Notre Dame Should Add Video Boards to Football Stadium

When you think of the most memorable stadiums in the sports landscape, Notre Dame Stadium is usually one of the first ones that comes to mind. With all of the tradition that surrounds it and the iconic image of Touchdown Jesus in the backdrop, you would think that nothing is missing from the experience.

However, after visiting the stadium and taking in over a couple of dozen games, there’s one thing that always bothered me: the lack of any video boards, or jumbotrons as they are frequently referred to. I’ve also been to Wrigley Field more times than I can count, but it never bothered me there, since baseball doesn’t really need it. At Notre Dame, though, it’s grown frustrating to me. I would be willing to sacrifice some of the tradition if it means that I can see a replay of what officials are reviewing while I sit high up in the bowl shaped stadium.

People will argue that Touchdown Jesus would be blocked out new boards were added, but it’s kind of tough to see him now. Ever since the school added thousands of seats and raised the height of the stadium, you can just barely see the arms and head of the good Lord on the side of the library. They wouldn’t even have to put a board on that side of the stadium, just one board on the “unimportant side” that everyone can turn to and watch.

I’ve been to too many games where a play is under review, then the referee comes from the sideline and makes a call that goes against the Irish, and the fans boo him mercilessly. I’ll then get a text from someone watching on television that said the referee got the call correct, and that we all looked stupid for jeering the poor guy in stripes. If anything else, I wish the boards were there just for a game against Stanford early this century when Notre Dame was called for “roughing the center.” I had to see it again.

But as long as tradition comes into play, Notre Dame Stadium will continue to be a relic while schools such as Michigan keep touching up their old stadium with favorable reviews for the sake of improvement. I’ll never turn down a trip to South Bend for a game, the atmosphere and tailgating make for a perfect Autumn Saturday, but the only down fall is the lack of video replay for the more than 80,000 people inside the stadium.

Korey Beckett is a writer for RantSports and can be contacted at [email protected] for questions or comments.