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Post being replied to

An alternative viewpoint by amw2320

I want to hop out of the shadows as a long time lurker myself to voice my concern over both the banning and especially this response.

I've followed NDNation for a long time, probably longer than most. It's been a staple of my reading since being a freshman on campus in 2003 - back in the glory years of the ND online community with Blue-Gray Sky, Oldie videos, and numerous online forums. The online scene has changed considerably since then, forums were swallowed up, locked down, and neutered by paid sites (which I could never afford as a fresh grad). The hard work of the board-ops on NDN have kept it a constant source of high quality ND football content (not to take away from all the other ND sports well represented on this board as well).

I think it's fair to say posters in Rock's House always had a conservative view of both the university and it's football program. The fact that we have not had a national championship team in that time is seen as a failure at the highest levels in fulfilling our historic standing as the premier football program in the land. Continued failure in this regard has led to a undertone I believe I can rightly call pessimistic, an undertone has become stronger over the last 10 years. It seems to have become a fight to the bottom of who can be the poster angriest about the state of football, even during highlights of a 55-0 point blowout on senior day.

To add to the frustration, like everywhere in the US, politics has started to spill over this board more frequently, and a conservative viewpoint in the same vein is prominent. It has become tough for me to read as a younger, though no longer young, grad whose political leanings don't lineup, and who just wants a break in all of this polarization to read about football.

I fear the combination of pessimism and politics, has this board is turning into (perhaps already turned into) and echo chamber that, regardless if it reflects the views of most domers, suppresses viewpoints of many ND grads and fans. Outside views of this board often refer to this board as "toxic", a description I may not use, but also one that I have a hard time refuting.

I do hope you realize that when you state an "alleged graduate from a Catholic school" who wonders if individual players faith should be intertwined with the football program "is so antithetical to what ND (and its graduates) should stand for, I made the decision to kick his worthless ass out of here", you are talking about me, and an incredibly large portion of my ND classmates, and other ND alumni. Please don’t forget that 20% of the student body (and likely a higher percentage of the football program) are not Catholic. I say this as a Catholic myself.

Maybe this poster was just a troll, but picking this reason for booting them is disheartening. It tells me and other like minded fans who love ND football that their views are not welcome in this community. That this is the board only for the “good Catholics” with proper views on the state of the program. I certainly don't want to come across as board ops as to how to run this site - as was pointed out, it's your board and you have put in an incredible amount of work to sustain it over the last 20 years. But as a fan who sees one of what I would consider of the great ND football communities continue wall itself off from other viewpoints of its fans and fellow alumni, I’m saddened. But I guess I’m also just wishing for the good ‘ole days too.