The Battle Over “Play Like a Champion Today” (Re-Spin)

ESPN Daily

ESPN

Sports

4.6 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 22 February 2022

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“Play Like a Champion Today.” It’s one of the most iconic phrases in sports, and it’s long been synonymous with Notre Dame. Over the years, legendary Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz has told the story of the team’s famous sign, and the traditional pregame slap that’s performed as they take the field. Holtz put up the sign, yes. But where did he get the idea? Another powerhouse college program disputes Holtz’s claims. ESPN’s Dave Wilson tells us who might - or might not - deserve credit for one of the most famous sentences in sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	ESPN Daily is presented by QuickBooks. Success starts with Intuit QuickBooks.
0:06.3	Hey, everybody, Pablo here with another story that we wanted to share with you all over again,
0:12.3	because you've probably heard the phrase, play like a champion, today. It is one of the most
0:17.5	famous sayings in all the sports. it is synonymous with Notre Dame football,
0:21.8	and it turns out that there is a secret history hidden behind that slogan.
0:27.7	Our friend and college football expert and proprietor of a journalistic cabinet of
0:31.7	curiosities, Dave Wilson, walks us through the story of another powerhouse college program that has a claim on the saying.
0:41.3	And yeah, of course, there's money involved.
0:44.8	So I hope you enjoy.
0:46.7	It is Tuesday, February 22nd.
0:49.5	This is ESPN Daily.
1:00.1	I say to the players every year, we're never going to go on that field without hitting that sign.
1:03.1	Notre Dame is a very special place.
1:08.6	And the last thing I want to go through your mind when you hit this is your obligation of your teammates not to let them down.
1:10.9	You want to fail, you have the right fail.
1:13.0	You do not have the right to allow your teammates to fail.
1:16.5	And that's how this sign came about.
1:19.6	I put it up.
1:24.1	That is legendary Notre Dame football coach, Lou Holtz, with a story he has told many, many times about the legendary sign that is fighting Irish slap on their way to the field, the one that says famously, play like a champion today. Holtz did put it up.
1:44.5	That is 100% true.
1:46.3	But where did he get the idea?
1:50.3	Another powerhouse college football program, it turns out, has some thoughts.
	...

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