Here’s what a Notre Dame football title would mean for Christianity in America

(LifeSiteNews) — On January 20, the University of Notre Dame football team will square off against Ohio State in the national title game. The Irish are currently a 9.5-point underdog despite being 14-1 and having an elite defense.

FOR ALL THE GLORY. ☘️🏆

Up next, #7 Notre Dame will play #8 Ohio State in the national championship game on January 20th at 7:30pm ET in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 👀

THIS. IS. IT. 😤#GoIrish #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/omINQMtSaW

— Notre Dame Fighting Irish (@Insidetheirish) January 11, 2025

Everyone knows that Notre Dame, as a Catholic institution, is not what it used to be. These days, it honors “Pride Month” and hosts drag shows on campus. That’s a far cry from when it was an all-male institution that produced good and holy priests and graduated students who were educated in the liberal arts — as opposed to “gender studies.”

That said, if the Fighting Irish beat the Buckeyes next week, it will still be an important moment in American pop culture because of what Notre Dame still, if only faintly, represents.

‘All glory to Jesus Christ’

College football players have not been shy about expressing their religious beliefs this year. Far more than in the past, athletes at Boise State, Texas, and yes, Ohio State and Notre Dame, have all publicly thanked and/or given credit to Jesus Christ after their games, win or lose.

This is great.

Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard gives thanks to Jesus on ESPN postgame after the Irish advance past Georgia.

“Without Him, I wouldn’t be here.” pic.twitter.com/D2g09mwnA5

— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) January 3, 2025

On the surface, it seems that these young men are refusing to go along with the liberal agenda that is so aggressively pushed on them by their colleges and the culture around them.

Exit polls indicate that this generation of men — also known as “Zoomers” — supported Donald Trump and not Joe Biden in the presidential race. It certainly seems that religion and masculinity are more popular among males under age 25 today than in the preceding decades.

Hasn’t college football moved on from Notre Dame?

How does Notre Dame factor into all this? Despite not being as Catholic as it used to be, it is still seen and treated by the world as if it was a staunchly orthodox institution.

The sports media’s narrative about Notre Dame is that it is a team stuck in the past. Legendary Irish coach Knute Rockne and “the four horsemen” were alive over 90 years ago, and despite the team’s many Heisman Trophy winners and 11 championships, it hasn’t won a national title since 1988.

Critics often accuse Notre Dame of believing itself to be “God’s gift to college football” while also laughing at it for not being victorious on the national stage for the past 30 years. They also point out how public southern schools like Texas, Alabama, and other Southeastern Conference giants have displaced the Irish in terms of wins and notoriety.

There is a lot of truth to what “the haters” have to say about Notre Dame. The school has, by and large, refused to go along with what its competitors have done. This has undeniably made them a little old-fashioned and thus cost them wins on the field.

A Notre Dame victory would be a team-first win in a player-first industry

For better or worse, college football has gone from an amateur sport to the minor leagues of the NFL. Schools today have essentially no academic standards and players are able to sign million-dollar contracts with whatever program offers them the most money. Coaches are now publicly stating that their goal is to train them for the pros.

The transfer portal acts as a tool for lucrative programs to poach talented players from other colleges, thereby decimating their teams overnight.

At the moment, there is no governing body watching over this.

Instead of following that trend, Notre Dame requires a decent amount of academic achievement from its players. This hampers their ability to recruit the nation’s most highly sought-after players.

What’s more, the team’s current coach, 39-year-old Marcus Freeman, has said he only intends to “minor” in the transfer portal and not “major” in it.

While it is true that Freeman’s last two quarterbacks came through the transfer portal from other programs, he has reiterated that his primary focus is on recruiting and player development to keep the Irish successful.

It is worth mentioning that Freeman has reached the championship game in just three years as the team’s head coach with only one five-star player on this year’s squad. His team is also relying on several backups due to starters being injured. Ohio State, his opponent next week, has 14 five-star players in its lineup.

If Notre Dame wins next Monday, it will be an old-fashioned team victory where coaching and selfless dedication from the players on the field beat top-level flashy talent on the other side of the ball. What could be more Biblical than a classic David v. Goliath upset?

Notre Dame represents what the social justice left despises

Notre Dame is hated for the same reason the New York Yankees are hated. Not only are the Irish one of most successful teams in the sport’s history, but they also have universal name recognition. The fact that it is Catholic (the school’s official name is Notre Dame du Lac, which is French for “Our Lady of the Lake”), only adds to the resentment.

In many ways, Notre Dame is a symbol of post-World War II America. It is an avatar for what Americans used to idolize: tradition, religion, and achievement both inside and outside the classroom.

But the United States in the 21st century no longer has a general Christian ethos. Big paydays, instant gratification, and liberal media networks like ESPN push social justice causes and transgender athletes day in and day out. A gritty Notre Dame victory would force those who run this industry to report on that which they would like to see go away.

Coach Freeman is a family man and a model for young Americans

The media has been focusing on Marcus Freeman’s mixed race heritage lately. ESPN has been leading the charge on this. After winning the Orange Bowl against Georgia two weeks ago, he was asked by an ESPN reporter about how he feels about being the first black head coach to head to the title game. He has been asked this question by other journalists as well.

Instead of making the issue about him, Freeman admirably redirected the question by praising his players.

“I hope all coaches — minorities, black, Asian, white — it doesn’t matter, great people continue to get opportunities to lead young men like this. This ain’t about me. It’s about us,” he said.

BREAKING: Reporter asks Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman what it is like to be the first Black head coach to go to a National Championship game.”

“I hope all coaches, minorities, Black, Asian, white, it doesn’t matter, great people continue to get opportunities to lead young… pic.twitter.com/czwrsPGh2H

— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) January 10, 2025

Marcus Freeman is a breath of fresh air not just to Notre Dame but to the sports world in general. He converted to Catholicism in 2021 and after being named the team’s head coach he instituted the practice of pregame team Masses on Notre Dame’s campus.

Freeman later said that his embrace of Catholicism was a “family decision,” as his wife and six children were already practicing the faith.

Unlike some coaches today, Freeman is a no-nonsense type of guy who is laser focused on his role as a coach and father. On a sports podcast in December, he said he has a duty to his players and children.

“I try to blend it as much as I can to see my family, but also, I want our players to see me as a father and husband,” he said. “I think some of the greatest lessons I learned in college were seeing my coaches just interact with their families.”

“To do what I do, you have to have the most unselfish wife in the world,” he added.

Marcus Freeman is ONE OF THE BEST LEADERS IN ALL OF FOOTBALL RIGHT NOW. But he knows he wouldn’t be able to do what he does without his Wife, Joanna.

“To do what I do, you have to have the most unselfish Wife in the world.” –@Marcus_Freeman1 @NDFootball pic.twitter.com/B2MYWsfjVS

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) January 3, 2025

Freeman’s amiable but firm nature or “aura” as they call it these days has persuaded many sports pundits who otherwise dislike Notre Dame to root for them this year. As a Catholic father of six who is devoted to his family and faith, he is well suited to be an ambassador for what his team represents in the current post-Christian sports industry.

A victory for a culture ready to re-embrace Christianity

The last time the Irish went to the national title game they got demolished by Alabama 42-14 in 2013. But this time around is different. They have won three playoff games in a row and by all indications have all the momentum in the world on their side.

Notre Dame also has the added motivation of avenging a last-second loss to Ohio State last year at home in South Bend when the Buckeyes scored with no time remaining on the clock to beat the Irish 17-14.

Given the increasing boldness of college athletes speaking out in defense of Our Lord right now, it seems to be destiny that a school founded to spread the Catholic faith should win the national title this year.

As corporations continue to roll back diversity initiatives, and while more lawmakers across the U.S. pass laws to keep gender-confused men out of women’s sports, a Notre Dame victory next week would be poetic justice as our culture is in great needed of Jesus Christ. I will be watching and praying for that to happen.