May the Best Team Win

“I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7

Today I comprehend a little bit better how Mrs. Kelce must have felt during Super Bowl LVII in 2023 when her two sons, Jason and Travis, were playing against each other, one for the Eagles and one for the Chiefs. I remember seeing her on TV at the game dressed in a split jersey matching her sons’ teams. I don’t have sons playing in the championship game tonight, but I feel like dressing half in the Indiana colors of crimson red and cream, and the other half in the Miami colors of orange and green.

The University of Miami (UM) is practically in my backyard. My daughter graduated from there. I go to mass at St. Augustine Catholic Church, which serves as the Catholic Student Center for UM. When I go to mass on weekdays, I see two UM football players that attend daily mass on a regular basis. The UM coach is a parishioner. I have been a UM fan all my life, and yet, there is something about Fernando Mendoza, the Indiana quarterback, that has touched my heart. The way that he expressed himself when he won the Heisman Trophy brought tears to my eyes. His first words were to God: “First, I want to thank God for giving me an opportunity that once felt a world away.” And then, his words to his mom: "Mami, this is your trophy as much as it is mine. You've always been my biggest fan. You're my light. You're my Why. You're my biggest supporter. Your sacrifice, courage, love… those have been my first playbook, and the playbook that I'm going to carry through my side through my entire life. You taught me that toughness doesn't need to be loud. It can be quiet and strong. It's choosing hope. It's believing in yourself when the world doesn't give you much reason to. Together, you and I are rewriting what people think is possible. I love you." And then he went on to thank his entire family: his father, his grandparents, and his brothers. In every interview I have seen of him, he emphasizes that football is what he does, but Christ is who he follows. How can I not love this kid?

Much has been said about the fact that both the UM coach, Mario Cristobal, and Fernando attended the all-boys Catholic high school, Christopher Columbus. Cristobal even played football for Columbus with Fernando’s father. Here in Miami, they are even calling the championship game the Columbus Bowl. Tonight, even though they will be standing on opposite sides of the field, they have one thing that unites them, and that is their faith. Both Fernando and Cristobal’s faith are deeply rooted in Catholicism. What an example they have been providing in these weeks leading to this game. Not a bad comment has been hurled about each other. What an inspiration for young athletes, and the world at large. Father Richard Vigoa, the pastor of St. Augustine Catholic Church, where the Mendoza family also happens to be parishioners, said it best in an article that he wrote for the Archdiocese of Miami news: “What matters deeply, especially for our youth and college students, is not only what happens under the stadium lights, but what they witness away from them. Week after week, student-athletes, coaches, and staff gather quietly for Mass. They kneel. They pray. They receive the Eucharist. These moments are not curated. They are not broadcast. They are not performative. They are acts of faith lived consistently, without fanfare.”

Even though I admire Fernando tremendously, tonight I will take out my UM jersey, and I will root for my team, but if Fernando ends up leading Indiana to victory, I don’t think I will be too sad. May the best team win, and may it all be for the glory of God.

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