Is The Fighting Irish Mascot Insensitive To Ireland’s Well-Documented History Of Cowardice?

The Notre Dame Leprechaun presents an impossible dichotomy: How in the world does an institution like Notre Dame spit in the face of Ireland’s well-documented history of cowardice by presenting itself with a mascot that acts as if it is really about that life?

In the midst of a world where authenticity reigns supreme, it is truly problematic for a college sports team to appropriate a culture from a country full of yellow-bellied, feckless muskrats that avoid conflict at all costs and portray them as some brutish, bold, and valiant warriors that can be counted on to prevail in adverse situations.

Notre Dame spares no decency in its emulation of the Irish spirit, as their program’s football team stands willing to remain independent from all of the Division-I conferences in college football. If they were anything like the country of Ireland, they would have easily caved into the demands of the NCAA and be bullied into joining a Power 5 conference, like the Irish were bullied into forking over half their country to the United Kingdom.

The people of Ireland deserve much better than to have their rich history of hiding behind the backs of others to get them out of a troubling circumstance. The closest the university has ever gotten to any sort of accuracy of what the Irish actually are was with the frail, pip-squeak Rudy they made a film about. Other than that, everything that mascot and the school stands for is an insult to all of the times the Irish have run away scared for their life.

Instead of the mascot’s fists in a fighting stance, they should be curled over its head to hold a fetal position begging for mercy and give the Irish culture the true respect it deserves.