The Men and Women of Sports and Spirituality: Who My Students Meet

On the first day class for seniors enrolled in Sports and Spirituality—an elective course for seniors at St. Ignatius, I assure my students that we will not spend six months on this:

In case you can't read this, it says "Sports & Spirituality: Not just athletes pointing to the sky

I love that one of my students had the good humor and understanding to affirm that what we read, discuss and learn is much more than the gestures/rituals we see on display in sports. 

So what then, is the curriculum? What do we study? What are the learning outcomes? I'll leave that for my syllabus and course reader (available upon request). Instead, I would like to honor the men and women my students "meet" as a result of the course work. These are the athletes who make an impression on them for much more than their strength, fitness, achievements, contracts, championships, and so forth. The athletes featured here are the ones my students have singled out as individuals they are "glad to have met." While some stars are familiar to them—Serena Williams and J.J. Watt, others are new—Haley Scott DeMaria and Jake Olson. Meeting them, in this course, however means they are examined in a new way, with a new vision and speaking a new language. The way that Sports and Spirituality asks us to see and speak.

I have articles or video clips posted beneath most photos so you can share in the learning!

Jill Costello: Featured in the SI's 60th Anniversary Issue, The Courage of Jill Costello won an award for "Most Outstanding Story" at the 13th Annual Luce Awards. I was Jill's novice crew coach; she graduated from SI in 2006. She lives on in the memory and hearts of so many.

Jake Olson: I first "met" Jake through "Sports in the News" a presentation that asks students to choose what is happening in the wide world of sports that they want to teach the class and discuss. I have loved following Jake's story and success at USC. There is no shortage of video documenting this man's incredible journey.

James Conner: This year's addition to "Sports in the News" I'm not convinced Conner wasn't on this presenters' fantasy football team. However, this assignment and even mentioning fantasy football is reflective of the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm. The IPP is, in short, how teachers are called to teach at Jesuit schools. The very first step is a call for Context: 

• Understand the world of our students, including the ways in which family, friends, social pressures, politics, economies, media and other realities impact them. 
• Love them, love what they love…love what you teach. 

Fantasy Football is a viable way to enter in the world of a high school student. Knowledge of James Conner can only add to that.

JJ Watt: At the conclusion of the course, I ask students who is someone they wish they had "met" in class. Two years ago, one bright and visionary student mentioned JJ Watt. I knew she was right.....and then Hurricane Harvey happened but a few months later. What he did for the people of Houston earned him the title of "The Patron Saint of Houston" as well as Co-Sportsman of the Year. I am not the least bit surprised so many students enjoyed learning more about the Texans Defensive end. Talk about fun to teach...

Bethany Hamilton: I can't quite put my finger on it, but boys and girls—no matter what sport they play—are interested the story of this Soul Surfer. Maybe it's because the movie was released when they were at an impressionable age (2011). Regardless, she is unapologetic for her faith and not one student seems to challenge her words or rebuff her devotion.

Serena and Venus Williams: It is an honor, a privilege and a delight to teach about the Williams sisters. Race, gender, excellence, ascesis, soul force, equality and justice, fashion and flare, sisterhood, motherhood...the list of themes goes on. I use "Venus and Serena," a video recommended by a former student (thank you, Sydney!) and will be showing "Venus vs" in my Ethics class in January.

Haley Scott DeMaria: Our 80-minute class periods begin with what I call "the Silent 10." Students read a Sports and Spirituality book of their choice, in silence for you guessed it, ten minutes. One student picked from my S&S library. I had no idea if "What Though the Odds" would resonate with her, as its the story of a swimmer who experienced hardship and tragedy and found hope and healing through her teammates and the larger Notre Dame family. She was so inspired by DeMaria's message and her story that she said it ought to be required reading for the course. What a gift....and it became one that kept on giving. Haley actually came to SI to speak to my class and followed up our time together with a Skype session. Still amazed that all of that happened....

The Fordson Football Team: A colleague asked in the faculty room just the other day, Where do must Muslims live in the United States. I was able to provide an answer right away, thanks to this documentary. The largest Arabic speaking population can be found in Dearborn, Michigan. Their religious and cultural practices are tightly bound, as evidenced in this documentary. My students love learning about a community that is unfamiliar to them through something  as familiar as....football.

Bo Jackson: The final unit of the course is "Story, Saints and Sportsmen and Sportswomen." One of the essential questions is What is the relationship between story and spirituality? I dare say Bo Jackson is essential to answering this question. After all, the "30 for 30 You Don't Know Bo" is subtitled "The Legend of Bo Jackson." The legend lives on...and looms large.

Eric Liddell: Teaching about the Muscular Christian is a non-negotiable. I have his beautiful words: I believe God made me for a purpose. He made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure and a personal connection to him in my life to thank for the gift of this course. His story, his witness is the gift that keeps on giving.

“We might not have the same gift as others, or the same success,
but we are asked to make an effort with what we have been given.” - Running for God

I am hoping to offer Sports and Spirituality as an evening course for parents in Spring 2019. It is exciting to me to share these life stories with adults and gain from the own collection of beloved athletes, spiritual heroes and saints.

Photo Credits

What We Love and Miss in Sports: Thank you Jeff Samardzija

Every so often the sports stars align. Fans take inventory in the early hours of the morning and realize they were treated to a great sports night just hours earlier. Exciting games, spectacular feats, unique plays and web gems abound. I love going to work or to the gym the morning after one of those nights to hear what reports dominate the airwaves among my fellow sports' junkies. Though the Golden State Warriors playoff game against the Portland Trailblazers was exciting, I couldn't wait to show my students one thing: Jeff Samardzija channeling Bo Jackson. What he did reminds me that sports is a gift. Watching athletes we love perform and compete is never a given. When we see greatness, it's natural to think back upon other outstanding moments in sports history. It's easy to think ahead to what will be. But, we are always called to live in the moment. And as Mary Oliver writes,  "Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." Hell yeah.

Although Samardzija's strike out wasn't particularly exciting or memorable his reaction was. Personally, I love that a pitcher, the baseball player who is quite often the least likely to get a hit was this upset by his performance at the plate. It's not as though he were batting clean up with the bases loaded. Doesn't matter to The Shark. #baller. But, I know his feat prompted one of two responses.

1. I sure wish he still played football.
2. I miss Bo Jackson.

More on that here.

Though Notre Dame fans know that Samardzija, a wide receiver for the Irish made the smart choice career wise to play in the MLB, every single one of them says the same thing to me: I miss seeing him catch touchdowns...I would love to see him play in the NFL....How great was it watching that guy pull down the pigskin ....great hands/great hops... We knew the Brady Quinn—Shark connection was special when it was happening on those Saturdays in the Fall from 2003-2006. When I think back on them, I can't help but smile. I don't miss Charlie Weis, but I miss wondering what the Notre Dame offense might do when Quinn was chumming the water.

Today, the Shark swims in new ones. And as last night demonstrated, it's still fun to watch him play. I took immense satisfaction in hearing that Giants' catcher Buster Posey say, 

“He has some of the most explosive stuff I’ve caught from start to finish. I can’t think of any guy from the first inning through the last with the kind of (velocity) and action he had tonight." 

Wow, wow, wow.  Irish fans, give thanks for the memories. Giants fans, enjoy the ride.

Perhaps it's more than coincidence that Samardzija posed for a poster that was a remake of a one that hung in thousands of college dorm rooms in the mid-80s. What he did in Cincinnati was something Bo Jackson did with ease. Jackson, one of my favorite athletes of all time treated the baseball bat as though it were a tooth pick, breaking it over his knee in more than one game and over HIS HEAD in another. In the "30 for 30: You Don't know Bo," one of Jackson's teammates said he once tried this maneuver and nearly broke his leg. 

Seeing Samardzija channel Bo Jackon made me wish for that time when you might see Bo mimic spiderman in the outfield, catching a well hit baseball, nailing a baserunner at homeplate...with his throw from..the outfield (not cut-off man required), or looking for him on the sidelines talking fellow Raider, Marcus Allen. Jackson made great athletes look good. A hip injury ended his career too early. Though he returned to baseball for a time, Bo knew retirement. 

The legend of Bo Jackson lives on...but we sure do miss him.

It's a funny time of year to think about missing those we love and wanting to hold on to them and their memory. During these 50 days of the Easter season, Christ appeared to his disciples. He broke bread and even ate fish with them. He let them touch his wounds. His mere presence set hearts on fire. I look for the Lord in an intentional way during Eastertide. I hope to catch a glimpse of Him and listen to what He has to say. It's not easy to see, but the heart gives it away. And though it may seem insignificant—in that same spirit—I try to make something more out of those great nights in sports. I believe there's something for all of us to feast on. Today, it was a realization to appreciate the here and now...we'll miss it later.

Photo Credits
Quinn and Samardzija
Samardzija Knows
Bo Breaks

What You Say, What You Do AND How You Make People Feel Part II

I did not intend to create a Part II to "What You Say, What You Do AND How You Make People Feel" but too much was too good not to do so. Thank you graduates! I'll let the images, quotes, links to articles and prayers speak for themselves, but this blog posting might serve as a resource for a few things to watch and read this summer. 

"In the dust of defeat as well as the laurels of victory there is a glory to be found if one has done his best." —Eric Liddell

Gonzaga High School in Washington, DC sent this poster to the students at St. Jo3's Prep in Philadelphia.
Ryan Gillyard '18 died during Spring Football practice. He was 15 years old.

“Our Catholic schools would not have school athletic programs if we did not believe that they provide a special opportunity to teach values to our young men and women. The late John Paul II noted, “while playing sports, Christians…find help in developing the cardinal virtues- fortitude, temperance, prudence and justice.” —Play Like a Champion Today

Summer is a good time to catch up on my Netflix queue. Thanks to three students who learned about the state of baseball in the Dominican Republic in their Spanish 3 course, I learned a little bit more about MLB's farm system there and the movie "Ballplayer: Pelotero."

One of my students' favorite assignments is their Sports in the News presentations. Their task is to inform their classmates of a current issue of debate in the "wide world of sports." They must raise ethical questions, research the "why" and take a stand. You won't be surprised by what was discussed—Deflategate, Domestic Violence, and the Sexualization of Female Athletes. Others included...

"Under a sportsmanship model, healthy competition is seen as a means of cultivating personal honor, virtue, and character." —What Role Does Ethics Play In Sports?

The salaries of college coaches. I have often wondered whether or not those coaches who work at at public university—Cal Berkeley, Michigan and Ohio State—are the highest paid employees in the state. Many sports fans couldn't believe Charlie Weis is still the highest paid one at Notre Dame. I was just excited to see Coach McGraw makes more than Coach Kelly.

Notre Dame sent out a special e-mail recognizing those graduates who are student athletes. Those who played a varsity sport at ND are members of the "Monogram Club." I noticed senior basketball stars Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton were heavily profiled. And then I realized why....

A very provocative presentation. I have no easy answer to this one....

In my class' NCAA Tourney Pool, half of the proceeds went to Bo's "Give Me a Chance Foundation." The other half? to the winner!

"I was always active - I went from baseball to football. I didn't have time to work out."
—Bo Jackson

In spite of the fact Cathy is wearing a Dodgers beanie, sharing this story with my students brought true Easter Joy!
Worth reading: One Homeless Convert Sponsors Another, One Year Later