Staying and swaying for Alma Mater is nice and all. A good gesture for the students who came out to support. A better gesture would be to win more often. The women's team wins their games and are extremely appreciative of the fans that cram the JACC for them. Unfortunately it isn't a lot of their fellow students, despite the fact that over the last 25 years they've had more finals appearances, more final 4 finishes, and more National Championships than MBB, Hockey, and Football combined all of which see larger student turnouts than WBB. Frankly, I wouldn't mind the other sports doing a bit more of what works for WBB and less of the not winning things they're currently doing.
Traditions don't mean as much without titles/final fours. I have great memories of the home football games because we won almost every home game from 1987-1990. The fact that students shook their keys on third down doesn't matter very much.
Should have painted their nails green. It's been a long tradition in Women's Basketball (longer than the Alma Mater being sung after Football games, which started in 2005 under Charlie Weis, compared to 1998 for Women's Basketball nail painting). It's the tradition of one of the ND teams, after all.
BTW, Weis did it as a salute to the ND students. There's usually a large group of ND students in the stands at Men's Basketball as well. The same generally can't be said for the Women's Basketball games.
and sway at FB and MBB games. The WBB team gathers at mid-court after each home game, waves, and throws t-shirts. That is good enough for me as an alum and season-ticket holder.
Muffet usually gives a wave to the band and gives them special recognition after winning an ACC title, a NCAA regional, or the NCAA championship game.
and who started it? and what makes it "tradition"? I think it was Weiss, someone I don't consider a great rep of our university.
in usual sense. Even in games the last few years.
Not quite "decades," just under a decade and a half.
Not questioning whether it's a long standing "tradition", just curious if there was a reason the women didn't. Surely they are aware of it in other sports and I would think they might embrace it.
Not trying to start a controversy, just wondering if it was a conscious decision to forego doing it or just not something they ever felt they needed to do.
4 games in 3 days just made me aware - I hadn't even noticed before
no recollection of "missing" the Alma Mater. Standing joke in the family that proof of my demise will be lack of response to a playing of Notre Dame Our Mother.
Maybe not a long standing "tradition" but surely a nice gesture (and doesn't matter who or when it started). The fact that football and men's basketball do it (I believe I have seen lacrosse do it as well), make it a well known tradition.
I like it and many others do as well, so I just wondered why hockey and women's basketball don't. Only takes but a couple minutes. Doesn't mean I won't keep supporting them, was just curious.
They even play it at the end of Masses at the Basilica
So why "salute" them when they aren't there
With that reasoning, I guess they shouldn't even play it
Maybe they tried before and no one stuck around - I'd understand. Just wanted to see if anyone had any insight on why it happens for some sports and not others
Was as a salute to the student section in the stands. The players being students is irrelevant to this discussion.
Football and Men's Basketball has a lot of students in the stands. Women's Basketball doesn't.
That makes sense, although I still think it would be a nice gesture. I know it's not exactly a chicken/egg thing - singing the alma mater won't bring students. And I'm not sure why students don't support the team, I went to women's games at the very infancy of the program when women's basketball hadn't developed into the exciting game it is today
Again, it wasn't supposed to be a criticism - it was genuine question
... a much smaller percentage of the fans at the women's games are students and alumni compared to football and men's basketball. That could be part of the reason the "tradition" hasn't made its way to women's bball.
...but "tradition" is a hard term to define sometimes...
That's been going on forever, a true tradition.
I've always heard that it debuted at Rockne's funeral at ND. However, when I decided to do a search for it, while some pages list that as true, some official ND sites list it as debuting at halftime of the 1930 stadium dedication game and one other source said that it debuted at the October 7, 1931 premiere of Universal Pictures’ The Spirit of Notre Dame.
...but those were the 60's so my memory may have gaps due to all the drugs.
for those who are able to attend ND home games on a frequent basis.
Is there a band/combo available to back it up or is there a recording playing? Or voices only?
Having some sort of accompaniment makes it easier for crowds, particularly if you don't know all the words.
Just wondering.
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One element I do like about WCBB/a lot of men's basketball is the handshake at the end of the games. Puts a friendly punctuation point on the end of the contest.
Saturday Mens basketball Concord high school played (but alma mater might have been a recording?)
Friday hockey there wasn't a band, but Saturday ND band (or portion of it) was there
Sunday, the ND band was there for the Women's game
I have been to other hockey and mens and Womens basketball when school is in session and there has always been an ND band.