The Green Machine: An Effort to Keep South Bend Stands Green

By Liam Farrell｜Writer｜Twitter @LiamFarrell_IT

Via University of Notre Dame

On Monday, Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman released a Jerry Maguire inspired video in the effort of releasing the new green uniforms for the Irish's matchup against Ohio State on September 23rd. The video starred the one-two punch of Audric Estime and Sam Hartman, begging for Freeman to "show me the green jerseys!" While the video may have been a spoof, these new green threads are no joke. In partnership with Under Armor, who reportedly inked a new deal with the Irish upwards of $100 million, the green jerseys were unveiled. However, did the sentiment of the green jersey game get lost away in the process? Let's take a deeper look.

The Devine Miracle

Via Collegiate Sports/Getty Images

This is by far the most famous occurrence of the Irish dawning the green, due in most part that it was the year it was actually coined "The Green Jersey game." As legend has it, head coach Dan Devine brought in the captains midweek to get their impressions of the green threads. It was pitched as though the jersey's wouldn't be available until next year at the earliest, but that was simply not the case. On Saturday, the Irish warmed up in their normal blues, but as the team got back to the locker room, they saw those sweet green uniforms sitting in their lockers. The energy lit in the locker room was shot through the stadium, and was simply insurmountable, as the Irish went on to defeat the boys of Troy on their way of being crowned the 1977 national champions.

The sentiment of the green jerseys cannot be underestimated, though. It was the element of surprise that led to the electricity built within the stadium. If the Irish knew that they were wearing green, it wouldn't have had the same overall effect. The "Irish Wear Green" moniker has grown more popular in recent years by having planned dates in which Notre Dame will wear the green jerseys. While this takes away from the entire premise of wearing the green jerseys, it is used by another means to make sure Notre Dame Stadium is not taken over by the opposition, which leads me to my next point.

Protect the House that Rockne Built

Via NBC

This was 2017, the takeover by Georgia fans. Look at this sea of red. It has become abundantly clear that Notre Dame fans are more than willing to sell their tickets to opposing teams fans for a pretty penny. It is the most frustrating thing about being a Notre Dame fan in general. This isn't a problem at any real national powerhouse program. You would rarely see any red at The Big House, or any Auburn blue in Tuscaloosa. Nonetheless, in the past five years Georgia and Cincinnati have both come into the House that Rockne built and supported their teams to victory.

Excluding last year's terrible losses to Marshall and Stanford on South Bend soil, Notre Dame had been a fantastic home team. Since that loss against Georgia, Notre Dame was undefeated at home through the remainder of the 2017 season until the Cincinnati game in 2021. Was Notre Dame's "Irish Wear Green" phrase and the hype of the green game against Ohio State really just a tactic trying to convince season ticket holders to keep their tickets? I sure think so.

Under Armor Statement

Via USA TODAY SPORTS

This offseason, Notre Dame made waves when the University looked to partner with a new apparel brand. This speculation was full of twists and turns, but ultimately it looks as though Notre Dame renewed their Under Armor contract for 10 years for $10 million annually. As a whole, the fanbase has had many reasons to pick a metaphorical bone with the apparel company. For starters, Under Armor doesn't release its products that Marcus Freeman is shown to be dressed in, which is extremely frustrating because all of Freeman's "exclusive" gear are leaps and bounds better than what they release for the Fighting Irish fanbase. A change has to be made in the second leg of the Notre Dame apparel deal, and hopefully these green jerseys can be the first step towards a brighter future.

Wrap-Up

The Green Jerseys are sweet. Let's get the record straight. I love the white numbers instead of the blue, and I think they will look phenomenally under the bright lights. This all means nothing, however, if the stands are Scarlet and Gray and the Irish get blown out at home. The media team has done their job creating tons of buzz, now it's time for fans and the players to take care of business.