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Notre Dame Fans: Irish Faithful Are The Best In The Nation

By Mason Plummer

SOUTH BEND, IN - AUGUST 30: Student fans of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish cheer during a game against the Rice Owls at Notre Dame Stadium on August 30, 2014 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - AUGUST 30: Student fans of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish cheer during a game against the Rice Owls at Notre Dame Stadium on August 30, 2014 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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While nearly every university across the nation will tell you their fans are the best, we all know who they really are. With the ups and downs ND experiences seemingly yearly, it’s hard to find fans more dedicated than those of the University of Notre Dame.

Over the past few months, things have gone very well for Notre Dame athletics. The women’s basketball team won the National Championship, as did the fencing team. Men’s Hockey made it to the National Championship game but lost to Minnesota-Duluth. Football had a successful 10-3 season and won its bowl game against LSU.

All of these recent successful seasons have made it pretty easy to be a Notre Dame fan.

Unfortunately, it’s not always this way.

The amount of frustrating losses and seasons Notre Dame athletics has would drive a normal person insane. Think about the yearly loss to UConn in women’s basketball (bar this season). Or the neck-and-neck games that the football team gets in with a rival like Florida State. Or Clemson — where we lose a heartbreaker.

Despite all of this, Notre Dame fans remain loyal and upbeat. The fact is, Notre Dame fans are a different breed. This may be slightly biased, but honestly, can you think of a school that gets into more games that come down to the last possession than Notre Dame?

The women’s basketball semi-final and national championship game immediately come to mind. Also, there was the men’s hockey team that scored the game-winning goal with less than a minute to go three games in a row in the NCAA tournament. Then, on the negative side, was the “Pick Play” incident in 2014. Or — in 2015 — when Stanford knocked off the Irish with a walk-off field goal.

Talk about giving your fans high blood pressure.

Notre Dame Everywhere

Part of what makes Notre Dame fans the best around is the sheer amount of them. Notre Dame Stadium has had a sell-out crowd for every home game since 1974. Few other programs in the country can say that.

Irish fans also travel very well. It is not uncommon for the Irish to be playing on the road and make the team feel like it’s a home game. The most notable recent road turnout for the Irish was when over 50,000 Notre Dame fans packed the Aviva Stadium when Notre Dame faced Navy in Ireland.

A somewhat large portion of the Notre Dame fanbase can also be attributed to it being a Catholic university. Many Catholics around the world love the religious vibe that is always around Notre Dame, including various sights like “Touchdown Jesus” or “The Grotto”.

What do Notre Dame fans have to show for it?

According to a 2013 article on und.com , Notre Dame boasts two of the top 20 sports venues in the entire United States. Stadium Journey Magazine ranked the top sports venues all across the country and eventually narrowed the list down to the top 101 venues. Notre Dame’s Compton Family Ice Arena (3rd) and Notre Dame Stadium (20) were included in the exclusive list.

None of those accolades are possible, however, without the amazing support that the Notre Dame athletic program receives from its fans on a weekly basis.

Next: Notre Dame Football Favored Over Michigan

Notre Dame fans are the most loyal, energetic and loud fans in the country. If you haven’t been to a Notre Dame athletic event recently — or ever — I would add it to your bucket list ASAP. There is absolutely nothing like it.

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