Notre Dame University, in Indiana, is represented by their football team “The Fighting Irish.” Appropriately, their mascot is the fictional creature the leprechaun. The first thing that usually comes to mind when you think of a leprechaun is probably a short ginger midget. However, there is absolutely no reason for a leprechaun to look like that; that description has come purely from stereotypes of the Irish.

Recently, a Bob Jones High School (yes, our school) graduate was cast as one of three leprechaun mascots at Notre Dame. Samuel Jackson, not to be confused with Samuel L. Jackson, now plays the role of the mascot for the school. However, this casting decision has caused some backlash from football fans.

One account even tweeted, “You know what is sad? Internet outrage culture has made me afraid to say that I think the ND mascot should always be a midget looking ginger. So I’m just not gonna say it,” Twitter user @stoolpresidente said.

Now, there are multiple things wrong with this statement. First and foremost, if you say that you aren’t going to say something, you probably should follow through with that.

Another thing, as previously mentioned, a leprechaun is a fictional creature. It does not have to adhere to one appearance or another.

In response, Samuel tweeted from his @samuelbjackson account: “Like it or not, this guy right here is still one of your Notre Dame leprechauns! How about we use this negative energy to bring us together this season? See y’all next game.” 

Luckily, those upset are in the minority, and Samuel has received quite a bit of support from others.

As freshman Emily Duong so wonderfully put it, “When being a mascot, it doesn’t matter what your race or gender is. Just be you, no matter the judgement.”