Category: Sports

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Notre Dame has Taken their Toys and Exited the Sandbox

My Thoughts on the Aftermath of the College Football Selection Process

As a life-long USC football fan, the team I dislike the most is Notre Dame. And yet, in the week leading up to the College Football Playoff selection, I found myself stumping for Notre Dame in online discussions with BYU fans.

BYU fans were arguing that their one loss (at the time) against highly-ranked Texas Tech, made them more worthy for a slot in the college football playoff field than Notre Dame, which had TWO losses.

My argument was that while Notre Dame did have two losses, those losses came early in the season (the first two games) by a combined 4 points to top-ranked teams. The loss to Texas A&M was actually a one-point loss in overtime. Notre Dame had reeled off 10 straight victories since, all by double-digit margins.

By contrast, BYU’s one loss was a blowout. I further argued that BYU had a chance at revenge in the Big 12 championship game against the very team they had lost to and this time, the game would be played at a neutral site (though arguably the Texas location still favored Texas Tech). “Win and you’re in”, I argued. My argument didn’t seem to convince any BYU fans.

Ironically, the argument about who was more deserving between BYU and Notre Dame for a playoff spot turned out to be moot as the playoff committee snubbed both programs in favor of 3-loss Alabama and 2-loss Miami, who had beaten Notre Dame by 3 points in the opening game for both teams.

Notre Dame’s reaction to being left out of the playoff field has been meme-worthy to say the least. Picture the Michael Jackson eating popcorn meme.

In what I can only suppose is considered some kind of act of defiance, Notre Dame’s athletic director said that Notre Dame would not consider playing in a bowl game, given the fact that they were unfairly mistreated.

“We’ll show you!”, they seem to be saying.

Essentially, Notre Dame has decided that they are going to gather up all their toys and leave the sandbox. They suppose that this reaction will draw attention to the inequity and unfairness of the situation. I think, however, that it may have the opposite effect.

Is Notre Dame really being treated unfairly? I don’t think so.

Consider that Notre Dame is the only major college football program that doesn’t play in a conference. They’re independent. That means that they can schedule whomever they want and they don’t ever have to worry about conference championship games.

Yet even though they don’t belong to a conference, they get treated as a Power 4 program.

Notre Dame has their own TV deal, which makes slightly less than what Big 10 teams make but it provides them more flexibility in the scheduling of their games.

Additionally, when Notre Dame went to the playoffs last year, they didn’t have to share any of their playoff money with other conference members as other teams do. Last year’s payout for Notre Dame was about $20 million (more when you consider each round teams are given additional money for travel expenses). This was 3 times more than what Ohio State, the eventual champion, took home.

Notre Dame’s athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, the former chairman of NBC sports, blasted the ACC earlier this week, stating that the conference had done “irreparable damage” to their relationship.

Bevacqua was upset that the ACC had seemingly been stumping for Miami over Notre Dame to the college football playoff committee.

Why would Bevacqua be upset about this? Notre Dame is not a part of the ACC conference in football. Yes, they are in the ACC for all other sports and they do have an agreement to schedule games against 5 ACC opponents each year, but Notre Dame refuses to join the conference for football. They want the benefits of being an independent but they also want the benefits of being affiliated with a conference when it suits them.

You can’t have it both ways. It was entirely appropriate for the commissioner of the ACC to stump for Miami over Notre Dame to the playoff committee. After all, Miami is an ACC member. Notre Dame is not. The conference benefits financially when its members make the playoff field. They don’t when Notre Dame makes the field. If there is only one slot and it’s between Notre Dame and Miami, what logical reason would Pete Bevacqua have to EXPECT the ACC commissioner to promote Notre Dame over Miami?

Notre Dame is a legacy program, no doubt. They have national appeal and name brand recognition. But that doesn’t mean they should get favored treatment. The truth is that teams get snubbed all the time. Just ask the 2023 Florida State team. It happens. Deal with it.

What kind of message are you teaching your team and your fans when you whine about the outcome you didn’t like and decide that “we’re not going to play in your stupid bowl game”? It’s exactly the kind of response I expect from a spoiled elementary school kid. It’s not the response I’d expect from mature adults.

I spent the whole week extolling Notre Dame as being more deserving than BYU for a playoff spot and to be honest, the reaction I got from a number of BYU fans actually gave me, a life-long Notre Dame hater, a reason to like Notre Dame.

But with Notre Dame throwing their tantrum and exiting the Bowl selection process, while BYU has chosen to play Georgia Tech in the Pop Tarts Bowl, Notre Dame has once again given me and the entire college football world, every reason to dislike them.

 

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A Divine Wrestling Match

Genesis 32

22But during the night Jacob got up and sent his two wives, two concubines, and eleven sons across the Jabbok River. 23After they were on the other side, he sent over all his possessions. 24This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until dawn. 25When the man saw that he couldn’t win the match, he struck Jacob’s hip and knocked it out of joint at the socket. 26Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is dawn.”

But Jacob panted, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27“What is your name?” the man asked.

He replied, “Jacob.”

28“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “It is now Israel, [Israel means “God struggles” or “one who struggles with God.”] because you have struggled with both God and men and have won.”

29“What is your name?” Jacob asked him.

“Why do you ask?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.

30Jacob named the place Peniel—“face of God”—for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” 31The sun rose as he left Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32That is why even today the people of Israel don’t eat meat from near the hip, in memory of what happened that night. (Genesis 32:22-32, NLT)

The Daily DAVEotional

The book of Genesis is a rich collection of narrative stories that outline the rise and birth of the Jewish nation.

In this segment of Scripture, Jacob has just fled from his Uncle Laban, with whom he had spent 20 years serving. Their relationship had cooled considerably and Jacob ends up making a quick, hasty and unannounced departure because he fears Laban and what he might do once he learns Jacob is intent on leaving.

With Laban in his rear-view mirror, Jacob is now about to face his brother Esau, whom he had fled 20 years prior. The last time he saw his brother, Jacob had tricked his father into blessing him with the blessing that was supposed to go to Esau. As a result, Esau was intent on killing Jacob, which was the primary reason Jacob ended up with his uncle Laban in the first place.

As you can imagine, Jacob is experiencing a lot of uncertainty and anxiety in his life, with close personal relatives who don’t exactly like him threatening him with physical, bodily harm.

Jacob has done all he can do to try to strategically disarm the situation with Esau but he still doesn’t know if it will be enough. Jacob has sent his loved ones across the river and he is now all alone in the camp. It’s at this point that he has a physical encounter with the angel of the Lord.

One has to wonder what this encounter is all about and what it means. Why would the angel of the Lord come and physically wrestle with Jacob?

I think the encounter Jacob had, though real, is also symbolic of the encounter we all have. For Jacob, his struggle was not really with Laban, nor was it with Esau. His struggle was with God and this encounter essentially brought Jacob to the end of himself.

I was a wrestler in high school so I know a bit about the sport. High school, collegiate and Olympic wrestling is NOTHING like the wrestling you see on TV, which is mostly staged entertainment. By contrast, olympic style wrestling is a grueling and physically demanding sport that is all about control. Each participant seeks to control his or her opponent and is awarded points based on the different levels of control that occur.

If you think about it in this context, one can imagine that this wrestling match Jacob had with the angel of the Lord was a struggle for CONTROL. Jacob had had encounters with God before, but this encounter essentially was a wrestling match for Jacob’s personal identity and destiny.

As Jacob struggles with God, the encounter is essentially a stale-mate, signifying Jacob’s stubborn refusal to relent and submit. However, the man (the angel of the Lord) disables Jacob at the hip, showing that as much as we might resist God, He is ultimately superior to us and at any time, He can disable us. He is sovereign.

Finally, Jacob asks the man to bless him. I think this demonstrates Jacob’s ultimate desire to know and be known by God – to finally submit to God’s desires and plans.

What’s interesting about this is that God’s blessing of Jacob is a demarcation point in the identity and destiny of Jacob. God tells Jacob that He is changing his name. No longer will he be known as Jacob, which literally means “grasper of the heal” or figuratively, “deceiver”. Instead, Jacob’s name is changed to Israel, which means “God’s Warrior”.

Jacob ends up in an all-night wrestling match with God for control of his life. The struggle ends the following morning with Jacob’s identity and his destiny literally changed forever.

It’s doubtful that any of us will have a physical wrestling match with the angel of the Lord. But our struggle for meaning, purpose, direction and identity is real nonetheless.

We each struggle with who we are going to become and whom we are going to serve. God has plans and desires for us and He promises that if we follow Him and His ways, we can experience fullness of life spiritually.

But the struggle for control is real. Our sinful nature prompts us to rebel against God and go our own way, seeking to carve our own path. This often leads to brokenness and heartache as sin often does. And it ultimately separates us from the one who desires to bless us, just as He blessed Jacob.

Reflection

When have you struggled for control of your life with God? What were the circumstances? What was the outcome?

What are some areas in your life that you struggle to yield control to the Lord?

Jacob was given a new identity and a new destiny. As followers of Christ, the Bible says that we have a new identity and a new spiritual destiny. What is your understanding of the identity and destiny that we have as followers of Christ?

What keeps you or hinders you from fully experiencing and living out of the identity and destiny that God wants for you as a follower of Christ?

God gave Jacob a limp, I think, to remind him of his frailty and need to depend on God instead of himself. What are some ways God reminds you of your limitations and need to trust God instead of depending on yourself?

 

Photo by Aqib Shahid: https://www.pexels.com/photo/men-wrestling-in-mud-5217427/

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Super Results!

The Super Bowl is perhaps the biggest sporting event each year in America and each year, the day before the Super Bowl, Athletes in Action, the sports ministry of Cru, hosts a Super Bowl breakfast in the host city.

The Super Bowl Breakfast program

This year, the Super Bowl and Super Bowl breakfast was in Los Angeles for the first time since 1993.

This event is not a casual affair. 1500 attendees experience a top-notched, NFL-sanctioned event featuring some of the biggest names in the NFL.

The program honors a recipient of the Bart Starr Award, which is given to an NFL player who “best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field, and in the community.”

Past recipients of the award include Peyton & Eli Manning, Kurt Warner, Drew Brees, Mike Singletary & Reggie White. 

This year’s recipient was Russell Wilson, quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks.

The program highlights the recipient of the annual Bart Starr award and also features a keynote speaker.

In addition to presenting the Bart Starr Award, the program includes a keynote speaker who shares a testimony or a message of faith. This year’s speaker was Frank Reich, the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

Pulling off an event as big as this is not easy, and the fact that the event is in a different location each year makes it challenging to secure the manpower to pull it off.

Being on staff with Cru, I was made aware of the need for volunteers and so I made myself available while also recruiting my high school friend and NFL fan Mike to help.

Part of the pre-event prep was setting up 1500 place settings for the breakfast attendees.

Mike and I were assigned security detail, no doubt due to my massive physique and imposing stature.  

It was quite a long day, which involved arriving at the hotel by 5:00 a.m. to help set up tables and then prepare for 1500 guests to arrive.

In addition to helping to ensure that attendees didn’t bother the special guests during the breakfast, Mike and I helped to secure the Guest VIP room that was located off of the lobby area. Our job was to keep eager fans from entering a special room reserved for special guests like Russell Wilson, Anthony Munoz and Ronnie Lott.

My friend Mike poses with Coach O (Ed Orgeron)

While we were waiting for the program to end, we saw Coach Ed Orgeron in the lobby. Coach O, as he’s called, was most recently the head coach of the LSU Tigers and led them to the National championship 3 years ago. His quarterback was Joe Burrow, who is now the quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals who happened to be playing in this year’s Super Bowl.

Coach O makes a personal phone call to a HUGE fan!

My friend Mike approached Coach O and told him that his dad is from Baton Rouge and is a HUGE LSU fan.

Coach O, in his typical gravelly, Cajun voice asked, “Your daddy, is he alive?”

Mike responded “yes”, to which Coach O replied, “well call him up.”

Mike quickly dialed the number of his dad and handed the phone to Coach O. The exchange went like this:

“Hello Jim….this is Coach O!”

“No it isn’t.”

“Yes, it is. I’m in a hotel lobby and your son Mike tells me you’re a huge LSU fan and so I just called to say ‘Go Tigers.’” 

He then handed the phone back to my friend Mike. 

Dave with Coach O. I’m a Coach O fan as well but for different reasons. He was a coach for the USC Trojans during the success of the Pete Carroll years.

Our job was actually not very glamourous. Other than Coach O, who was not actually there for the Super Bowl breakfast, we didn’t talk to or rub shoulders with any sports celebrities. I had to get my suit altered, I got up at 3:30 a.m. to drive to L.A., paid a small fortune for parking and didn’t eat breakfast or even see most of the program. 

I certainly wasn’t making friends when I had to tell a number of people that the lobby restrooms were not available while being used by certain VIPs.

So why did we do it? What was the benefit? 

The benefit was that because of our help and the generous support of hundreds of other volunteers, 18 people indicated a new commitment to Jesus in response to Coach Reich’s message. And that number is likely much higher due to an online component to the event that is harder to accurately evaluate.

Our job was very much behind the scenes and under the radar, and yet, we rejoice in knowing that people entered the kingdom as a result of the events of that day. When people come to know Jesus, it is rarely a one-person effort but often the result of hundreds, if not thousands of people who each play a small part in the journey. 

We are grateful for the part you play in helping us as we minister to Young Professionals and volunteer at Super Bowl events!

And as a long-time Los Angeles Rams fan, I personally rejoice in a narrow Super Bowl 56 victory!

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The Mamba Mentality – Book Review

The Mamba Mentality: How I PlayThe Mamba Mentality: How I Play by Kobe Bryant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was not what I expected. I thought it would be the typical auto-biography of one of the greatest sports stars of the last 25 years, complete with details of his upbringing, family history, introduction to basketball, high school years and then a detailed description of his nearly 20 years as a Los Angeles Laker.

I was expecting detailed stories of what happened before the draft and what it was like to be a 17 year old in the NBA.

I wanted to know about his rookie year and growth as a player….the real story on his relationship with Shaq and Phil along with his decision to remain a Laker when he had the chance to leave via free agency.

This book really isn’t about any of that.

Instead, it’s a first person account of Kobe and his approach to the game. Most pages are short vignettes on a thought Kobe expounds on. It might be a name of a player he faced followed by Kobe’s thoughts on that player or how he would defend him or exploit him on offense. Or it might be thoughts on his pre-game ritual or his off-season training regimen.

Kobe gives analysis of dozens of players he faced over the years and how he prepared to defend and attack them. He also shares his personal thoughts on numerous team-mates he played with over the course of his career, including Olympic team-mates.

I found this book to be pretty easy to read and very entertaining. There were lots of photos from long-time Laker photographer Andrew Bernstein. It was interesting to hear Kobe share his thoughts on the game and as I read the words on each page, I imagined his voice speaking to me as if I were listening to an audiobook.

If you’re a Kobe fan, you’ll love this book. It doesn’t give the complete picture of who Kobe was or how he came to be the competitor that he was; we probably need an autobiography to fill in all those details for us. But this book was an interesting peek into the mind of a Laker legend and a basketball icon who sadly left us way too early.

View all my reviews