Category: Sports Business

Attacks on KC Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker Fail to Clear the Goalposts

Kansas City Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker is the latest quarry of the woke mob.

His politically incorrect transgression occurred while he was giving a commencement address at a Catholic college.

Butker’s speech hit quite a few nerves on the left and set off a stadium-sized firestorm.

What did he say that was so inflammatory?

He expressed his opinion out loud that not all women see a successful career as being superior to or more fulfilling than finding your lifelong spouse and having children grace your family.

Upon hearing about the content of Butker’s speech, the left became unglued and the attacks went full throttle.

All of it played out in the complicit news, entertainment, and sports media as well as a glut of liberal online platforms. There was even a petition floated, which demanded that the winning Super Bowl kicker himself get booted from the Chiefs.

The sports star was labeled an extremist, a bigot, and other unmentionable pejoratives for having encouraged women to embrace their inner mother, and men their inner father.

The Kansas City Star newspaper went as far as to recommend that Butker be fired; this despite the fact that he is a three-time Super Bowl champion and ranks second in NFL history in his career field-goal percentage.

The birdcage liner also suggested that the Chiefs hire a female placekicker for what the news outlet called “poetic justice.”

The NFL itself issued a statement, distancing the league from Butker and stating that his views “are not those of the NFL as an organization.” It dutifully added that the league “is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion.”

A funny thing happened on the way to the attempted cancellation of the football star. The attacks against him began to sputter.

The tried-and-true game play of the propagandists to slander and besmirch was met with some accusations of personal fouls.

Some of Butker’s attackers had completely distorted the kicker’s comments, reporting that he had said all women should choose the homemaker path and forego other vocations, something he did not say.

There were some prominent individuals and groups that rallied to his defense, including Bill Maher, Lou Holtz, Sage Steel, Patricia Heaton, Kevin Sorbo, Senator Josh Hawley, and Senator Marco Rubio.

On his X account, Sen. Rubio tweeted, “Butker critics are liars. He NEVER told women to stay home & have babies. What he actually said is an important truth that applies to BOTH men and women. That no matter what we achieve in professional careers, our VOCATION as a husband/wife & father/mother is the most important, impactful & fulfilling role any of us will ever have.”

Despite the ugly efforts of his detractors to undermine his brand, Butker is now enjoying more fame and popularity than before the whole fiasco started.

The online NFL Shop provides the proof.

Currently ranking among the most popular Chiefs gear are the team’s star kicker jerseys and T-shirts.

Which means on the cultural gridiron, Butker just scored the winning field goal.

The Tale of Two Super Bowl Quarterbacks

There is more to this year’s Super Bowl than meets the eye.

No, I’m not talking about the girlfriend of a certain star tight end that’s sucking up all the oxygen in the stadium. For me and a whole lot of other diehard football fans, we’re in the No Swift Zone.

Super Bowl LVIII is a rematch between the San Francisco 49ers, the top seed in the NFC, and the Kansas City Chiefs, the current reigning NFL champs.

The two teams actually met four years ago in Super Bowl LIV.

It was a game during which the 49ers blew a 20-10 lead, the Chiefs scored 21 unanswered fourth-quarter points, the final tally was 31-20, and the Chiefs took home the coveted trophy.

This year’s rematch is really one for the books.

On one side, you have the 49ers aching for the first Super Bowl victory the team has seen in almost 30 years. And on the other side, you have the Chiefs longing for another Super Bowl win like it saw last year.

Shortly after “Queen of Country” Reba McEntire finishes singing the national anthem in Las Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium, two young gifted quarterbacks will take center stage on the gridiron.

Both quarterbacks are known for their creative improvised plays as well as their uncanny ability to befuddle the opposing team’s defense.

Brock Purdy is San Francisco’s second-year QB, and Patrick Mahomes is Kansas City’s two-time NFL MVP quarterback.

In quite a few ways, the two starters are figuratively goalposts apart.

Purdy will line up as the lowest-drafted quarterback to ever start a Super Bowl.

He was the 262nd and final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. The media had even nicknamed him “Mr. Irrelevant” for his overlooked arrival after a college career at Iowa State. He only became the starter for the 49ers after two other players suffered injuries.

Ignoring his detractors, he persevered and flourished as a 49ers starter, leading the team to the 2022 NFC title game. Then during his first full year as a starting quarterback in 2023, he played all season long at MVP level.

On the opposite side of the field will be Mahomes.

The Kansas City Chiefs traded up to select him in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Since becoming the Chiefs’ starting quarterback, he has led the team to six consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances.

He will line up as the first QB to have started in four different Super Bowls, all before the age of 30.

Despite their differences, the two QBs have one very significant thing in common. Both have been graced with the amazing gift of faith. Both, too, have been open about it.

From relative obscurity, Purdy was catapulted on to the big stage of professional football. He looked to his faith to find meaning and comfort in order to cope with the multitude of challenges that a celebrity athlete experiences.

In a video for the Sports Spectrum Instagram account, he described the manner in which the teachings of Christ helped set his priorities straight.

“I didn’t want to grip on to this life of, ‘My gosh, I’m in the NFL. I have a starting quarterback role. I can’t lose it,’” he said.

“I was reminded of what Jesus told us thousands of years ago in terms of don’t try to hold on to your life. You’re going to lose it…And the minute you have fame and if you’re trying to chase status and money and all this kind of stuff, you’ll lose your life…,” he said.

Purdy’s opponent Mahomes spoke about his faith after winning the game that propelled him to Super Bowl LVII.

After leading the Chiefs to victory in the AFC Championship, the first thing he did was give gratitude to God.

“I wanna thank God, man. He healed my body this week,” he said in a post-game interview, adding, “To battle through that, He gave me the strength to be out here.”

His faith is central to his life, influencing all that he does on and off the field. His reliance on God is awe-inspiring.

“My Christian faith plays a role in everything I do,” he said. “I always ask God to lead me in the right direction and let me be who I am for His name.”

This got me thinking about when the clock runs out on Super Bowl LVIII and the game is over, one thing is for certain.

A true believing QB will be on the winning team.

Jim Harbaugh: Life Coach

In 1995 the Roman Catholic Pope John Paul II offered his perspective on what he saw as the “culture of death.”

The pontiff wrote about a belief system that had supplanted an existing ideology; one that had for centuries stood as the prevailing moral compass.

Pope John Paul II warned that the underlying assertions of the culture of death could cause the world to “revert to a state of barbarism which one hoped had been left behind forever,” adding that such presuppositions prompt individuals to disregard the sacredness of human life and view the world in a cold utilitarian way.

“In this way a kind of ‘conspiracy against life’ is unleashed. This conspiracy involves not only individuals in their personal, family or group relationships, but goes far beyond, to the point of damaging and distorting, at the international level, relations between peoples and States,” the Pope wrote.

News headlines from around the globe seem to confirm that we are living in the middle of a tug-of-war over the value and meaning of human life itself.

With his extensive experience and faith background, former quarterback and current football coach Jim Harbaugh has a lot of wisdom to contribute to the cultural discussion.

Harbaugh is presently the head football coach for the University of Michigan, having played football there as a student.

While in the NFL for 14 seasons on numerous teams, a memorable stretch had him in the quarterback position for the Chicago Bears.

In 1995 he led the Indianapolis Colts to the AFC Championship Game, was selected to the Pro Bowl, and was honored as NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Prior to his Michigan stint, he gained experience as head coach for the University of San Diego, where he won two consecutive championships.

He moved on to another head coach position at Stanford, where he led the team to two bowl appearances and an Orange Bowl win.

He also served as head coach for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers before returning to his present position at his alma mater, the University of Michigan.

As icing on the cake, Harbaugh’s Michigan team just won the College Football Playoff National Championship.

What did the coach do after securing the trophy in the national college football championship?

Well, he didn’t go to Disneyland.

Instead he headed to the annual “March for Life” rally, which took place on the National Mall this past weekend, to lend his support.

Harbaugh is a committed Catholic Christian. He spoke to a gathering of marchers who share his unshakable belief that human life, at all stages from conception through natural death, is a sacred gift.

“Just have the courage to let the unborn be born,” he said. “The testimony of so many here…just so thankful and grateful for that.”

Noting the cold temperature, he added, “This is a great day for a march, it’s a great day for the sanctity of life, and it’s football weather, so let’s go!”

He then introduced former NFL tight end Benjamin Watson, who proceeded to urge folks to engage in “the new fight for life.”

Harbaugh spoke further about the life issue in an interview with the Daily Caller.

“You know, we all talk about human rights. There’s really no rights that are important unless you have the right to life,” he said.

Following the rally, social media commentator Jon Root asked him about his many NFL coaching prospects.

Harbaugh had recently interviewed for a number of NFL head coaching positions and is reportedly receiving offers to come back to the NFL as a head coach.

What does someone as accomplished as Harbaugh do when confronted with tough decisions?

In his case, he looks to his faith and his family for guidance.

“I just take the counsel from God and the Holy Spirit, and Mr. Jack Harbaugh, my dad, and my wife Sarah,” he shared.

“Just taking the advice, just living one day at a time, one day at a time, one game at a time, one play at a time,” he said.

It all sounds like a good game plan in moving the ball forward in life and for life.

Catholic Bigotry and the Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers recently decided to re-invite a virulently anti-Catholicgroup to the team’s Pride Night event.

This is the same group that had originally been scheduled to receive a community service award but was uninvited for a brief period of time.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Catholic Vote, the Catholic League, and other Christian groups had condemned the original decision, and the team had promptly rescinded the invite.

However, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the ACLU, several Democrat politicians, and the media began accusing the baseball team of bigotry.

In the midst of the uproar, the Los Angeles Angels baseball team issued a public invite of its own to the aforementioned anti-Catholicgroup.

That’s when the Dodgers re-invited the group and proceeded to issue an apology for having previously uninvited it.

It is puzzling at a minimum that both LA teams have endorsed a group that has a long history of being dedicated to anti-Catholic activities.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has weighed in, issuing a statement condemning the Dodgers for “the decision to honor a group that clearly mocks the Catholic faith and makes light of the sincere and holy vocations of our women religious who are an integral part of our Church,” adding that the invitation to the group “has caused disappointment, concern, anger, and dismay from our Catholic community.”

The LA Archdiocese further stated that it “stands against any actions that would disparage and diminish our Christian faith and those who dedicate their lives to Christ.”

The decision by the Dodgers also drew the ire of the Twitter account of San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.

“Our Catholic sisters devote themselves to serving others selflessly. Decent people would not mock & blaspheme them,” the archbishop tweeted. “So we now know what gods the Dodger admin worships. Open desecration & anti-Catholicism is not disqualifying. Disappointing but not surprising. Gird your loins.”

CatholicVote has vowed to launch a “barrage” of advertising against the team across Los Angeles and during game broadcasts.

“This is a slap in the face of every Catholic…and we will pummel this decision in advertising that the Dodgers can’t ignore,” CatholicVote President Brian Burch said in a statement.

“Every advertiser, every season ticket holder, every charity, every fan must speak out against the Dodgers’ decision to promote anti-Catholic hate,” Burch added.

He questioned why the Dodgers would honor a group that is, among other descriptives, clearly “anti-Catholic.”

This particular group has a fairly long history of mocking and insulting Catholic religious figures, tenets, and symbols. Antipathy toward Catholic Christians is routinely expressed both directly and indirectly.

The Catholic League has published a report citing numerous examples of bigotry against Catholicism in general and Catholic nuns in particular.

The list includes a sham exorcism, a sham Mass that blasphemes the Lord and Savior of Christianity, a sham Sacrament of Holy Communion, a sham vile version of the Stations of the Cross devotion, a sham mockery of the holy day of Good Friday, and a sham irreverent ridicule of Easter Sunday.

Although he is a professed Catholic, President Joe Biden has said nothing about the debacle.

Catholic League President Bill Donohue is seeking to convince Catholics in the Los Angeles area to skip the Pride Night event scheduled for June 16.

Unfortunately, like so many other things in life, America’s favorite pastime has been politicized.

In the 1992 movie “A League of Their Own,” Tom Hanks’s character Jimmy Dugan utters the famous line: “There’s no crying in baseball!”

Well, Jimmy, there’s crying in baseball today.

Lover of Basketball Phil Jackson Tunes Out

Phil Jackson is the personification of pro basketball. The widely recognized giant of the sport has walked, talked, and breathed the game for most of his life.

Over time he has found himself in the role of player, coach, and executive and has racked up wins with each endeavor.

As a power forward for 12 seasons with the New York Knicks, he won two NBA championships. As the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, he brought home six championships. And during his coaching stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, he secured another five league titles for his team.

Jackson actually holds the all-time highest win-loss percentage of any pro basketball coach. But shockingly, the legendary sports figure now finds professional basketball unwatchable.

This revelation appears to be one more sign that the strange times in which we live are getting stranger by the minute.

Jackson finding basketball unwatchable is like Mark Zuckerberg finding Facebook unusable. Or Taylor Swift finding music un-listenable. Or Meryl Streep finding award shows un-attendable.

In an interview on a podcast called “Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin,” Jackson let it be known that for him tuning in was no longer fun.

“I am not enjoying the game,” he stated, adding, “There’s a whole generation that doesn’t like the game.”

He stopped viewing NBA games in 2020. That was the year of the lockdown, where playoff games had to be played with no fans in attendance, and viewers had to have their eyes assaulted with woke messages displayed on the backs of players’ jerseys.

Jackson noted that the politically charged phrases had taken the place of players’ surnames.

“They had things on their back like, ‘Justice.’ They made a funny thing like, ‘Justice just went to the basket and Equal Opportunity just knocked him down.’ My grandkids thought that was pretty funny to play up those names. …I couldn’t watch that,” he said.

Plenty of sports devotees reacted in a similar manner. Capturing the sentiments of countless others, Jackson called out the NBA for pandering and virtue signaling, and for having picked the wrong venue for political posturing.

“They even had slogans on the floor and the baseline,” Jackson said. “It was trying to cater to an audience or trying to bring a certain audience to the game, and they didn’t know it was turning other people off.”

To emphasize the point that sporting events should be free from political expression, Jackson said, “Politics stays out of the game. It doesn’t need to be there.”

A glimpse into the former coach’s upbringing gives some insight into how he gained the reputation of an individual who makes decisions within a philosophical context. His parents Charles and Elisabeth were both Assemblies of God ministers.

Along with his two brothers and half-sister, Jackson grew up in a remote area of Montana. Dancing and television were not allowed in their home.

He saw his first movie when he was a senior in high school and attended his first dance when he was in college. In those earlier days, it was assumed that he would eventually become a minister.

During his professional coaching days, he became known for using Tex Winter’s triangle offense, along with the implementation of a holistic approach to coaching, which was influenced by Eastern philosophy. Consequently, sports writers dubbed him the “Zen Master.”

He advises players to express their political beliefs outside of the league and off the court. He points to athletes, such as Bill Bradley, who have successfully pursued political careers. As a result of his outspokenness, he has predictably been attacked on social media.

The world of sports is going the way of Hollywood. Sports execs would be wise to heed the Zen Master’s warning, if they don’t want to suffer the same fate.

After all, the scoreboard doesn’t lie, and neither do the ratings.

Cooper Kupp’s Uplifting Presence On and Off the Field

Folks watching the action-packed National Football League playoff games got to see a stellar performance by Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp.

No. 10 and his team are now headed to the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 13.

The story of how Kupp got to the point where he’s at is one that inspires all those who dream of achieving greatness.

After graduating from high school, his hopes of receiving a scholarship offer from college football’s top division were shattered. Not a single one came his way.

He opted to continue pursuing the sport he loved at Eastern Washington University, where he worked hard and established himself as a first-rate receiver.

Back when Kupp was still in high school and was about to begin his first year of college, he made a decision to be baptized first.

Carla shared the reasoning of her grandson’s faith priority. “He wanted to make a statement to God about his commitment,” she said.

Prior to the NFL draft that would forever change life’s course for him, Kupp tweeted, “No gift I could give that would be worthy of Him…but I can play. To the very best of the ability He gave me. And He will be well pleased.”

In 2017 Kupp’s dream of getting the chance to play at the top professional level came true. He was selected in the 3rd round of the 2017 draft by the Los Angeles Rams, just in time for the team’s second season in the City of Angels, having just returned from a multi-year stay as the home team in St. Louis.

The skills and self-discipline that Kupp developed at a smaller university, a division, incidentally, that is often overlooked, quickly catapulted him in the NFL.

He rose to the highest level a wide receiver can attain at the pro level, with the most receptions, most receiving yards, and most receiving touchdowns during a regular season, commonly known as the “triple crown” for those who play this position.

During the playoffs, he set yet another record by becoming the first player to exceed 2,000 yards in pass receptions as well as the first to catch 170 passes.

And he still has another huge game to play. His biggest ever.

Kupp has become a bright light for those who call the Left Coast home.

The most significant factors that relate to his gift of perseverance are expressed on his website in three short words: “Faith, family, and football.”

Kupp’s relatives include two previous generations of athletic prowess. Dad Craig was a quarterback who was drafted in the fifth round by the New York Giants, and also played for the Phoenix Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys.

And Grandpa Jake was picked in the ninth round of the draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He played as an offensive lineman with the Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, and New Orleans Saints.

However, it is something much greater than sports that binds this family together. All share a genuinely vibrant living faith.

Dad Craig sums it up in a single phrase. “…Our relationship with Jesus is the center of our life,” he says.

Kupp’s life story wouldn’t be complete without talking about his bride Anna. The two met at a track meet when they were seniors in high school. It was the proverbial love at first sight. Kupp knew she was the one he would marry, and told this to his mother on the same day that he and Anna met.

The couple tried a long distance relationship for a brief spell, with Anna going away to the University of Arkansas to compete in track and field. Not being able to withstand being apart, though, Anna soon transferred to Eastern Washington. She lost almost two years of college credits in the process, but at least they were together once again.

Marriage soon followed, and they have been blessed with two beautiful sons. The family lives a God-centered life, which has had a positive influence on other young couples who seek to have the same.

It wasn’t long after Kupp began playing professional football that he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament. It was Anna who assisted him in his recovery. And, of course, he sought help from above.

“I needed God,” he said in a 2019 interview. “I needed to trust in what my faith was. Just my wife and son, being able to push me through this, teammates, the coaching staff, training staff, strength staff. I just had a team around me that encouraged me. It really showed me how important it was to have the people that God has really placed in my life.”

The wide receiver’s priorities remain clear. His relationship with his Lord and Savior are foremost in his life.

“…If it wasn’t for my faith, if it wasn’t for knowing that Christ has told me who I am in His eyes…He’s bridged every gap,” he said.

Never seeming to shy away from talking about his convictions, Kupp speaks out even in the face of the bright media spotlight that perpetually shines on celebrity athletes.

After his team defeated Tom Brady’s defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kupp shared his faith feelings by sporting a hat from his own apparel line. The attire encouraged, “Do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

These are words that are inspired by the Scripture verse 1 Corinthians 9:25, which reads as follows: “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

The Day Baseball Died

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Sports used to be America’s favorite escape hatch from the hard realities of life.

For a few hours, whether alone or with a bunch of your relatives and/or friends, you could just kick back and relax, munch on snacks that were no good for you, and get in major spats where everyone knew you would still be on speaking terms when it was all over.

More than merely symbolic, there was a kind of almost reverent moment that occurred at the top of each game. It was when the national anthem rang out.

The whole country would pause, and in those few seconds we would all be of one heart.

Seems so long ago and far away now.

For those of us who are into baseball, the past few months of lockdown purgatory have relegated us to watching reruns of old little league games as we looked forward to the opening of the season.

In no way could we have ever been prepared for what we were about to witness on that surreal July 2020 start date.

Pre-game ceremonies force-fed us a political menu. The emotionally charged images included a video featuring the voice of famed Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman, which popped up on our TV screens to deliver a social justice message.

With what must have been a collective look of shock and awe on our faces, at that solemn moment when the notes of the national anthem wafted through the air, players all over the place did the unthinkable—they took a knee.

If that wasn’t bad enough, here’s a short list of things that twisted America’s favorite pastime into a major league pretzel:

– Cardboard cutout fans watch as compliant players appear with masks over their faces.

– A fake soundtrack is a stand-in for real crowd noise.

– Social distancing rules the dugout.

– Fenway Park treats folks to a 250-foot BLM billboard.

– Oakland enlists the voice of actor Tom Hanks to peddle peanuts.

Adding to the weird opening day was the choice of Dr. Anthony Fauci to throw out the traditional first pitch. It was the game between the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals. The infectious disease expert boldly took his place at the pitcher’s mound.

In what looked like a metaphor of his failed public health predictions and flawed computer models, Dr. Fauci threw out a pitch that was off target to the point of ridiculousness.

Kyndall Freer, social media editor for Yahoo Sports, quipped in a tweet that “Dr. Fauci’s first pitch was just trying to social distance from home plate.”

Freer was being kind.

But here’s something that was even worse than Dr. Fauci’s wild pitch. It was the image of him in the bleachers, yukking it up with friends who were fully masked when he wasn’t. His mask had been yanked down to chin level, and he had failed in social distancing to boot.

After critics assailed him, he apparently felt the need to speak out. In an interview with Fox News, Dr. Fauci sounded unmistakably defensive.

“I had my mask around my chin. I had taken it down. I was totally dehydrated and I was drinking water, trying to rehydrate myself,” Dr. Fauci said.

His explanation isn’t flying. There was no water in sight and his lack of social distancing speaks for itself.

Hanks once delivered a line in the 1992 movie “A League of Their Own” that has stuck with a lot of people over the years.

“There’s no crying in baseball!” Hanks’s character Jimmy Dugan says.

Sorry to have to tell you but there is today, Jimmy.

Because in the end, baseball fans young and old are now left wondering if the Boys of Summer can ever be resurrected again.