Is The “Fighting Irish” Racist?

Racism Score: 0.1

In our article about the about the Cleveland Indians, we asked what the reaction would be if the mascot was a white man. During a focus group, a participant asked us if we thought the mascot of Notre Dame was racist. Notre Dame is known as the Fighting Irish and they have a leprechaun for a mascot. We were perplexed.

Admittedly, we have never thought about it (prior to the focus group) but in 2020, anything is possible. We reached out to close friends of Irish decent to see if they believe the Fighting Irish and the leprechaun are racist, and the answer was an emphatic, no.

We researched deeper and found there is a mild (at best) controversary brewing regarding the name. Dan Morrison is a journalist at Slap The Sign and he believes Notre Dame should reconsider their nickname. However, Morrison does not believe Notre Dame should shed the history completely.

In fact, Morrison believes Fighting should be removed from the name, so it is just “The Irish”. Morrison shares some compelling points to consider.

“It bothers me that the term “Fighting Irish” is used for a nickname. It bothers me that its origins are based on stereotypes, and trying to make the Catholic team seem lesser than their opponents. It bothers me that their mascot and logo are a leprechaun with his fists up like he’s John L. Sullivan.”

Morrison provides multiple reasons for reconsideration and we will defer to Morrison’s judgement.

Visit Notre Dame’s website for an in-depth overview on how they became the Fighting Irish!