Spiritual sports analogies are so common precisely because they are so apt.
St Timothy uses them: “I have finished the race” (2 Tim 4).
St Paul uses them: “I do not fight like a boxer beating the air” (1 Cor 9).
Even the Holy Spirit uses them through the prophets: “They will run and not grow weary” (Isaiah 40).
So in honor of a brand new football season, here are six fun Catholic connections to the NFL.
1. The New Orleans Saints are named for the cloud of heavenly witnesses. After the merger of the NFL and AFL, a brand new franchise was awarded to New Orleans on All Saints Day, 1966.
2. The name of the San Francisco 49ers is associated with the Franciscan missions of California founded by St Junípero Serra. The team represents San Francisco, named for the Mission San Francisco de Asís, and plays in their home stadium in Santa Clara, named for the Mission Santa Clara de Asís.
3. Many NFL teams employ chaplains; some are non-denominational spiritual leaders, but several are Catholic priests. Read about the chaplain for the reigning Super Bowl champs, Kansas City Chiefs, here. The 49ers also have a priest chaplain who offers Mass before games and often hears players' confessions. So do the Indianapolis Colts and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And of course, Saints games are regularly attended by a host of local priests associated with the team, including their official chaplain.
4. The 101-year-old owner of the Chicago Bears, a lifelong Catholic, built the first chapel attached to an NFL team facility. "She said, 'God has been very good to our family. It seems a way to say thank you.'"
5. And of course, the Hail Mary pass itself is a directly Catholic appeal. The term originates with the 1922 Notre Dame University football team, which offered Hail Marys for their success, and became mainstream when Catholic quarterback Roger Staubach launched a playoff-winning touchdown pass. "Staubach explained, 'I just closed my eyes and said a Hail Mary.'"
6. The Super Bowl trophy is named for legendary coach Vince Lombardi, often regarded as the greatest coach of all time. He was a devout Catholic whose coaching philosophy derived from his formation in the principles Catholic virtue. His grandson, Joe Lombardi, is also an NFL coach and devout Catholic—one of the 2009 Super Bowl Saints coaches, in fact. Fun fact: Joe Lombardi was featured in our original Theology of the Body book!
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