My childhood happened during the pre-cable / satellite television days, meaning there were four analog channels (including public TV) to watch. On Sunday mornings, this meant religious programming was the only thing on, with one autumn-time exception: Notre Dame Fighting Irish football reruns.
Not just any rerun, but a condensed, one-hour version of the game played the day before. I'm not sure why this was on, or who sponsored it, but I remember it well. I even remember the commentators -- Lindsey Nelson on play-by-play and Paul Horning (former Notre Dame star) as the analyst.
Notre Dame was a football power then, even more than now. Consequently, they usually won, and watching them play in these Sunday morning reruns basically made me a Notre Dame fan, even if I knew the outcome of the game beforehand.
The reason all of this matters is because last month, I did something I've wanted to do since childhood -- I attended a Notre Dame home football game in South Bend, Indiana. It turns out there's a lot more to a Notre Dame football weekend than the game.
Friday afternoon, there was a variety of activities to attend, including free lectures, band and vocal performances, and other sporting events like a soccer or volleyball games. I attended a lecture that just happened to be given by one of my favorite economists, and also went to the volleyball game, allowing me to see the Joyce Convocation Center.
(Back in the day, the JCC was where a huge pre-game pep rally was held, but apparently not anymore. It's still home to Notre Dame basketball, and has banners displayed from some great players and teams. I remember watching on TV as the Notre Dame men end the 88-game winning streak of UCLA in 1974, a famous game from a bygone era.)
Saturday pre-game, there were more free lectures and music performances on the beautiful Notre Dame campus, including a bagpipe band and an a club cappella ensemble. These happenings seemed to take the place of traditional parking lot tailgating, as it appeared visitors mostly swarmed around these events or other notable campus sites like the Grotto or library. Meanwhile, there were numerous food tents run by various campus groups for people to get food and beverages.
The late Saturday afternoon game itself wasn't much different than any other major college football experience. The student section was probably bigger and more active than most, and the fight sang is famous, but otherwise the game was the most ordinary thing of the entire weekend. I still enjoyed the thought of how many meaningful games held at Notre Dame Stadium that I'd seen on TV in my life, and all of the legends that had been there before me. And yes, Notre Dame won.
I realize not everyone is a Notre Dame football fan, and I've largely grown out of it myself in adulthood. But I'll always appreciate the entertainment I got from their Sunday morning football reruns.
