Notre Dame criticism is nothing new, but one recent article has drawn attention for a reason that goes beyond the usual football debate. The source points to a Matt Hayes piece about Notre Dame’s schedule and says it was written in a way designed to get people upset and clicking. That reaction has turned the article into part of a broader argument about sports media, engagement bait, and how Notre Dame is often used to spark the loudest possible response.
The comparison that keeps coming up is Rick Reilly’s Notre Dame hit piece from August of 2012 in Sport Illustrated. The source calls that story one of the most infamous hit pieces and suggests that, over the last decade and a half, other writers have tried to follow the same blueprint. In that framing, the goal is not neutral analysis. It is outrage. It is attention. It is the kind of content that gets shared because it makes people angry enough to respond.
Why the Matt Hayes piece stands out
According to the source, the Matt Hayes article about Notre Dame’s schedule earned $643. That number is part of why the story is getting traction. It turns a standard criticism of a program’s scheduling into a conversation about what kind of incentives drive sports coverage in the first place. The source’s point is straightforward: if an article is built to provoke, the reaction becomes part of the product.
The timing also matters. Notre Dame is traveling to Provo, Utah, to face No. 8 BYU, and schedule talk naturally follows the Irish wherever they go. That makes Notre Dame an easy target for writers looking to stir up a debate about strength of schedule, playoff positioning, and public perception. The source even frames the broader issue as a pattern of rage baiting in sports coverage, with Notre Dame serving as the recurring lightning rod.
The bigger media issue
The argument here is not just about one article or one writer. It is about how sports media can reward the harshest, loudest take, especially when Notre Dame is involved. The source also references promotional links and schedule references tied to Notre Dame, reinforcing the idea that the conversation around the program is often packaged for engagement as much as for analysis.
One quoted line from Matt Hayes captures the tone the source is criticizing: “Indiana is doing just fine scheduling every cupcake in the bakery to make the CFP, but when it comes to Notre Dame and their schedule — it’s a god damn holy war.” That kind of language helps explain why the piece landed the way it did. It is not subtle, and it is not trying to be.
For Notre Dame, the practical reality is that schedule scrutiny will not go away. The Irish remain one of the most visible programs in CFB, and every matchup gets treated as evidence for or against the team’s postseason case. For readers, the takeaway is simpler: the schedule debate is often less about the games themselves and more about how those games are being used in the larger fight for attention.
