The Problem of Favorite Athletes

For years and years, whenever someone asked me, “Who is your favorite athlete?” I never had to hesitate. But this past year, something changed. Reflecting upon that shift has invited me to think much differently about the question and my answer.

Ask me my favorite book, movie, or album, and I’m far less certain. Dead Poets Society is always in the conversation, as is Jane Eyre—though I don’t necessarily feel compelled to revisit either. As for music, Darkness on the Edge of Town remains a classic for me, with The River close behind.

But when it came to athletes, my answer was unwavering. For years, Will Clark, the sweet-swinging left-handed first baseman for the San Francisco Giants, was unapologetically my favorite male athlete. As a lifelong baseball fan, I was always eager to explain why “Will the Thrill” held that top spot.

At the same time, Serena Williams shared the spotlight. With her 23 Grand Slam titles and singular dominance, I could never quite choose between the two of them. So I added the qualifiers “male” and “female” simply to avoid making the impossible decision. Fortunately, I have always had enough space in both my mind and my heart to hold them equally.

But something unexpected happened after the Olympic Games in Paris. Local hero Stephen Curry wore me out and wore me down. The two-time MVP brought home much more than four NBA championships. He became a central figure in the United States’ gold medal run. He had already won the American Century Championship Golf Championship, where I was lucky enough to share a few fun, pithy, and personal exchanges with him between holes. His stock just kept rising. Not only was he God’s favorite basketball player; somehow, he became mine too.

I found myself justifying my answer both to my students and to myself. Why? Part of me wanted to remain loyal to those original icons. But, #30 is everything you could want in a favorite athlete—not only on the court, but off it as well. Although we fans never really know the person behind the public image, I respect everything I have read about and learned from him as a husband, father, son, teammate, and leader. He is a man of faith and service and justice. Thank you, Steph. While I cannot support your outfit at the 2026 Met Gala, you have made the Bay Area—and sports in general—a little better. I mean it.

No one would question someone naming Curry as a favorite athlete. Serena and Will Clark are beloved too. Each is iconic in a different way. But maybe I am still in a transitional phase because, even as I crown Steph the favorite, I cannot quite let the others go.

Today, I read that Aaron Rodgers is returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers. I was thrilled to read the news.Yahoo Sports reports, 

Rodgers' return — to the NFL, the Steelers and to McCarthy — was far from guaranteed. The long-time veteran has flirted with retirement for multiple off seasons now, and there was no guarantee he would want to suit up for a 22nd NFL season.

To me, Rodgers makes football infinitely more interesting. I want to see what the 42-year-old still has left. He has never been my favorite athlete, but discussing him with my class forced me to admit something I have long believed to be true.

I told my students that Rodgers is a four-time MVP with a Super Bowl ring and a future Hall of Fame quarterback whose passer rating remains among the best in NFL history. For years, the man practically never turned the ball over—though, admittedly, last season was not exactly vintage Rodgers.

At the same time, I understand why he frustrates people. He can come across as arrogant or smug. Telling the media he was “immunized” when asked directly about the vaccine felt unconscionable. At times, it almost seems as if he courts a different kind of celebrity through darkness retreats, ayahuasca, and mysterious personal revelations, including the recently revealed wife, Brittani—with an “i.”

He is an unreliable narrator. He is problematic. And yet, I love him. I do. I eat all of it up.

Maybe it's because he is a quasi-local guy made good. I appreciate what he has done for his hometown of Chico in the aftermath of the fires. I respect his loyalty to former Cal head coach Jeff Tedford and the others who shaped him. I could go on listing both the positives and the negatives. In short, I keep him in the mix.

As this conversation unfolded in my Sports and Spirituality class, I realized something about the students sitting in front of me.

Although high school students no longer use the phrase “teacher’s pet,” they still desperately want to know whether teachers have favorites. The truth is: we do and we don’t.

Some students are very much like Steph. They are talented, but they also work relentlessly. They contribute consistently, take risks, raise the bar for everyone around them, and hold both themselves and their classmates accountable. It is hard to deny that they are MVPs.

But there are also students who are more complicated. They are gifted and unreliable. Arrogant or entitled, yet witty and thoughtful. They frustrate you one moment and completely surprise you the next.

Every spring I host my favorite guest speaker, Frank Allocco.
There are so many great kids in this class.

I love these kids too. I mean it.

A friend recently asked whether I had taught the daughter of one of our club members. I had. I coached her as well.

“She was spoiled and a real pain sometimes,” I admitted. “And I loved her. She was bright and original and always had creative takes. I hope she’s doing well.”

Maybe that is what changed my answer after all these years.

Favorite athletes are not simply the people we admire most. Sometimes they are the people we cannot stop thinking about—the ones who frustrate us, surprise us, disappoint us, inspire us, and somehow keep earning our attention anyway.

Steph Curry represents excellence in its purest form. Aaron Rodgers represents something messier and more complicated. My students, of course, are somewhere in between. I know that I am too.

Photo Credits
The Met
Aaron in PGH
8 and 30

A Team Where No One is Left Behind: The Work of Steph Curry

This time of year is special in the NBA—not just for the intensity of playoff basketball, but also because it’s when the league celebrates some of its most meaningful honors. While I love the performance awards like Defensive Player or Rookie of the Year, it’s the extraordinary awards that truly stand out. These aren't about points or rebounds; they celebrate legacy, character, leadership, and the kind of impact that can’t be measured. These awards honor players who elevate not just their teams, but their communities—and the game itself. You don’t have to be a Golden State Warriors fan to recognize that Steph Curry embodies all of that. No wonder he is the 2025 Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year honoree.

Twelve players—six from each conference—are finalists for the Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award. While the league already honors sportsmanship with the Joe Dumars Trophy, the "Teammate of the Year" award recognizes selfless play, leadership on and off the court, as well as unwavering team commitment. These qualities, though sportsmanlike, reflect the  legacy of the awards namesakes Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes, for whom the award is named.

The award was announced by the league on April 28 and given by Coach Kerr to Steph Curry —after practice, standing mid court with the team and other coaches. Without a doubt, his work on the court is magnanimous. We are all witnesses to the greatest shooter of the day. And although I don't personally know Steph, from all that I have read, seen and encountered myself—I believe he's magnanimous off the court too. 

He is great because he pays attention on a micro and macro level. He takes notice, he listens and he prays. That's magnanimity. I show the AppleTV movie about his life, "Underrated" to my students because I want them to see that for themselves. One of my favorite scenes early on features Steph riding solo on the subway.  With his head leaning against the window he says, "I'm constantly trying to find the space just to be able to to survey my life, survey what's going onto let my mind think about, How did I get here?" Hard work. Determination. Faith, Kindness. Sacrifice. I think those might be a few ways to answer that question.

If being a good teammate means that you continue to improve, work harder and smarter then look no further than Steph. However, the story behind the award sets the stage for the criteria. According to SFGate, in 1958 Maurice Stokes "suffered a brain injury in the final game of the 1957-58 regular season, fell into a coma days later and became permanently paralyzed." He was just 24. In an extraordinary act of loyalty and compassion, Jack Twyman became Stokes' legal guardian and advocate, and supported him for the remaining 12 years of Stokes' life. Their relationship went beyond sports—it was about brotherhood, sacrifice, and selflessness.

I see those qualities in Steph Curry and this post by Mukurima X Muriuki, confirmed my hunch. It also catapulted Steph into first place: my favorite athlete of all time. Yes, I am biased. And yes, this is a true story. Enjoy.

It’s 2:30 a.m. at San Francisco International. Everyone is tired. The Golden State Warriors have just landed from a brutal road trip. Staff, coaches, and players scatter. Everyone eager to get home and crash.

Everyone except one guy.

Quinten Post.

He is a rookie, new to the league and still waiting for his big moment. 

He doesn’t have a big contract, so he can only afford so much.

And it is in such ungodly hour when shit hits the fan. And it did

His Uber app would not load. And as a result he did not have a ride

Post is 7 feet tall. And that was the height of uncertainty, standing alone on the curb, invisible to most.

Except one.

Stephen (Múrage) Curry.

Two-time MVP. 

Four-time champ. 

Face of the franchise.

“You trying to get home?” Steph asked Post.

Post mumbles something, embarrassed. “It’s cool, I’ll figure it out.”

But Curry isn’t wired that way.

“I got you,” he replied

And just like that, the most recognizable athlete in the Bay Area becomes the most dependable teammate in the league. 

Steph drives the rookie home—no cameras, no PR, just kindness at 2:30 in the morning.

“Out of the 50 people at that airport,” Post would later say, “Steph was the last person who had to care. But he did. That’s who he is.”

Isitoshe,

Now here is  where the story bends.

Fast forward to Game 4 of the NBA playoffs  this past weekend. Warriors vs. Rockets.

In a first quarter where Steph could not  buy a bucket, ir is Quinten Post—yes, the same rookie once stranded at the airport—who catches fire.

He nails back-to-back threes, swats a shot into the fifth row, and screams into the crowd like he has been here before.

He hasn’t. But in that moment, he belongs.

Steph cheered on, like a proud big brother. Because he knew. He saw the worth in Post long before the world did.

Stephen Curry did not help him for clout. He helped him because that’s the culture he helped build—a team where no one is left behind.

May the day break! 

A team where no one is left behind. That's what Twyman and Stokes did for one another. That's what Curry and Post have shared. It sounds a lot like the Kingdom we are called to build here and now.

And for what it's worth, Curry won "Sportsman of the Year in 2011." Congratulations Steph. We got you.

Photo Credits
Honors
Curry and Post

Three Gifts We Have Received from Steph Curry

March is an auspicious month. Julius Caesar was told to Beware the Ides of March (3/15). Catholics are often given a Lenten reprieve from fasting on the Feast Days of St Patrick (3/17) or St. Joseph (3/19). And for math enthusiasts, March 14 is none other than Pi Day. As you probably know, Pi (Greek letter “π”) is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — which is approximately 3.14159. For my colleagues in the math department, this is a day to recite the infinite digits of Pi and celebrate with pie—not pizza pies but dessert pies like pumpkin, berry and apple. I couldn't help but note this was a missed opportunity for my students in Sports and Spirituality. How? Why? March 14 is also a day to recognize the greatness and the gift that is Steph Curry.

Wardell Stephen Curry was born on March 14, 1988. He is widely considered the greatest shooter of all time. In the last two weeks alone he can't get out of his own way. Curry has made headlines because he scored 56 points in a single game. On March 1, he dunked for the first time in six years. And one night shy of his 37th birthday, Curry reached another milestone by scoring his 4000th three-pointer. James Harden is the only other player to have scored more than 3000, He has 3127. Steph has made mention of the fact he would like to outplay his current contract—meaning he will play at least another three seasons after this one. It's quite possible that Warrior and basketball fans alike will see #30 drop 5000 three-point shots. TBD.

We recognize a person on their birthdays with gifts, cards, phone calls and warm wishes. The purpose of this blog however is to recognize three gifts that Curry has given us. Thank you, Steph!

Keep the juices flowing 
Although it wasn't quite yet March, on February 28,2025 Steph splashed 56 points, a personal season high, against the Orlando Magic. As written by Alex Butler, "The Warriors carried a 92-87 advantage in the fourth. They scored the first seven points of the final frame to add to their lead and outscored the Magic 29-28 over the final 12 minutes." In response to this momentum, Steph said, "Once you see a couple go down, juices start flowing and the rim grows," Curry said. "You just keep shooting and having fun with it." 

Juice is not to be underestimated. Juice is jumping. It's energy and vitality. It's sweet and once it flows, it grows. I have written about it before. I think what keeps our juices flowing is worth paying attention to. Put it in a box. Take it with you wherever you go and know that it can lead to big things. Have fun with it.

Health, Humanity and Humility
On March 1, 2025 Curry dunked for the first time in six years. You read that right, six years. As written by ESPN

Curry, 36, was asked if he remembered the last time he dunked in a game.

"Of course I do," Curry replied. "Six years ago. At home. Right wing. The right corner. A little back cut. I think it was a pass from KD [Kevin Durant]."

Curry's memory was precise. His previous dunk occurred Feb. 21, 2019.

"I was at Oracle. I never dunked at Chase [Center]. How about that?"

Curry explained that at the Warriors' morning shootaround Saturday, assistant coach Jerry Stackhouse told him he wanted to see the game's all-time leading 3-point shooter throw down a dunk.

After the dunk, he pointed toward Stackhouse as Curry walked to the Warriors bench during a timeout.

"He hadn't said that all year," Curry said. "And I haven't heard that in years and it happened tonight.

"It was a very random comment this morning and the fact that it happened, it was hilarious."

Curry said the dunk was a byproduct of how good his body is feeling after battling knee pain for much of the season. And he couldn't turn down "a cherry-pick opportunity."

"And you want to take advantage of a cherry-pick opportunity," Curry said. "That will probably be my last dunk though. ... For sure, I will only lay the ball up. It took everything out of me to get up there."

There is so much to unpack here. As athletes, when we are healthy—our mind and body is strong—it is amazing what we can achieve. There is something to be said for the words of encouragement we receive from those we trust. This feat serves a case in point. If we do things right, the human experience offers moments and windows for our skills to shine, especially when an objective outsider can see what we might not, even if in jest. Go for it. Have fun with it. Others will.... From there, stay humble. Stay kind. 

Keep Dreaming
One of the Lenten resources I use has invited me to pay attention to my day dreams. I had to take a pause—Day dream!? Do I do this? Do I have them? 

A program in the Archdiocese of San Francisco is working with married couples to strengthen and support their married life. The Office of Marriage and Family Life is aiming to help couples long before their relationship is on life support. One of the questions they ask is "Together, what do you two dream about?" I found this to be a poignant and beautiful question. I'm not married, but I hadn't thought about the importance of a shared dream for two people. It reminds me that our dreams can be a vital part of any relationship.

When Stephen Curry hit his 4000th career three-pointer on March 13, he "told ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk that he viewed 4,000 career threes as a "clear milestone threshold. A number that I didn't think about, that it was realistic even from 2,974, which is a number that means the most because that was the record at the time."

He continued: "It's beyond my wildest dreams to push a record that far."

We have all kinds of dreams. Day dreams. Shared dreams. Wild dreams. This feat reminds me to keep dreaming. Dreams keep us happy and healthy. They are an indicator that we hold hope in our hearts. Dreams give us something to strive for. We can recognize them in milestone and even move beyond. We see that in Steph!

In conclusion
While eating some of the leftover pie that the math teachers brought into the faculty lounge, a colleague of mine asked "Why can't more athletes be more like Steph?" Although neither or us know him personally, the general perception and understanding of Steph Curry is that he is a force for good in our community, in basketball and American life. We love his talent and how he plays the game with joy. We appreciate his relative humility and his example for young people. Next year, I will bring in a birthday cake on 3/14 to celebrate another take on this day.

Photo Credits
4000
56
Dunk
HBD