Code of Conduct - Notre Dame Stadium

Notre Dame limps home this weekend to take on a 3-0 Sparty team which has found itself in the perfect position to pick up its sixth consecutive win in the House that Rockne Built. Hell, it could be seven in a row, how knows, but unless our team makes a miraculous, and I mean miraculous - change of heart, desire and ability - ND will move to 0-4 right now.

The University is making some half-hearted attempts at getting the fans into the game - though you have to consider the fact that these decisions were made a long time ago - but still, the idea to have a green out - along with handing out green towels - seems a little dumb to me. We are actually playing a school with green and white colors!

Anyway, Notre Dame Stadium has transformed itself into a shadow of what it used to be. At one point, the place used to be so out of control parents would not allow their young kids into the games. Now, people are walking in with infants. So, to follow up on our 10 Commandments for Notre Dame fans - here is a code of conduct for The House that Rockne Built.

These are in random or, and most likely random importance...

1. The standing/sitting thing - obviously if you are in the student body, you stand up on every play - and take a rest at half time while the band plays some more 80s hair band music - or their every-lasting favorite "Take On Me" - lord, I am tired of hearing that song.

The rest of the stands, it is pretty simple. When there is nothing going on, you sit. When it is time to cheer, you stand. Calling out someone for standing in front of you at a football game is grounds for immediate expulsion from the Stadium. Seriously, if you don't want to stand up, stay at home and watch. This seems logical, but there are about 50,000 fans in ND Stadium that will yell for a fan to sit down in front of them when a Notre Dame opponent has 4 and 1 on the one yard line.

There is no excuse - too old, too young, to dumb - don't go to games and yell at people to sit down in front of you. Unless they are USC fans, then you can yell at them all you want. Seriously though - ND Stadium is filled up with WAY TOO MANY NON-FOOTBALL FANS.

2. If you are only going to the game 'to be seen' or to tell your co-workers you went to the Notre Dame game on Saturday, then give you tickets to someone else - or burn them. We would rather not have you in the stands.

3. Yelling. Fully encouraged, but not required. A lot of ND fans are uber-focused during games and literally are intense on every play. But, at least stand up - and cheer when something good happens.

4. Kids - leave them at home. Seriously, don't carry your five year old son in and exclaim that 'This is his first Notre Dame game!' It is not like he is going to remember it. Sons and daughters should only be taken to games when they understand what is going on, are able to sit for four hours at a time and are not there just to watch the cheerleaders and listen to the band.

5. The angry fans - just go away. Don't show up to yell at Coach Weis, or the offensive line, or anyone else for that matter. We don't want to hear you. Seriously - we really could care less about what you think. We are there to watch the game and cheer for the team, not bitch about every last thing.

To be honest, I think Notre Dame Stadium is past saving. Our student body and fan base is much becoming our team - weak and uninspired. The band is coming up with lame chants, the cheerleaders care more about building pyramids than watching the games, the NBC timeouts rob the team of momentum, the elitest members of our alumni and guests who could care less whether we win or lose, the high number of people attempting to 'give their kids the Notre Dame experience' and also don't care whether the team wins or loses - all these things contribute to the general malaise that is over our program right now. At some point, one would hope Davieham would've washed all the hangers-on out, but it has not.

But a part of me still thinks that the Stadium is special - because there are TRUE fans out there (not as many as there should be, but they exist). They live and die with every play, they thank the lord for their ability to see the games, they support their team at all time, they stay until the alma mater... those are the fans that make a difference. Those are the fans that don't need a code of conduct in the Stadium. Those are the fans that make Notre Dame what it is.

And those are the fans that, even as dark as it seems, even as hopeless as it seems, still think ND will beat MSU. Can you excuse me a quote from one of the greatest movies ever made - "Remember, Red. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."