Faith and Football: Lessons from my students in Sports and Spirituality (Redux)

This semester I am teaching a senior course slightly different than the one I usually do; it is entitled Christian Spirituality. With the tragic death of Kobe and Gianna Bryant and the joy an anticipation of Super Bowl, however, there has been a lot of sport in this spirituality.

I wasn't planning on including Faith and Football—an annual presentation for Sports and Spirituality— into our curriculum, until the local team made good. I informed my students of the project and its purpose and I put it to a vote. Some admitted they don't watch any football and were slightly hesitant, but the overall enthusiasm and excitement galvanized this somewhat-quiet group to take the challenge. This posting highlights what we learned. Feel free to integrate the following ideas and information into your Super Bowl party!

Niners Fans' Theme Song
My students walked into the classroom with this Remix of the 1984 song "We're the 49ers." It's really hard NOT to move to when you hear the beat—whether it's today's cut, one that features the names of today's players or the voices of those from the Super Bowl XVIII championship team! It's unfortunate that crew didn't create a music video of their own in the way the 1985 Chicago Bears did. I decided to play the video of that hit single and am glad I did. The real football fans in the room couldn't help but appreciate the Sweetness of Walton Payton, among several other Hall of Famers. The white pants and dance moves—added bonus.

Following the musical frenzy, I wanted my class to give a nod to the all time epic performance of the late Whitney Houston as she sang our national anthem at Super Bowl Greatness needs to introduction or explanation. Demi Lovato will sing our national anthem at this year's contest.

Coin Toss Plus
With the class divided into two groups: Chiefs vs Niners, I asked the two captains to come forward for the coin toss. Heads or tails, in this case, would not determine who would punt or receive. No, the winner in this case was able get our Super Bowl snacks first. 

This group did not hold back. Students created a taco bar since we met after lunch. Move over stone soup! Kids brought different toppings and some exercised the option to bring in a can of food for the San Francisco Food Bank. 

After Thanksgiving Day, Americans consume more on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year. With this project, it felt like another holiday weekend.

THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

“What I love about the Chiefs is they’ve got each other’s backs always. On the field and off the field, they’re brothers. They’re all accountable and step up when called. It’s not offense, defense, coaches, all separate. It’s one big family. And I love that.” — Heidi Gardner, SNL

Two Player Profiles: Formed in Faith

Harrison Butler: Roman Catholic

• Born July 14, 1995
• Attended and played football at Georgia Tech
• Nickname: "Butt Kicker" is a play on words for his name and position
• Married with one child
• Sometimes serves traditional Latin Mass at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Independence, MO

Mitchell Schwartz: Jewish

• Born June 8, 1989 in Pacific Palisades, CA
• Attended and played football at UC Berkeley 
• 2nd round draft pick in 2012
• Offensive tackle
• Born and raised conservative Jewish
• Hebrew name is Mendel
• Schwartz wasn't allowed to play football until his freshman year of high school as his parents wanted him to study for his Bar Mitzvah instead. Furthermore, in middle school he was already 6’5 and 240 lbs—too big for Pop Warner

THE SAN FRANCISCO FORTY NINERS

The Faithful
Growing up 25 east of San Francisco, the Niners were always our home team. Now that I live in San Francisco, it's strange that the city this classic NFL franchise calls home is 49 miles from where they play. Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara is but a few miles from where I work (in Mountain View). Something about it all feels disingenuous....but the Bay Area is known for tolerance. Our sports fandom is no different.

While this group struggled to find much about the faith of players, their report on the fan base was fascinating.

Known around here as "The Faithful" Niner fans rank eleventh out of 32 for the most annoying fanbase. I would love to see the criteria for this metric. They report, "fans are delusional and unfriendly." 

The Niners do however, have several fan clubs, including WON: Women of the Niners (they have a magazine!), the Kids Club, the Crib Club, and 49ers Pride, a group for the LGBTQ communities. Furthermore, the Niners maintain fan chapters throughout the country.

The Glory of God is the human person fully alive
Watching football has become a moral issue for many people I know. I understand. I also know when I see a play like the one my students chose, something inside of me catches fire. When I see such athleticism, the execution, the vision, and the glory of a great play I stand in awe of the athletes before me. These are the tensions those of us who love football must hold. The guts, the glory, the qualms and questions.

Two teams, similar colors. Chiefs fans have waited 50 years for the Lombardi trophy, Niner fans 25. The Super Bowl brings us together—for food, family and of course football. At mass this morning, I had to laugh as one of the intentions was "For the San Francisco 49ers. That they display great sportsmanship upon winning the Super Bowl. For this, we pray to the Lord!" Before the community could respond, the lector--my friend Rick said "I swear I didn't write that." 

In 2017, the Holy Father gave a message to the world before this non-religious feast day. In the message, the pope says he hopes the Super Bowl will be “a sign of peace, friendship and solidarity for the world.”

AP News reports "Francis is an avid sports fan who often speaks of how sports can bring about social change. He has previously taken to Twitter for the Olympics and soccer’s World Cup. This is his first Super Bowl message."

I was looking for one for today. Hoping he sends hails to the victors....and all The Faithful!

Photo Credits
The Faithful
We are the 49ers
Harrison Butler
Mitchell Schwartz

Soul of Youth Sports Wrap: Thank You KC!

On February 21-23, I traveled to the middle of America to join nearly 200 coaches, athletic directors and CYO program coordinators for the NCEA's Soul of Youth Sports Conference. Anyone who heard where it was being held, met me with the same response ...or rather, song. Fats Domino sang it best:

I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come.
I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come.
They got some crazy lil' women there.
And I'm gonna get me one.

Can't say I met any "crazy lil' women" but let me share what I did find: there is a vibrant and emerging ministry alive and moving in the Catholic church—and its found in, through and as part of our athletic programs. Here are but a few recollections.

Kansas City, Kansas
Locals make this distinction with ease, though I'm not sure the song does...
I ended up in the place from whence Dorothy and Toto came—or well, Lenexa to be exact. The KC on the west side of the Missouri River resides in the Diocese of Kansas City, KS which is separate from the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph (MO). Archbishop Joseph Fred Naumann, who served as the celebrant of our opening liturgy kickstarted the conference with his own insights into Sports and Spirituality before, during and after the homily.

Communion of Saints He told us about his father—a baseball player in the St. Louis Cardinals farm system. He had the honor and privilege of catching for one of the game's all-time greatest, Stan Musial (who started out as a pitcher!). He said, "I never met my father. He died before I was born." My eyes teared up thinking about his mother as a pregnant widow. I imagined what she endured and yet what she was able to give. "My mother made sure my brother and I knew and loved the game of baseball. It was a way for us to know and have a relationship with our father," he said. Again and again, I believe in the Communion of Saints.

The Better Player Before the benediction at the opening banquet, the loquacious Archbishop sought to teach us once again. Knowing that we would be celebrating sports as a school for human virtue, he told us the great Mickey Mantle once admitted: "I had a better arm, I was a better hitter and I was faster than Stan Musial, but he was a better player because he was a better man." 

In spite of his tremendous personal shortcoming, Mantle is still beloved by sports fans everywhere. Reading his humble insight on another Hall of Fame legend, it's easy to see why. What that we could teach all the young people we serve to be great people? They'll be better athletes for it. 

Arrowhead Stadium!
I'm more of an NFC football fan, but the opportunity to visit one of the founding AFC teams might have been the crown jewel in this experience. The son of the original owner, Lamar Hunt, Jr. offered our group private tours of the stadium, the locker room, the press box and his own family suite (replete with artwork chosen by his late father, football artifacts and a space for their family and guests to stay--that's right, there are six bedrooms on site). 

Though I've lived in some frigid locales, my California roots are just too strong. I reluctantly walked out into the 29-degree night air to stand on the field of natural grass (I came to learn all 8 teams in the AFC West play on it!). I looked up and around me, inside a stadium that has remained largely the same since it was built nearly 50 years ago! I thought of the history, the loyalty, the passion of the people who have filled those seats. I could almost see players of the past running routes and scoring TDs. I forgot about both the time and the temperature. And, when KC fans say they are the loudest in the game, I believe them. We were told to yell "Chiefs," the natural acoustics of the venue echoed our cry loud and clear. They had me at "Chiefs..."

Our host, Lamar Hunt, Jr. a convert to Catholicism, gives generously to Catholic schools and causes. Though his life has not been without controversy, the man we met aims to serve others through hospitality and more. His biography says:

He is a member of the board of the Hunt Family Foundation and also serves on the Advisory Board of the Catholic Radio Network, a religious broadcasting group operating radio stations in the greater Kansas City, Wichita, and Denver markets. He has served on the Case Review Task Force appointed by Archbishop Joseph Naumann, which formulated recommendations for the future growth of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas.

I was humbled when he thanked US for our service. "The athletes you are forming can only make us better." When he said us, he may have been referring to the Chiefs, but I think he meant the Catholic Church. Thank you, Lamar!!

Two very enthusiastic football coaches

What I Enjoyed Learning the Most
A conference like Soul of Youth Sports suits me as it provides opportunities to learn not only through the shared experiences—the trip to Arrowhead, keynote speaker, daily mass, and table fellowship but as you might expect the sessions, themselves. My favorite takeaway from the entire conference was what the head football coach and Dean of Students from Father Tolton High School in Columbia, MO shared with us. In the eight years, the school has been open, 14 students have been baptized and welcomed into the Church. Every one of those new Catholics has been a student-athlete. I would like to believe their experience of Sports and Spirituality has played a critical role in the formation of their faith. I pray it will continue too, as well.

Coach Jim Harbaugh
I could hardly believe my eyes when I read that NCEA secured the University of Michigan's own Coach Harbaugh as the keynote speaker. A high profile name, he is both polarizing and popular, beloved and bewildering. I was both excited to hear him speak and hesitant. I left with equal parts respect and resentment (ok, that's a little strong...but I like the alliteration). I'm still not 100% sold, but I like that I am not. Leaders should challenge us to consider what we value, why we do what we do and how we do it. Harbaugh did all of that and so much more. Here's the full story. Thank you, Coach!

#Grateful
I was able to present "Implementing the Playbook" with my friend Danielle Slaton. I love teaching others how to apply the content of my book "Pray and Practice with Purpose: A Playbook for the Spiritual Development of Athletes" but enjoyed it that much more given the classroom—the Soul of Youth Sports Conference and the opportunity to do so with a friend, colleague and all around incredibly inspiring person.

Congratulations to the NCEA staff who made this time together happen. I know none of this was possible without your commitment to this ministry, your vision for what can be in Sports and Spirituality and in particular to the leadership of Pam Bernards. Can't wait for the next one!

Photo Credits
Banner for Conference
All other photos via Twitter from #SOYSC2018