(Notre Dame) What is the story behind this trend in Social Media today?
07-09-2026
Notre Dame’s presence on social media today centers on its football team’s season opener against Wisconsin, played at Lambeau Field as part of the Shamrock Series. The Fighting Irish entered the year with unusually high expectations as a national title contender under coach Marcus Freeman, and the neutral-site game in Green Bay generated heavy pregame attention through hype videos, special uniforms that nodded to Packers history, and fan discussion of the program’s championship window.A notable element that spread quickly was a new T-shirt design reading “Catholics vs. Alcoholics.” It deliberately echoed the famous 1988 “Catholics vs. Convicts” shirts created by Notre Dame students ahead of a heated game against Miami. This version referenced Wisconsin’s well-known beer culture and became a popular item among fans attending or following the matchup.The game itself produced live conversation as Notre Dame built a lead, including a pick-six that extended the advantage in the third quarter. Parallel discussion also touched on the school’s new multi-year jersey-patch sponsorship with SoFi, a high-value deal that some longtime supporters viewed as a break from tradition in an era of increased athlete compensation and commercial partnerships in college sports.Together these elementsthe high-stakes opener, the throwback shirt meme, the distinctive venue and uniforms, and the sponsorship debatedrove the day’s Notre Dame-related activity across platforms.