Saturday in Las Vegas, those that choose the fan teams to remain separate could win out, O’Brien famous, since Catholics are sometimes extra within the “sins” of Sin Metropolis than Latter-day Saints.
“Close to as I can inform, our solely benefit (this 12 months) is we will go to the strip and drown our sorrows when the sport is over,” he mentioned.