Great controversial article

Warning: another soapbox post -

We are in the middle of getting ready for a Harry Potter birthday party tonight for Grace's 10th birthday, but I had to take some time to post this.  I had never heard of Phil Mushnick until yesterday.  I was hearing all this buzz on talk radio about Adrian Peterson and the article that Phil Mushnick wrote about him - read it here.  When I read the article myself, I decided I couldn't agree with him more.  I give him credit for writing about this issue that a lot of people don't have the guts to confront in such a public way. 

I have never enjoyed any professional sports really, but in the past 3-5 years that feeling has gone from a simple disregard to almost a passionate loathing.  There is something very basically wrong with supposedly gifted athletes making more money than people who choose to help save lives for a living (obviously this career could cover many different jobs).  Not only that, our country idolizes them as well.  There is no good, honorable, or reasonable explanation for it. 

There is an issue that runs so much deeper though, like Mushnick alluded to.  So many people in this country are very willing to become parents but with no intention of having a family.  Some estimates show that 60 percent of children born in the 90's have no father for a significant part of their early lives.  With 40 percent of marriages ending in divorce, this surely can't help that 60 percent statistic.  How many children are born out of wedlock?  30 percent.  These statistics are easy to find - for those that seek truth and not excuses.

Pope John Paul II spoke to the Pontifical Council for the Family in June of 1999 and his message revolved around fatherhood.

     "For some time now the family institution has been under repeated attack. These attacks are all the more dangerous and insidious since they ignore the irreplaceable value of the family based on marriage. They have reached the point of proposing false alternatives to the family and of calling for legislative recognition of them. But when laws, which should be at the service of the family, a fundamental good for society, turn against it, they acquire alarming destructive power."

You can read the entire piece here.  The breakdown of the family has had such far reaching effects, we will probably never realize it fully.  On the other hand, there are some very obvious things caused by this breakdown, but, in this culture of relativism, we want to excuse it away and further promote entitlement. 

Even still, we have to stay positive and remain hopeful.  In the words of St. Padre Pio, pray, hope and don't worry. 

I will read more of Phil Mushnick and see what other interesting things he has had to say. 

Notre Dame Culture

As the Notre Dame football team prepares to get beat by play Arizona State tonight, I can't help but be reluctant to watch or listen or even care.  Growing up, Notre Dame football was an important part of Saturday afternoons in the fall.  I have fond memories of hearing my family discuss all the ins and outs of the team and then analyze each game.  My dad would listen on the radio a lot because he didn't care for the TV announcers.  When Lou Holtz was coach, in my adolescent mind, he was the BEST.  Most everyone loved him and he was successful - everything a coach and their fans dream of.  He even took the team to a National Championship in 1988. 

When my husband reads this, he will probably be disappointed.  He no doubt knows how I feel, but I try to keep it fairly quiet because of his longstanding emotional admiration for this team.  He grew up heavily invested in Notre Dame sports, especially football.  He and his mom will still talk after the games to share their analysis, opinions and recommendations. 

In the past few years, Notre Dame has expanded their efforts to market themselves.  The year that Obama was nominated, they were the first university to invite him to be the commencement speaker which caused a huge uproar the likes I had not seen in this city before. 

In the years following that event, Notre Dame has been questioned regarding their true standing in terms of the Catholic faith in many ways - too many to list here.  Thankfully, there are those working tirelessly to make sure the Catholic tradition remains true on their campus.

Back to football - since Lou Holtz, there have been some tumultuous years with coaches and players, and it seems the whole program is on a slippery slope. 

At the end of the Michigan State game, the coach was talking to the news reporter on the field after the game and when the students and team started singing the Alma Mater (a tradition which was started in 2006), the coach didn't bother to stop his interview to be with his team...he just kept talking. 

The Notre Dame athletic director decided to change the 'policy' regarding the singing of the Alma Mater in 2011 to determine that it would only be sung after a win.  Even though they have experienced a few losses this year already, the students were still singing at the end of those games.  The students have recently spoken about their disappointment in the above policy change.  I think the administration is missing the point completely.  The song honors Our Lady and since she is the patron saint of the university, the student body and football team should come together to honor Our Lady at the end of every game no matter the outcome. 

We found out yesterday on campus that last week the coach cancelled a longstanding tradition of the team going to Mass before a game.  Turning away from their origins in the Catholic faith is at the root of some current Notre Dame issues (in my humble opinion) and the slope continues to get more slippery.

I'll get off my soapbox now.....