Instant Reaction: 'The Shirt' Unveiled

Without the hoopla of the annual Blue-Gold Game surrounding it, this year's unveiling of 'The Shirt' - the 26th annual shirt designed to unite the student section on game days and raise money for various student activities at ND - seemed a bit anticlimactic for those there, I'm sure. But the day came, and The Shirt committee turned out what appears to be another winner with this year's shirt, pictured above.

For the third time in coach Brian Kelly's six seasons, 'The Shirt' is green, after last year's somewhat divisive slate blue design. Like last year, it features a slogan: "A Golden Tradition".

Two helmets adorn 'The Shirt', one the regular golden helmet and the other a shamrocked version. This is a somewhat odd choice since the shamrocked helmets were worn during the worst five-year period in team history - the Joe Kuharich years - but the design seems to work. On the back is an old-timey design reminiscent of the early shirts, and an odd cursive 'Twenty Fifteen' wordmark is on the bottom right.

I've enjoyed the return to simplicity of 'The Shirt' during Kelly's six years after Charlie Weis' tenure was marked by increasingly grandiose slogan fodder such as 'The Spirit Lives', 'Rise and Strike' and 'Together As One', complete with odd color choices like bright yellow and what looked like sandy gold. This year's edition continues in that simple pattern. Although there is, as mentioned, a slogan, it's a pretty simple one, and the design overall is retro-ish, which is an interesting departure from last year's decidedly modern look.

Going retro is an interesting decision to make in the midst of the giant renovation project centered around Notre Dame Stadium, but then, perhaps that's the idea.

On the whole, it's pretty hard to screw up a shirt celebrating Notre Dame football, and I like this design. What say you, commentariat?