Fighting Irish Have an Unfamiliar Bond

Manti Te'o leads the Notre Dame defense

LeBron James and Notre Dame football.  One is a professional player, the other a collegiate football team.  One is the most recent world champion, the other hasn't been a champion of anything since 1988.

You're probably thinking they're not similar in any way, but beyond the surface, they have one major similarity that pits them closer than you would ever think

It's no secret that I am a huge LeBron James fan, and have been every since he came into the league over nine years ago.  Unfortunately, there is a price one must pay if they wish to root for the man who some label as "the most hated player in sports."

Notre Dame has fans too... and a lot of them.  The stereotype may not be what some of the long tenured fans want it to be. 

It seems like everyone is a Notre Dame fan and their "passion" is being displayed now more than ever.  It just so happens the Fighting Irish are one win away from playing for a National Championship.

I for one despise the typical Notre Dame fan.  Cocky, arrogant, and blind to the realization that their team has won nothing for over two decades and just because you are Notre Dame doesn't entitle you to anything.

It;s very tough to say anything different about the typical LeBron James fan.  They only like him because he's the best and now he has finally won. 

Have you made the connection yet?  The similarity between James and the Irish are their fans.

They are two of the most polarizing athletes/teams in all of sports and they cannot help but to be scrutinized constantly.  But what about the true fans?  What about the fans who have been there through the losses, the disappointments, and the headaches?

I'm not here to bash the fans of Notre Dame, but rather to relate to them.

As a LeBron fan, I'm always being labeled as a band-wagoner or someone who only roots for the best.  That couldn't be further from the truth.  In fact, I've consistently been a fan of his for ten years now.  I've seen him three times live.  Heck, I have to watch the fourth quarter of his playoff games by myself!  During the finals, I have to watch the entire game by myself with no one even around me because I'm so paranoid.

Weird, I know right?

The vast amount of LeBron James fans are uneducated and irrational when it comes to him.  They give his fans as majority, a bad reputation and a bad image.

LeBron James

The same goes for the Notre Dame fans.  The ones running their mouths and bragging about "their team" are the ones who didn't watch them in 2007 when they struggled to a 3-9 record.  They also didn't suffer through the 2003 season under Tyrone Willingham when they finished 5-7.  They're the same fans who can't tell you who Lou Holtz is.

Even with that, I'm not implying you have to know every stat of your team, or have to know the players at every position.  Being a fan consists of three major criteria.

A real fan sticks with their team through thick and thin and doesn't just choose when they will care.  A real fan is rational and humble enough to talk about their team or player with a sense of fairness.  Third and most importantly, a real fan can put their player or team in perspective and understand that at the end of the day it's just football, or it's just basketball, or it's just a game.

Bashing the opponent or bashing other players doesn't make you a fan.  It makes you look foolish. 

Too many times, fans of LeBron and Notre Dame are stereotyped incorrectly.  There are a fair share of these irrational joker and it's too bad that they ruin the perception of the rest of America if their team or player wins.

I can't tell you the exact number of points LeBron James scored in game 5 of the 2011 NBA Finals and most of the Notre Dame fans can't tell you how many passing yards Jimmy Clausen had in his senior season, but that isn't what defines a true fan.

It's not about how much trash you can talk.  It's not about how long you tailgate before games.  It's not about how loud you can scream in an opposing fans face after a meaningless regular season win.

These fans who ruin the reputation of many of us will not stop what they're doing.  I feel your pain Notre Dame nation.  Every time I tell someone I love LeBron, a typical response will be "oh so when Oklahoma City wins is your favorite player going to become Kevin Durant?"

No it's not.

That's what people have come to know a LeBron James fan or Notre Dame fan to be.

This weekend, a win over USC will mean we will have to listen to over six weeks of all these "fans" bragging and boasting while the true fans will be so filled with excitement, their reactions are unpredictable.

LeBron won his first championship after nine years of being in the NBA.  That night on June 21st, I could have taken to social media to brag.  I could have called all the people I know who don't like the Miami Heat star.  I could have done all of that.  I didn't.

When I realized he had finally won, I felt like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders and I wasn't even the one playing.  When I saw him celebrating on the floor as the clock hit zero, I remember my reaction precisely.

I clapped for a few seconds with a grin from cheek to cheek.  I stood up, sat back down, (unsure why I did that) and laid my head back on the couch.  I felt like I just won the NBA Championship, but there was no confetti in my living room.  There wasn't thousands of fans, rather it was just me.  I stood up pumped my fists in the air and whispered "yeah!" to myself because I wasn't sure what else to do.  The only thing I was sure about was the fact I was ecstatic.

I had to listen to people say irrational things about him like "he's the best player of all time" and "he's going to win ten in a row."  I knew I wasn't going to be one of those people.  I don't need to let people know how good he is.  I don't have to let people how happy I am.

If the Fighting Irish come out of The Coliseum tomorrow evening 12-0, they will be playing for a National Championship.  There will be plenty of "fans" that won't wait long to voice their opinions while I know the real fans will be chomping at the bit to watch their Irish on January 7th take on the deserving challenger in a game some have been waiting for for 24 years.