Super Bowl LIX Offers Something For Everyone: Six Insights into this Spirited Sunday

Football fan or not, Super Bowl Sunday offers something for everyone. And teaching about it in Sports and Spirituality through the assignment: Faith and Football, I was reminded of its significance to American culture. We are an interesting, inspiring, complicated, spirited and spiritual nation. We love sport and we love athletes, coaches, and yes, a football game between two divisional rivals gives us insight into who we are and what we value. 

1. Guess who will be in attendance?
Kendall Baker of Yahoo sports reports that "Donald Trump will become the first sitting U.S. president to attend the Super Bowl. Three Vice Presidents have attended: Al Gore (1994), George H.W. Bush (1982) and Spiro Agnew (1971)." Will he wear the #47 jersey given to him by the NHL champion Florida Panthers, who visited the White House this week ahead of their game tonight against the first-place Capitals. 

I was surprised to read that DJT is the first to take a seat in what will be the SuperDome's presidential suite. I told my students "if I were POTUS, I would go every year." Then I realized, I might have obligations that are more pressing. Maybe not.

2. Super Bowl Party Time
In the event you're not sure what to bring to a Super Bowl gathering, I have a party pleaser. I first got the recipe from my friend's sister-in-law. I made them and brought them to class on presentation day. My students liked them so much that one boy actually picked up the entire container and placed it on his desk  He and his friends offered unsolicited praise of these pretzels. I don't even have a name for them, but they are magical.

Use a 16 oz. bag of pretzels, 2/3 cup oil, I pkg. ranch mix, 1 tsp. cayenne and 1 tsp. garlic powder.  

Mix everything except the pretzels and then add the mixture right into the bag of pretzels. I shake them gently to evenly distribute the wet mixture and then put on a cookie sheet or roasting pan. 

Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

Given that the recipe was given to me, it is only right to give it away to others I'd love to know if you have thoughts on variations of this savory snack. Regardless, enjoy!

3. Pre-game Prayer
Rather than examine the public praise of Christ in the post-game presser, I am ever eager to learn the ways that athletes pray before games. Many athletes engage personally and publicly in prayer as a way to center themselves—and they do so in different ways.

For example, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has a ritual. Two hours before every single game Mahomes, an evangelical Christian, walks the field, takes a knee and bows his head at the goal post. Since high school he has made time before the contest to "thank God for those opportunities." He prays,  "In the warmth of your love, will you deport, keep me safe, safe and sound."

Eagles quarterback, Jalen Hurts offers his prayer in private. In a GQ Sports video where Hurts lists 10 things he can’t live without, his daily devotional and his journal were included. In his pregame ritual, he makes time for both. His pregame ritual makes

“It’s really important to me because I’m a man of God. Waking up every morning and having a routine where I can gain some wisdom and learn his Word and just walk by the Spirit. I strive to do that daily, and I challenge myself to spread that Word organically.”

What other ways do the players promote and/or practice their faith? Maybe you will see A.J. Brown wearing his bracelet that says, "I AM SECOND"—meaning that God is first. I appreciate that these three men, like many of their teammates ‘Walk by the Spirit.’ 

4. Spiritual Hero
While it's amusing that Eagles' head coach Nick Sirianni once worked for the Chiefs, and the Chiefs head Coach Andy Reid worked for the Birds, what's more interesting  stood out to me is the personal profile of their assistant running backs coach, Porter Ellet. 

From my students' presentation I learned that the Chiefs "left hand man" was introduced to Coach Reid by his son-in law. Reid was impressed by Ellett’s determination and invited him into the organization in 2017 as a personal assistant, then promoted him in 2020 where he served as an offensive quality control coach (2020-2022). He was promoted to his current position in 2023. 

Ellet Lost use of right arm  in an accident where he fell out of the bed of a moving pickup truck when he was four years old. He fractured his skull and damaged nerves  in his right arm which left it immobile. After 12 years of injuries and struggles living with an immobile arm, Ellet asked his parents if he could get his arm amputated. Although he did not did not play football, he played both baseball and basketball in high school

In 2022 NFL Films, Mahomes said “I know one day he’s going to be a head coach in this league.” That is the right thing to see.

5. Charitable Cause Worth Consideration
As we know sports and the Super Bowl in particular offer a great platform whereby athletes and teams can raise awareness about a cause or charitable organization. For the first time, my students actually showed the video that features one of the competitor's team initiatives.

The Eagles Autism Foundation provides funding for Autism research and awareness. So far the Birds have contributed $8.1 million dollars to fund 53 research and community projects. The video captures who benefits and how with joy and alacrity. See for yourself.

As noted by my student who presented this slide, "I find it inspiring how the organization utilizes its platform to provide awareness, funding, and resources to marginalized communities.I admire their efforts to make an impact and setting an example for many professional teams." Here. Here.

6. Give back!
The word holiday comes from the Old English and meant holy day. While the term was originally used to refer to religious days, today it has a much broader meaning, and refers to secular celebrations as well.  And a great way to gather for any holiday is with traditional foods and a feast like no other. In this way, Super Bowl Sunday does not disappoint. 

In fact, next to Thanksgiving Day, Americans eat more on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year.Over the last few years, about 12.5 million pizza pies have been consumed on Super Bowl Sunday. Chicken wings are another fan favorite. The National Chicken Council estimates that Americans will eat 1.47 billion wings on February 9. This is enough to circle the Earth three times!

A colleague told me "people consume enough avocados to fill a football field three inches high. No idea if that's true or not..." Who doesn't love a good avocado.

While people will double their calorie intake on Sunday, too many Americans will go hungry. Therefore, I ask students to bring in a canned food item for the SF-Marin Food Bank. We can all do our part to end hunger. Maybe you want to make your Super Bowl squares into a 50/50 raffle with proceeds to a local food pantry or soup kitchen. There are so many ways to give to others.

In Conclusion
Whether or not you will be cheering for the reigning champs or against them. It doesn't matter if you are watching for the half time show or the commercials. Super Bowl Sunday is a day for us to come together for snacks, service, to celebrate spiritual heroes, raise questions, express concerns, dream differently and have fun. Enjoy the game.

Photos
Super Bowl LIX
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Left Hand