Letter to a Rival: Thank you Roger and Thank you Rafa

One assignment in my Ethics class requires students to write a "Call to Action" letter to an organization or a particular politician. In addition to a grade, my students receive a envelope and a stamp. I don't know why it continues to surprise me, but for the past twenty years I have had to teach high school students how to format and address the letter. They cry, "No one writes letters anymore!"  I pause. "That's interesting. I wrote Joe's college letter of recommendation two weeks ago." They respond "Those are different." "Are they? I ask. "Seems like there is a message that is delivered in the written form." While we may not use pen to paper, letters are not a thing of the past. We write cards and send text messages. We author thank you notes and pour out or hearts with love letters. And today, I read a new one: a love letter to a rival.

Letters in sports aren't uncommon. Upon his retirement Michael Jordan scripted a love letter to basketball; so did Kobe. When Barry Zito left the San Francisco Giants, he took out a full page in the San Francisco Chronicle that featured his letter of gratitude to the fans. I love when athletes think to do this. Earlier this year, I wrote about a letter from John Fisher, the owner of the Oakland A's. I read this "great work of fiction" to my class and much to my surprise, I got choked up. Letters are both personal and private, sometimes public, often revelatory.

As written in The Athletic, "Roger Federer says Rafael Nadal made him “enjoy the game even more” as the Spaniard retires from tennis at the Davis Cup in Malaga, Spain this week.

Federer, who retired alongside Nadal at the 2022 Laver Cup, opened a letter in tribute to his great rival with the salient fact of their rivalry: “You beat me — a lot. More than I managed to beat you.” The letter, in its entirety is here:

Vamos, @RafaelNadal

As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional.

Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me—a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could. On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground. You made me reimagine my game—even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge. 

 I’m not a very superstitious person, but you took it to the next level. Your whole process. All those rituals. Assembling your water bottles like toy soldiers in formation, fixing your hair, adjusting your underwear... All of it with the highest intensity. Secretly, I kind of loved the whole thing. Because it was so unique—it was so you. And you know what, Rafa, you made me enjoy the game even more. 

OK, maybe not at first. After the 2004 Australian Open, I achieved the #1 ranking for the first time. I thought I was on top of the world. And I was—until two months later, when you walked on the court in Miami in your red sleeveless shirt, showing off those biceps, and you beat me convincingly. All that buzz I’d been hearing about you—about this amazing young player from Mallorca, a generational talent, probably going to win a major someday—it wasn’t just hype.

We were both at the start of our journey and it’s one we ended up taking together. Twenty years later, Rafa, I have to say: What an incredible run you’ve had. Including 14 French Opens—historic! You made Spain proud... you made the whole tennis world proud.

I keep thinking about the memories we’ve shared. Promoting the sport together. Playing that match on half-grass, half-clay. Breaking the all-time attendance record by playing in front of more than 50,000 fans in Cape Town, South Africa. Always cracking each other up. Wearing each other out on the court and then, sometimes, almost literally having to hold each other up during trophy ceremonies.

I’m still grateful you invited me to Mallorca to help launch the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2016. Actually, I kind of invited myself. I knew you were too polite to insist on me being there, but I didn’t want to miss it. You have always been a role model for kids around the world, and Mirka and I are so glad that our children have all trained at your academies. They had a blast and learned so much—like thousands of other young players. Although I always worried my kids would come home playing tennis as lefties.

And then there was London—the Laver Cup in 2022. My final match. It meant everything to me that you were there by my side—not as my rival but as my doubles partner. Sharing the court with you that night, and sharing those tears, will forever be one of the most special moments of my career.

Rafa, I know you’re focused on the last stretch of your epic career. We will talk when it’s done. For now, I just want to congratulate your family and team, who all played a massive role in your success. And I want you to know that your old friend is always cheering for you, and will be cheering just as loud for everything you do next. 

Rafa that!

Best always, your fan, 
Roger

Wimbledon 2008: largely considered to be one of the greatest matches every played.

Ever gracious, it's not surprising that King Fed would recognize his chief rivals' success against him. However, what surprised me was his appreciation of Rafa's superstitions. Those ticks. The OCD? I found Nadal's rituals and his ways hard to watch on television. At times I would even look away from the camera until I knew the ball was in play. Rather than stand in judgment (I'm good at that) Fed said "I kind of loved the whole thing. Because it was so unique—it was so you." Tan bonito.

And still, Federer raises the bar by congratulating not just Rafa, but "your family and team, who all played a massive role in your success."  Both men know tennis may be an individual sport but no one does it alone. The Nadal family name and even the people of Mallorca have a right to share in the celebration of this legend.

In my post "The 60 Minutes Interview of Rafael Nadal: Simply Beautiful," Wertheim asks Rafa is he ever gets interviewed without a question about King Fed. "Do you ever get tired of being asked about Roger?" He responds "No. Encantado."  Which means, it is my pleasure. Que rico, Rafa.

I am grateful that one of tennis' greats took the time to share his sentiments and honor his greatest rival in the form of missive. He models for us an important and timeless action. In order to write a letter, one must reflect upon another person and consider why you care about them and what they mean to you. With a public or open letter, we the fans received a small window into something we saw develop often twenty years time. And as Proverbs 27 proclaims, As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Sports fans around the world were witnesses to one man becoming better both on and off the court because of a shared love, a shared game: tennis.  Rivals? Yes. Friends? Amen.

Photo Credits
Walking
2008
Today

Criticism or Player Accountability? That is the Question

With all due respect to Kyle Shanahan, and I mean that, I have to wonder: If Deebo Samuel had played for John Wooden, would he have treated Jake Moody differently?

I ask this question because the Hall of Fame UCLA men's basketball coach, John Wooden had but three rules for his team. 

1. Be on time: being punctual showed respect for his players' time.
2. No profanity: to use foul language was to relinquish control. He believed it allowed your opponent to know they had gotten inside your head.
3. Never criticize a teammate: to do so doesn't build up a team but puts on member against another. 

Wooden's intention was to create an environment where respect and loyalty were given and received. The poignancy and simplicity of his three rules provided a foundation—a place for players to stand. His players knew what was expected and what would not be tolerated. Any coach knows that rules can and will be broken. And, still the question crossed my mind: Would things be different? 

For context, As written on the Ninerswire:

Tempers flared on the San Francisco 49ers’ sideline during the team’s 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

After kicker Jake Moody missed his third kick, wide receiver Deebo Samuel had some words for the 49ers’ second-year kicker. Long snapper Taybor Pepper wasn’t happy with whatever Samuel had to say, and got in the receiver’s face. Samuel responded by striking Pepper in the throat. 

There was more yelling between the two players, but no further physical escalation.

Though it's not clear precisely what Deebo said, one thing is: he criticized his teammate. Deebo let frustration get the best of him. Yes, football is an incredibly emotional game. No one will question Deebo's commitment to giving the very best and the most of himself to it. What he puts his body through week after week after week is tremendous. But, Deebo is just one a member of a 53-man roster. No single player can win the game alone. This same message is found in Scripture.

Saint Paul wasn't writing to a football team but in his letter to the people of Corinth speaks to One Body, Many Parts. He writes

As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. 

Now the body is not a single part, but many. If a foot should say, “Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. Or if an ear should say, “Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. If they were all one part, where would the body be? But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.”  Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary. May  there be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.If [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.

To criticize a teammate to dishonor them. There is no way that a professional athlete wants to NOT make the catch, play or kick. Rather than tearing a teammate down, it is important to build a teammate up.  John Wooden was a devout Christian. I have to wonder if his rule was inspired by this passage.

Full disclosure: I love Deebo Samuel. I do not hold this instance against him—though I do think there is a lot to learn from it and for sports fans to discuss. For example, one argument made in Samuel's favorite is the notion of player accountability.

This principle suggests that there is value in teammates holding each other accountable. I don't disagree. The question is How? When? Where? And what is an effective way for a teammate to hold another accountable? I think these are questions for coaches and players to ask and to answer.

Player accountability Fortunately, Moody made the 44-yard game-winner as time expired and helped the 49ers get home with a win. When asked about the incident, Deebo said, “Just frustrated in the heat of battle. It was a close game and I kinda got out of character a little bit. But I’ll talk to Moody and we’ll get past it.”

Moody responded,  “Like I said, it’s in the heat of the moment – it happens. I do have to make those kicks at the end of the day, so that’s all I’m focused on. I’m not worried on anything like that.”

If Moody had missed that kick however, how might we perceive the notion of player accountability differently. Would we?

In the post-game press conference, Shanahan said, “I don’t have much of a take because I didn’t see any of it.  I just got told about it – but probably an obvious one, guys frustrated and something probably happened and you know brothers scuffle a little bit. I didn’t see any of it, so I don’t know how bad it was, but something I’m not too worried about, we’ll fix it. If it hasn’t been fixed already, we’ll fix it on the plane and go back to loving each other tomorrow.” 

I have to wonder what are Coach Shanahan's rules? What are his non-negotiables? Not a criticism, just a question. 

Photo Credits
Wooden
Coach and Deebo

Reverse Rubbernecking

Waze informed me it would be 12 minutes before I would get to and through the traffic jam. I noticed that the accident wasn't even on my side of the road. No lanes were closed and yet traffic ensued. How? Why?! Rubbernecking. According to Progressive auto-insurance,

Rubbernecking occurs when drivers take their eyes off the road to look at a distraction, such as an accident or arrest. The term originated in the late 1800s to describe the act of turning and stretching the neck to eavesdrop. Today, it's synonymous with the same motion but is now commonly associated with the action that takes place while driving—namely slowing down to see an event that happened to someone else. Rubbernecking is a form of distracted driving that can be as dangerous as texting or talking on the phone while driving. 

To me, rubbernecking isn't that much different than gossip. We are curious creatures. Who doesn't want the low down? We want to know, but, like gossip, we seldom feel better after engaging, or in this case, taking the long look. Still, this blog is not meant to be a rant on rubbernecking or to preach against the tyranny of talk. Instead, I would like to offer all sports fans a practice worth pursuing. In June 2019, I wrote "Practice Reverse Gossip." Now I would like to offer a similar post. You guessed it: reverse rubbernecking.

This morning at the gym, highlights of the Golden State Warriors win over the Boston Celtics decorated and dominated local and national sports news. From Warriors' Coach Steve Kerr getting booed (for not givingCeltics star, Jason Tatum much playing time in the Olympics) to the recent success of the Splash Buddies, (the Splash Brothers are no more) there was enough electric content to make this reel worth running every half hour.

I noticed that every time the game summary appeared on the TV, I couldn't look away. In no way was I gawking. I found myself watching again, and again and again. Hadn't I just seen these shots? I marveled at one player among the others: Stephen Curry. Steph not only led the Warriors with 27 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds he made it look effortless. And that is how it felt to take it all in....

I took my eyes off of my weights and kept them on the screen. I remained curious; I wanted to see more. As I did, I realized my brain slowed down. It felt as though it opened up in watching but one thing or in this case one athlete (see Flow channel). My friend Jimmy, a die hard Celtics fan admitted "much respect for Steph. One of my all time favorites to watch." I wasn't the only one to feel this way. 

What's the lesson to learn? Watch! Enjoy the long look. Give your brain a positive pause. Let it soak something in. Rather than taking your eyes off the road and turning your head, reverse the rubberneck. Keep your focus on what's seeking your attention.

Obviously this analogy can only go so far. It falls short because the fact of the matter is if you are driving a car, you're not free to just pull over and gaze. You have some place to be. And yet, I think there's a need to name this playful  idea.

Reverse rubbernecking— came about as I stood near the start line of the WCAL III cross country race. Though I have not coached XC since 2015, I make a point of attending what is final league meet of the season every year. It takes place at a true cross country course—Crystal Springs. The 3.1 mile trek is situated in a space replete with rolling hills, very few trees and a designated path. One my think it's open space, but its primary function is for the sport of cross country, and in particular to showcase a race like this one. Once I got there, I knew I was in a place where I would see something special. 

At WCAL I in early October, I caught sight of a fantastic runner—one who makes a case for reverse rubbernecking. I didn't know anything about this senior, but I heard a buzz from the crowd when the varsity boys race convened. In a few minutes time, I realized why. The winner Miles Cook from Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep took the lead very early on and at no point in time was it close to compromised. As he emerged through the tunnel and onto the Polo Fields, the crowd started cheering as he completed this final 400 m to the finish line. He came through running fast and looking strong. Exhaustion? pain? agony? not on his face. He too made it look effortless. To watch him run was a thing of beauty. It's something for every sports fan to savor. Though that is not the reason I went to WCAL III, once I was there, I was excited for what I was in for. Cook did not disappoint.

Take these images to heart. When you see sport at its best: watch! Don't look away. Give your brain a break and let it behold what is unfolding before your eyes.

I wonder if I commit to reverse rubbernecking—will I find more to enjoy? Will I encounter more sport to savor? I'm happy to focus in on Steph this season as a social experiment. Stay tuned.

Photo Credits
Rubbernecking
Coach Kerr
Miles Cook
Highlights: Photo and reel is here

Thank you, Dodgers: A Personal Ethic of Sports Gambling

Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been three months since my last confession. This is what I have done wrong: I bet on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

While I would not seek out the Sacrament of Reconciliation for gambling on the World Series Champions, I did send this text to a friend of mine—a Jesuit priest and ardent Dodger fan. He was delighted to read that I believed in his team enough to put my money behind them. I did. I won.

When I heard the odds, the Dodgers -140, I quickly placed a straight bet on LA to win the series. Those pesky Dodgers have one stacked line-up and the third highest payroll in MLB. I knew enough about the team and the Yankees to consider this to be a smart bet.* However, as each game unfolded, my smart bet felt like a dirty one. Not because it's illegal or illicit, but because in betting for LA to win, I found myself cheering for them—and for me, that's a problem. Fortunately, I learned a lesson that I would like to share with all sports fans and especially the parents of young sports fans: I believe an ethic of (sports) gambling is important.

Maybe you think that's funny or unrealistic. One friend said to me "You have this because you are a Religion teacher and teach ethics. but I think it's worth consideration. Sports betting is incredibly accessible (thank you internet) and unstigmatized. I liken it to a controlled substance. There is an age requirement for legal gambling (21) and it can be entertaining, engaging and fun. It is also risky and for those with addictive tendencies, it can be problematic. I do believe that those who choose to gamble ought to consider how they plan to participate. What can one afford? What are the limits? What if you push the limits? We know the benefits, but what are the consequences. Those are the formal rules, but this Dodger bet invited me to consider others.

I can and will never bet against my own team. I hold this as a categorical imperative. I am not willing to put my personal loyalty aside for the purpose of financial gain. How I support my team holds no bearing on the final outcome and yet I am too emotionally tied to my team's success. I hate losing, period. To lose the game and win money is cognitive dissonance. When a friend who self-identifies as a Yankee fan told me he bet on the Dodgers as well, I found myself questioning his devotion to the Bronx Bombers. I asked, "Are you a big Yankees fan?" What is your thought on this? Consider the question in the creation of your own ethic.

By a similar standard, I don't bet ON my favorite teams: the Fighting Irish, 49ers, Giants or Warriors. I cannot say I would never do it. I won't commit to not doing it, but as a personal ethic, for me, it's better that I don't. I care too much. I get enough enjoyment out of my own teams' play that I believe gambling will compromise. Furthermore, making what a "smart bet" is clouded by personal bias; it's hard to be objective about one's team. And yet, I know no team better than my own. By holding an ethic to not betting on my own team, I take these questions and quandaries out of the question. 

Where it gets interesting is what the 2024 World Series left me. I know this was a dream scenario for MLB. I admit, the billing was much more interesting that the Rangers vs. Diamondbacks. I did not like either team and the truth of the matter is that gambling provides an emotional, exciting and direct way to engage. This is part of my ethic. 

I figured my derision for both teams opened a door of opportunity. I placed a reasonable bet—one I could afford to lose and would be happy to win and waited to see what would happen. 

Maybe it was the excitement of the series—and it was dynamic and thrilling. The first game in LA went into extra innings and easily could have gone to either team. Freddie Freeman's walk off home run was why we love October baseball. The talent of both squads, questionable choices of Aaron Boone, fan interference and its impact on the game as well as the importance of defense made for viewing numbers unlike those in years past. I'd like to think I kept an eye on the games and my ear close to the ground because I'm a baseball fan, but I know it's because I had money involved. I didn't tell most people I had a bet on the series because it prompted me to cheer for the Dodgers. Again: cognitive dissonance. I found myself singing the praises of the players I actively root against: Max Muncy, Gavin Lux, Blake Treinen? Ugh! Gross. If they had lost, one could argue that would fuel my fire for this rivalry. Instead, we were now close bedfellows. 

The 2024 World Series taught me that an ideal situation....and I think it is now part of my ethic, is if my team is NOT in the final contest, to bet on a team that I like that isn't at odds with my own team. For example, if the Niners are not in the Super Bowl, I have no problem cheering for the Buffalo Bills. They are in another division, I like Josh Allen, I can rally behind Bills Mafia, I am tired of the Kansas City Chiefs, etc. This feels *right* to me.

In the past two years, I am indirectly aware that a large number of my students—seniors in high school are betting on sports. In my Sports and Spirituality class, gambling has become a hot topic in the student led Sports in the News presentations. There is a lot of joking and snickering around the subject. Students speak of the odds, the over/under and  more. In short, there are regular attempts to integrate the language of sports betting into class. I never knew "parlay" would be so colloquial! Students have asked me my stance on sports betting, and I've told them. I opened a Draft Kings account for the sole purpose of finding out for myself how easy it is to place bets and the extent of what one can gamble on. The options are endless. In fact, I found it remarkably difficult to place a straight up bet, the app was littered with prop bets, teasers and more. When I mentioned that certain sports bets were not possible to place in California, several students advised me to access a firewall. I realized quite quickly what used to be a bit of a joking matter, was now an everyday activity, a common experience and a culture I help support. 

If you haven't thought about an ethic around sports betting, it's worth further consideration and conversation. Talk to others and get their thoughts—people hold interesting and varied points of view. One way to learn is to engage....if you do, good luck! And keep is clean ;-)

*Smart Bet: rhetorical statement. I wonder, do gamblers place any bet that isn't "smart" in their own eyes? Maybe... again, more worth consideration

Photo Credits
Max Muncy
Trophy
Sports Bet

Cell Phone Policy: At School and Even in an NBA Locker Room

One of the more noticeable changes of the 2024-2025 school year is the cell phone policy. Like so many schools throughout the country, we took a proactive stance this year—requiring students to either place their phone in a caddy in the classroom or keep it in their backpack. Many teachers feared students would leave "burner" phones. Others worried that placing and picking up phones would diminish class time. However, I am happy to report students have readily complied with the new practice and expectations. Teenagers are still actively messaging on their iPads or laptops. Some abuse the policy by "going to the bathroom." This basic request is all too often a euphemism for "I need time to send and read text messages." Furthermore, the minute the bell rings, students either get out their phones or retrieve them from the caddy and log in and on. Too many are walking zombies. Who have we become? What have we become? I would like to suggest this is NOT just a question for teachers and students. In fact, it's worth considering as a nation and a society.

In Sports and Spirituality, I spend the first week establishing class norms, unpacking the syllabus, outlining expectations and listing the goals of the course. I do what I can to frame all of this as it relates to our classroom and the world at large. For example, the syllabus mentions that the classroom is a cell phone free zone. I explain why it is important that both phones and iPads are not out or open until instructed otherwise. If a student needs to use their phone, they should do so outside of the classroom and in the hallway. However, they need to be in their seat when the bell rings. Any student who is not in their seat when the bell rings is considered tardy. 

School bell or not—being on time is important. Athletics speaks to this principle all the time and as written in NFL players often forget Rule No. 1: Show up on time, athletes struggle with it too. It says, "Back before he won the Super Bowls and was known more for his rules than his rings, Tom Coughlin had one directive that sounded so extreme, it was borderline comical: If you weren't five minutes early for a team meeting, you were late." Furthermore, if you're late for a team meeting you can be fined. In jest, I ask if I should employ this policy in class, too. And to whom should I donate the money—St. Anthony's foundation? This rule in associated with many others which carry a financial consequence agreed to through the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement). Professional athletes are just that: professionals. They are paid handsomely to do their job, but they are fined heavily when they don't. 

For those students who find rules to be tedious or the school handbook too scrupulous, I mention that the late great John Wooden of UCLA basketball fame had but three rules.

1. Be on time.
2. Never criticize a teammate.
3. Not one word of profanity.
   

I wish I had but three, but I don't. Perhaps the Pyramid of Success was Wooden's way around three rules. Maybe less really is more. I see this work of genius as a different approach to establishing the necessary rules for his team—for any team! However, Coach Wooden never had to deal with cell phones. I have to wonder, were he coaching today, Which building blocks might address how to use technology properly? And given that college players are now paid quite handsomely, perhaps this report The Right Call: What Sports Teach Us About Work and Life by Sally Jenkins may speak to what has become a semi-similar audience.

In the chapter entitled, Discipline: The Framework
Jenkins writes,

Too many times to count, NBA coach Doc Rivers has seen cell phones get in the way of winning. Rivers tries to discourage players from checking statistics on their phones at halftime, because he doesn’t want them fixated on personal scoring. If a guy knows he shot 1-10 in the first half, it “might affect his play in the second half; make him overaggressive or, worse, hesitant, and either way ruin the team’s flow. Nevertheless, often when Rivers walks into the locker room to address his team at the break, what does he see? A lot of bent heads. Guys are staring down at the devices in their hands, checking their stats online. Not only that, they’re reading texts and tweets about their stats. 

What is Rivers supposed to do? Ban all cell phones? Bench the worst offenders? 

Rivers has an aura of authority. He’s six-foot-four, the son of a cop, with a voice like truck wheels on gravel. He’s spent forty years in the NBA, first as a player and then as a winning head coach of four different franchises across the league. He led the Boston Celtics to an NBA title in 2008, set a franchise record for victories with the LA Clippers in 2014, and in 2020–2021 he turned the Philadelphia 76ers into a contender for the first time in 20 years. 

Rivers’s no-stats philosophy was formed as a player, an All-Star for the Atlanta Hawks in the late 1980s. One night, Rivers went off for thirty-seven points. With two minutes left he had the team up by twenty, and he motioned to the sideline that he wanted to come out of the game and let a younger player clean up and get some experience. But his coach Bob Weiss wanted to leave him in. 

“You have a chance to get your career high,” Weiss said. Rivers thought about it for a moment, and replied, “So what?” 

Rivers fervently believes a player is better off not focusing on scoring, but on the elements that lead to teamwork, such as disciplined movement without the ball and sound defense. “If I had thirty-nine, I was going to be a better person?” Rivers asked rhetorically, telling the story years later. “To me, you do your job, and wherever you stop doing it, you stop doing it for the right reasons.”

Smartphones threaten to get in the way of those precepts. They are chock-full of distracting and mentally distorting material. Guys pick up their phones to check their numbers, and see a message from their agents telling them what they should do, as opposed to what their team needs them to do. Rivers calls the devices the Bad News Phones. He tells his assistant coaches, “Whatever news they’re getting on the phone, it’s not in our favor.” 

“No one on those phones is telling them, ‘You should pass more,’” Rivers has observed. 

“No one is telling them the reason they’re not playing more is they don’t play defense hard enough.” 

But what is Rivers supposed to do about it? How is Rivers supposed to make players who “are seven feet tall and 280 pounds do anything they don’t want to do?" Even if Rivers could find an effective way to enforce the rule, it would likely be self-defeating, breeding buried resentment or resistance in his players, most of whom are grown men, some of them with children, and whose strong self-will Rivers prizes. 

At the end of the 2020 season, Rivers compared notes on the issue with Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, during The Ringer network’s podcast series Flying Coach, in which bench leaders talk tradecraft. Kerr encountered the same cell phone–social media issue in his Golden State Warriors locker room. It was a daily challenge to secure the undivided concentration of young players for whom reaching for electronic devices had become a reflex. 

“It’s interesting because you have to decide as a coach in the modern era, am I going to be the coach that says no phones?” Kerr said. “Am”“I going to be that guy? Like, the old-school guy: Hey! No phones!” 

The answer to the question in the case of Rivers and Kerr was no—they weren’t going to be that guy. “It’s just not realistic,” Kerr said. “I don’t think it would work these days.” Both men believed any coach who tried strong-arm attempts at enforcement would wind up with a roomful of malcontents, or doormats. Instead, they searched for ways to handle the problem with light suggestion or sarcasm. On one occasion Rivers walked into a locker room, saw a player jabbing at his phone, and cracked to him, “Tell her I said, ‘Hi.’ ” The teasing remark made it clear the texting was an intrusion, but it left self-determination intact. A murmur of laughter ran around the room, and players put their phones down—for once. 

That even the most authoritative coaches in the NBA struggle over whether to forbid social “media in their locker rooms says something important about discipline: it’s a perplexing subject and instilling it is tremendously difficult. There may be no concept more misunderstood, misconstrued, or misapplied by poor leaders, some of whom interpret it as strictness, to be imposed on others with penalty, punishment, or spittle-flying harangue. Only to find out that they’ve lost the room. Disney chairman Bob Iger observes, “Using the word is very dangerous in terms of how you treat or manage people.” 

Discipline is of course essential to good decision-making. Without it, a leader is left to sift through unreliable factors and behaviors in making choices, and the result is haphazardness, the quickest way to sabotage any endeavor. With shared discipline, uniform standards are set.

There is much to consider in from this real life report. It prompts questions we have already been considering such as To what degree do cell phones get in the way of winning? of community building?! Do Smartphones get in the way of precepts like personal records and stats are antithetical to the game? And what are the messages we are getting from our cell phones? 

I enjoyed hearing my students weigh in on matters like, Do you think Coach Rivers and Kerr made the right decision? How can athletes exercise discipline in the locker room or during down time? What uniform standards net to be set in and around shared discipline for your team? in your school? 

These are the very questions we must not only entertain but consider for ourselves to learn and love one another this school year. Putting the cell phone in the caddy or away in the backpack is just one small step in the right direction. While many thought it might not be possible, by and large it's been met with little resistance and hopefully more respect for how we interact and communicate with one another. Stay tuned... (do students know what that might mean?!)

Photo Credits
Cell phones
Steph on is phone and others too
Doc Rivers
Lions Team Meeting

— The Right Call: What Sports Teach Us About Work and Life by Sally Jenkins

https://a.co/fcDuxSK

The Hiring and Firing of Robert Saleh: A Win and a Loss for Sports and Spirituality

At a presentation today, a colleague admitted he has always had a flair for the dramatic. I think the NFL is no different. Cowboys in Crisis! Is Nick Sirianni having a nervous breakdown?! The hirings and firings, tragic injuries, tough losses and big wins characterize the game for almost nine months of the year now. From the mandatory mini-camps that players like Aaron Rodgers miss due to travel to Egypt to the overtime that rocked the Chiefs and Niners world in February, American football at its highest level can't stay out of the spotlight. And— it doesn't want to. 

The latest example of dramedy is the firing of New York Jets head coach, Robert Saleh after a loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5 of the season. The game, played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was to be his last in the green and white. Though I highly doubt Saleh was dismissed over Greenland and some have conjectured, there is no shortage of hearsay about when and how the axe came down. The stories continue to swirl: he was escorted out of the building. The owner got to him before he fired Nathaniel Hackett, the offensive coordinator (who has since been let go). Did Rodgers call the owner Woody Johnson first? It's none of our business, but  the fans sure want to know. Many think it is. At the end of the day, one truth remains: Saleh's firing is a loss for Sports and Spirituality. Here are four reasons why.

1. What is Spirituality
I will never forget the first time I laid eyes on Robert Saleh. As the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers, it was hard not to notice him. He is fit, fierce and totally locked in. More than once I was convinced he would get in the game if he could. He admitted that he owed his players the passion and intensity we saw on the sidelines. He knew that his posture and energy fired THEM up. Defense is a tough job and it's a critical one. They say it wins game. Here here.

I offer this image—this example— because I think it helps me (and my students) make sense of what Ron Rolheiser has written about spirituality. In The Holy Longing: The Search for Christian Spirituality, the Canadian priest writes     

(There) is a tragic misunderstanding. Spirituality is not something on the fringes, an option for those with a particular bent. None of us has a choice. Everyone has to have a spirituality and everyone docs have one, either a life-giving one or a destructiveness. No one has the luxury of choosing here We do not wake up in this world calm and Serena, having the luxury of choosing to act or act. We wake up crying, in fire with desire, with madness. What we do with that madness: is our spirituality

Hence, spirituality is not about serenely picking or rationally choosing certain spiritual activities like going to church, praying or meditating, reading spiritual books, or setting off on some explicit spiritual quest. It is far more basic than that. Long before we do anything explicitly religious at all, we have to do some thing about that burns within us. What we do with that fire, how we channel it, is our spirituality.

This approach and understanding of spirituality does much more than offer a justification for why my students have learned about Saleh in the past. This new approach helps them understand that what they love, where they channel their desires and demonstrate their passion, can be a spiritual endeavor. It can help them to know and grow in their own spirituality. It is lived, expressed, active and alive. No question, Robert Saleh is a spiritual person. 

2. How and Why Saleh got into coaching 
How anyone comes to coaching, let alone coaching at the highest level is always interesting. However, one could argue Saleh's story is as surprising as it is spiritual.

His older brother David worked in finance and was sent to New York in September 2001 for a one week training seminar. It happened to take place in World Trade Center 2. When the plane hit the tower, he immediately descended over 60 flights of stairs to safety, forgoing a voice on the intercom that told people to remain calm and stay seated. Robert admitted "I didn't know he was alive and safe until about 4:00 p.m. that day."

Robert, who had been working as a credit analyst for at Comerica Bank headquarters in downtown Detroit said that 9/11 served as a wake-up call for him and how he was living his life. He said, "I spent my days in a cubicle, crunching numbers." and the dream of his father was one he shared. 

Saleh's father, Sam, played at Eastern Michigan University. He said "My father had a try out with the (Chicago) Bears. He always regretted not coaching football. He lives, eats and breathes football." It goes without saying, the same is true for Robert. After September 11, he asked himself "Am I doing what I want to do?" This is a question we ought to be asking ourselves on a regular basis. His answer led Robert to make a major career change: he started coaching football at Fordson High School, his alma mater.

I think it takes tremendous courage to make a career change such as this one. Given his passion and the life lessons from his father, one could argue it would take more courage not to change. However, Robert let the events surrounding 9/11 serve as a catalyst for living with purpose and living out his passion. I love it.

3. That alma mater
In 2012, a colleague who teaches World Religion handed me a great gift: the DVD of Fordson—Faith, Fasting and Football. She thought it would compliment my Sports and Spirituality course quite well. I still thank her for this resource.

As written on IMDB

'Fordson' follows a high school football team from Dearborn, Michigan as it prepares for its big cross-town rivalry game during the last ten days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The story is set at Fordson High School, a public school, which was once all white, but now boasts a 98% Arab-American population. As we follow the team on the road to victory, 'Fordson' unearths the story of a community desperately holding onto its Islamic faith while struggling to gain acceptance in post 9-11 America. 'Fordson' is an unprecedented glimpse inside the lives of a community that is home to the largest concentration of Arabs in any city outside of the Middle East, and their determination to hold on to the American Dream. 

Robert Saleh is not featured in the film because by the time it was made, he had been coaching for ten years; it was released in 2011. However, he is a renown alum and contributed to the success of the Tractors as both a player and a coach. 

I love the film because it brings great insight into both a religious and ethnic culture that I know far too little about. I appreciated getting better insight into how community and family support makes the demands of fasting during Ramadan possible. I loved hearing why they do it in the first place. I gained an understanding of some of the complexities the Arab community in Dearborn holds as it seeks to balance old world traditions against modern day values in a new country. Make no mistake about it, family is incredibly important...and so is football. This is from where Robert Saleh has come!

4. Coaches ¡Caliente! Calendar
Though it's hard to say this is spiritual, I'll give it a try. Robert Saleh is the reason I have the Coaches ¡Caliente! Caleder. Read my post Passion Project: Coaches' Calendar ~ Caliente on and perhaps you make a concession for the case.

I ran this calendar again for the 2024-2025 season and once again, Robert Saleh got the most votes for a Coach Caliente. Given that Week 1 in the NFL takes place in early September, the start of the new year is no different. Saleh was the leading man in the 2023-2024 edition and this year, I saved that handsome face for the end of the year. Perhaps he will be leading another team in August of 2025. The story of the NFL is always unfolding.

Conclusion
It is a joy and a privilege to teach my students about Robert Saleh. As the first Muslim head coach in the NFL , Saleh brings a different voice to the conversation around diversity. Furthermore, Saleh, who is of Lebanese descent speaks both Arabic and English at home with his wife and seven children. No doubt he speaks football too. 

Robert Saleh will find another coaching position in the NFL. However, I do wonder if he is best suited to be coordinating a defensive unit (ideally the Niners again?!!). After all, his motto is "all gas, no breaks." Seems fitting for the drama that is the NFL, replete with highs and lows, ups and downs—this one being a loss...for Sports and Spirituality...at least for now. God bless “الله يبارك فيك” (pronounced: Allah yubarik feek).

Photo Credits
Bob Saleh
Headset
Fordson prayer
Fordson Coaching Staff
Family
With Shanahan

What to Watch: Here Come the Irish

Although we have entered into 55 straight days of football, Notre Dame fans have a two week drought. With a bye for the October 5 weekend, I found myself with a free Saturday—a fall day full of opportunities and at minimum four hours—usually accounted for by the Irish. However, as true fans know, that freedom also creates a void. Looking to mind the gap, I found an answer in Here Come the Irish. It scratched the itch, offering new talking points and input on both sports and spirituality. 

"Here Come the Irish" is a seven-episode Peacock Original docuseries that follows the legendary Fighting Irish football team as they make their way through the 2024 college football season. In their marketing genius, only the first two episodes are available before the season. This means that a loyal Irish patron will keep the subscription throughout the season and after. And I will.

Episode One: Choose Hard begins with a wonderful example of the symbiosis of Sport and Spirituality. The season has yet to begin and so does this particular day. The silence that surrounds Notre Dame stadium is interrupted by the rhythm of Cicadas, hidden from sight, nestled in the trees on the Library Quad. 

The distinctive voice of Marcus Freeman speaks to something so spiritual. He says

I try to get my workouts in the morning. Sometimes I will run, sometimes I will walk—depending on what day it is, but I love it empty. I love being here and reflecting on the work that has to get done. You look for a place where you can get a bit of solitude. This is holy ground, man. What better place that being in the stadium at this time in the morning.

Few Fightin' Irish fans would disagree. It is holy ground. While we don't have that opportunity to get inside the stadium, alone, early in the morning to find the time and space to reflect, pray meditate AND exercise, I'm glad we have a coach that can and does.

My sense is this spiritual practice is what prompts Coach Free to give inspiring, important messages. Moreover it yields an authenticity that gets his players and fans to actually believe him. In his opening speech, he proclaims the goal for the preseason. He says, "our focus as a football team, as a football program—as players, coaches and staff— is to chase the best version of you. Don't worry about anything else. If we can get 100+ people in the Notre Dame football program to be the best version of themselves—then watch out! That's called reaching your full potential."

The program flashes iconic images and popular rhetoric—tradition, legendary players and coaches, values and principles, the personal and team goals. It captures who we are and who we want to be. Coach Holtz himself says, “for those who know Notre Dame, no explanation’s necessary. Those who don’t, no explanation will suffice.” That is the spirituality of Notre Dame football. 

In 2024, the program is led by a man who is telling his athletes to undertake an endeavor that is truly countercultural: Choose Hard. I would argue that true Christianity asks the same. 

Football and other sports might be one of the few arenas where we welcome the invitation and opportunity to take on challenges and face difficulty head on. Athletics demands that we do this to grow, succeed and win. We do it alone and with others, guided by leaders—many who are good and some who are not. And still, we carry on, endure and persevere. 

Coach Freeman isn't the only person who has ever said this. I should think in his own life and as a Catholic, he has listened to many voices. I hope on those early morning runs, inside Notre Dame Stadium—a beautiful one is that of Our Lady, Notre Dame. She speaks to us all...it's just that at a place like ND we have lots of reminders to listen to her...and her Son.

Photo Credits
Here come the Irish
Coach Free
#Peacock

Inside Bay Bridge Baseball: The Pen Remains Mighty

When was the last time you put a pen to paper and wrote a letter? And when is the last time you received a missive in the mail? in print? Although letter writing might feel like a practice of the past, two recent events in Bay Area sports have reminded how and why writing a letter is important. 

History reveals this truth. Go to any Presidential museum in this country and you will find countless letters on display. By one estimate, Teddy Roosevelt penned 150,000 letters. Furthermore, letters serve as primary sources. The book All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings taught me a great deal about American history, culture, art and more. Who knew that saving all those cards and handwritten notes could and would prove invaluable? Letters are passed down and passed on. They are both personal and private, sometimes public, often revelatory.

The first chapter of On the Eighth Day:A Catholic Theology of Sport —the required text for Sports and Spirituality—is entitled "From Saint Paul to Pope Francis." Saint Paul is important in this course because he "invokes the motif of running as a metaphor for discipleship on multiple occasions" through his letters to different communities. His wrote to inform, persuade and encourage others (of the love of Christ). These letters are recorded in the New Testament. Though they were written nearly 2,000 years ago, we write letters for similar reasons today. Such is the thought that came to mind when I saw that the Oakland Athletics' owner, John Fisher wrote a letter to A's baseball fans. I knew it was something I needed to share.

I posted Fisher's missive in my presentation but offered to read it to the class. I reminded my students that in the past athletes have written letters to their fan base when they retire or move on. Others, like Kobe Bryant have written letters to a game. Though you might not be an A's fan, I'm curious to know what you think.

Fisher notes the franchise's 123 year history. It has moved before and it is moving again. The list of accomplishments is so impressive. The characters who contributed and colored their story are legion. I got to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the Bay Bridge Series and the 20 game win streak and I got so choked up, I paused. I told my students, "I'm sorry, this is harder than I thought it would be." I finished reading the letter and let them unpack its meaning, their reactions and responses. Many sat in silence. Others noted how hard that might be for those fans. I told them I had no idea I would feel this way. 

Although I grew up in Walnut Creek, California—the East Bay—I am not an A's fan. People who have met me away from my home want to know how or why I am Giants fan instead. Easy. The Giants had a Triple-A farm team in Tacoma, WA, so my dad saw the genesis of some Giant legends. My mom grew up in San Francisco, which is where I have lived for the past 20+ years. No further explanation needed. 

That being said, I grew up with and among A's fans. Several of my dear friends from high school donned the green and gold. I can still recall getting into an argument during my freshman year over who was the better franchise: the Giants or the A's. We were sitting in the back of the bus. One girl couldn't let it go. She defended the orange and black. I respect her to this day for that.

It was so moving to see many of those friends return to the ballpark for the final games. A's fans are both angry and sad. I don't think it would be too much for John Fisher to acknowledge this. Instead he wrote what a local announcer, Larry Beil deemed a "great work of fiction." His pronouncement went viral.Watch and you will see why.

One announcer said "that statement does nothing for any A's fan." Beil responds, "you sort of have to release a statement but what would be nice would be a news conference where you take questions, but we haven't seen that. Why start now? It's only been 18 years." A good friend Dan, added

I believe that no fan needed or wanted to hear from Fisher. It’s amazing that the hearts of an entire fanbase and city are in the hands of one human being. And it’s unfathomable that he could not make it work in one of the country’s largest media markets.  Its all so disappointing.  I enjoyed my farewell on Saturday vs the mighty Yanks.  You could feel the love in the building and the respect for what that franchise accomplished in Oakland.  The titles, the characters and legends, the grit, inspiring a major motion picture, the fan support throughout…I feel fortunate to have grown up with A’s and grateful to my family for getting to so many games.

Dan's words remind me—for the fans, baseball is so much more than a business. It's just not entertainment. I knew what this loss would mean to him and his family. A team binds friends and family, our community and makes a place home. It affects our lives and livelihoods in ways big and small. My brother was a paper boy for the Contra Costa Times—a news source that proudly featured the A's.  He threw out the first pitch of an A's-White Sox game on Saturday, June 16, 1984, a nationally televised game on NBC. He said, "I was among a group of seven or eight paper boys who sold the most subscriptions and was picked to throw out the first pitch after winning a contest." Great job, Mark! In sixth grade, I got free tickets to an A's game because I read ten books in the summer. Incentives do work! I wrote a letter to my Great Aunt, my Aunt Dottie. In our regular USPS exchanges, I told her about that prize!

Personally, I think it's important that Fisher wrote this open letter. Yes, his director of communications likely wrote it. Yes, it feels more fiction than fact but the written word gives all of us a place to stand. It is from this message we can respond and react, retort and reply. It could have been different. It should have been different. Silence in this instance would be deafening and damaging....and furthered the defeat so many people already feel. A meeting, a question and answer session, a press conference with the fans and for the fans isn't too much to ask. They deserve so much more. They got an open letter and lost a team. This story is a sad one.

No one is sure of what is to come for sports in and around Oakland the larger Bay Area. I can however report this week, my students were privy to letter with a different tenor. Speaking about the San Francisco Giants ten years ago felt a whole lot different. Loyal fans like me are hopeful that the words from our All-Star and three time World Series champion, Gerald "Buster" Posey will deliver the promise he offers. 

The fact of the matter is feelings, hopes and desires, dreams and dreams deferred need to be written and shared. A letter is an important place to make a record of that. The pen is mighty... Shakespeare said so himself.

Photo Credits
Buster Posey—is he getting better looking or what
A's in Line
Double Trouble

The Juice Box: Featuring Fred Warner

A colleague recently told me about a new podcast. I like it so much I almost feel like I have a new friend. I want the people I care about to "meet" my new show. So for you, Sports and Spirituality readers, I'm excited to make the introduction. Meet Pod Quad. 

Hosted by two Holy Cross priests, Fathers Pete McCormick, C.S.C. and Nate Wills, C.S.C. are real friends "having curiosity conversations with interesting people. Talking about life.” The title is a nod to where that happens at a place like Notre Dame: on the Quad. I want the creators and any new listeners to know, although I am over 2000 miles from campus and live amidst the urban sprawl of San Francisco, their message resonates with me. In other words, the quad is not required. Furthermore, I'm so invested in their show, I have  found myself answering the final question for myself. I would like the hosts to know I get a whole lot of juice from Sports and Spirituality.. And juice this week has come from the Niners win over the New England Patriots on Sunday, September 29. I'll give the squeeze in a bit. 

The format works. Although Pod Quad is but a few episodes in, it is a delight to listen to and learn from their guests. They conclude each interview with the question “What's one piece of wisdom that you've received that you think would be awesome just to share with Pod Quad Nation?” While those nuggets are always meaningful, what leaves me hanging is their final question. 

Father Nate says,

And so now this segment, we close out the Pod Quad here with a little segment we like to call the Juice Box, which is where we talk about what gave us juice from that conversation.

Pete, how would you define juice?

Man, juice is, you can look this up in the dictionary. Juice ultimately is a vigor for life, a passion, a new insight, perspective that just gets amped up. And so what we're doing is honoring that in this way with some very tasty apple juice.

But at the same time, to be able to remind us all, like, yo, what are the things in your conversations, in your lives that are ultimately bringing you juice and how can you bring that into your world more broadly?”

I've never been partial to juice.I don't start my day with an OJ in hand. I don't own a juicer. A day without coffee is criminal, but a day without juice? No problem...and yet, I love this metaphor. This question gets me fired up—What gives you juice? 

Juice has flavor—lots of it! Juice makes things sweeter. The Juice Box has given me a way to understand and appreciate events, ideas, insights and sharing that fits their description.

Sitting in the Boston airport, I relished watching the Niners in enemy territory. In what appeared to be a beautiful day at Levi's Stadium, I couldn't help but cheer when I saw that once again Niners linebacker Fred Warner was the main squeeze. He was outstanding in Game two against the Vikings (some fans said he was the only Niner who played well that day) and his pick-six in the second quarter of this game made me wonder: Do I need to get a jersey with #54 on it?! But what made this play so memorable was not only his feat, but the reaction from the fans. Kendall Baker of Yahoo Sports, featured Warner's interception for a TD in his Baker's Dozen as one of the "Top Plays of the Weekend." Watch his clip here.

I love his defensive genius. I love Warner's vision, speed and his heart. But I also love what the camera reveals: the viewer gets confirmation of the TD and then a panorama of the response from fans in the stands. In this sea of gold are two men in their turbans next to others in a baseball caps. Women, men and even children are standing and clapping. Football is flawed, but it's also one of the greatest games. It's emotional, it's heart, it's thrilling.  There's just so much juice to squeeze. Even thinking about it now gets the juices flowing.

So give to others what Father Pete and Father Nick have given us—a place and a space for a curiosity conversation. Talk to someone you admire or respect. Ask them for their best piece of advice. Reflect upon what you have learn. You might walk away with a juice box in hand. 

Photo Credits
Fist bump
Pod Quad convo
Icon
Pick-Six