By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-19 19:47:12 | Updated at 2024-11-19 23:22:52
3 hours ago
The University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish have long held a connection to the Emerald Isle. But the school's hockey team may regret taking part in a competition in Belfast after sending out a series of guidelines to fans.
In a now-deleted tweet, the school's men's hockey team advised fans to avoid wearing certain colors and using particular phrases associated with the school before arriving for games at the SSE Arena at the end of November.
Notre Dame is playing there as part of a four-team tournament called the 'Friendship Four' - with the other three teams participating all coming from Hockey East: Merrimack College, Harvard University, and Boston University (which, worth noting, is a separate institution from Boston College).
The tweet read, 'We can't wait to see your Notre Dame in Belfast gear inside SSE Arena. Just a reminder to avoid our Irish symbolism, that may be deemed offensive to some, while out around town.'
That tweet also came with a graphic - instructing attendees what to avoid wearing.
While the school's colors are navy blue and gold, green has been commonly used by the university in its uniforms.
The University of Notre Dame's men's hockey team received backlash on social media after they published a set of guidelines before they play a series of games in Belfast this month
Those guidelines told fans to avoid wearing green or anything saying 'Irish' or 'Fighting Irish' among other rules in a series of social media posts
Nevertheless, the tweet advised people to avoid wearing any green to the game.
They also said to avoid wearing anything that said 'Fighting Irish' or 'Irish'. This is worth noting as the hockey team has special-edition uniforms made just for this game in Belfast which say 'Irish' diagonally across the chest.
One logo long associated with the university is of a leprechaun in a fighting stance. The school's graphic listed that leprechaun as one of its things not to wear.
Wrapping up the list of what not to wear include the Irish tricolor as well as any shamrocks.
The school was blasted for the post across social media, especially on X, formerly Twitter.
'That tweet from Notre Dame Hockey was absolutely wild,' wrote one user on the platform.
Another said, 'Notre Dame Hockey can get bent.'
One user joked: 'PSA: Notre Dame hockey fans, just wear Rangers FC jerseys everywhere you go in Belfast, wave British flags too, you'll be ok!!'
Notre Dame made special edition jerseys for the games played in Belfast - which happen to violate their own published guidelines by having the word 'Irish' scrawled across the chest
Notre Dame's football team, by far the most successful sporting institution at the school, has played a number of games over in Ireland over the years - all against the United States Naval Academy.
They held their first game at Croke Park in Dublin in 1996 against the Midshipmen, winning 54-27. The Fighting Irish returned in 2012 to play Navy once again, this time at the Aviva Stadium and coming home with another win by a score of 50-10.
Notre Dame was scheduled to take part in a game against Navy again in August of 2020, but the game was shifted to the Naval Academy's stadium in Annapolis, Maryland due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
They eventually both played again at the Aviva in 2023 - with Notre Dame winning 42-3.
