There is an undeniable tension between Notre Dame Fighting Irish fans who want to sit and those who want to stand — with Notre Dame Stadium ushers hopelessly trying to mediate two diametrically opposed positions.
That strain will exist this year and every year into the foreseeable future for several reasons, despite Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick’s stated intention in 2012 to “make Notre Dame Stadium a more difficult place for visiting teams to play.”
That was the year the “Take a StaND” initiative — a “subtle, yet pointed way of encouraging fans at all Irish events to become more participatory” — was launched.