Notre Dame will play Syracuse on Nov. 17 at Yankee Stadium in the "Shamrock Series," and will be sporting new gear.
The school announced Thursday that the Fighting Irish will sport New York Yankees-inspired uniforms that feature pinstripe sleeves and a blue helmet with pinstripes behind the Notre Dame logo on the side.
The Fighting Irish.
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 16, 2018
The @Yankees.
Two Iconic Brands.
One Uniform.
One Night.
Yankee Stadium.
November 17 - 2:30pm.#GoIrish ☘️ #ShamrockSeries pic.twitter.com/bH6yr4BfiG
The matte navy helmet unites the Notre Dame monogram with the @Yankees inspired helmet decal. #GoIrish ☘️ #ShamrockSeries pic.twitter.com/NkRbmT2OiV
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 16, 2018
Pinstripes on both the sleeves, gloves and pants replicate the iconic @Yankees pinstripes that have been worn for over 100 years by the Bronx Bombers. #GoIrish ☘️ #ShamrockSeries pic.twitter.com/CzuivKjJMA
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 16, 2018
Take a more in-depth look at the 2018 #ShamrockSeries uniform that the Irish will be wearing on November 17 in their game vs. Syracuse. #GoIrish ☘️ #BeatOrange pic.twitter.com/Zd7fou5qnQ
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 16, 2018
Traditionalists will probably hate the look -- mostly because the helmets don't include iconic golden dome except for one small circles around the Notre Dame pinstripe logo. But what's this really all about? It's about marketing and branding.
Schools have become very creative with alternate uniforms over the years, due in part to how high school prospects react to different looks. So if a team is going to have a new look for a unique game in an iconic baseball stadium, why wouldn't it do its best to give fans an alternate uniform that actually makes sense.
Will it be weird to see the Irish wearing something so different than its usual look? Of course. But it could be worse. Remember those awful off-center blue and gold helmets from 2012?
The Shamrock Series is a Notre Dame neutral site tradition that has been around since 2009, when the Fighting Irish beat Washington State at the Alamodome in San Antonio.