No one should ever apologize for demanding excellence

One of the most important differences between garden-variety fans of sports franchises and the stakeholders of this unique program is the purpose of those who support the program. ND Football does not exist, as some have recently posited, primarily as a means to entertain fans. It exists first and foremost for the students, then to a lesser extent the school as a whole and the alumni. Of course, this statement is in no way intended to denigrate non-alumni. It is to clarify priorities.

Demanding the best AD's and coaching staff for our student athletes has nothing to do with serving hopes of accumulating foam fingers and trash-talking our Big10 buddies. It has everything to do with demanding that the school hold up its end of the bargain. We ask a lot of our students. We ask even more from our student athletes, more than anyone. We should be adamant that the University, in turn, assure that they have the best to direct them.

This is why everyone should be nothing short of outraged when we see David Bruton's heart torn out because his highly paid coach didn't have the first idea how to assure victory over a two-win team. Our disgust should have nothing to do with facing the inevitable water-cooler grief from our co-workers. It should be rooted in the embarrassment of failure that young men like Bruton are forced to endure.

This is also why, for my money, there was nothing better this entire season than the scene on the field on Nov. 13. After all the disappointment, the horrible tragedy, everything ... this is what it's all about ...