A Godly Super Bowl?
So here we are. A few days before the big game in Miami where the Monsters of the Midway will take on the Baltimore... er... Indianapolis Colts to decide who will be the most surprising bust of next years season according to ESPN writers. (Doesn't John Clayton look like those weird pink stress ball things? There is irony there somewhere)
Ah Miami, CSI, Cuban refugees, hanging chads, it promises to be an event to remember. People in Indianapolis yesterday stood out in the cold for half the morning to watch the players get on a plane 50 yards from a barbed-wire fence. One blue-and-white decked fan said, "I just wanted my kids to be able to see the team." This of course entailed taking them out of school and risking pneumonia in the Indiana cold, but we all understand what it means for you to be the one guy who cares so much about some guys you don't know to be there to watch them ignore you.
But while the establishment corporations spin out overtime (as in one and a half times more per hour) chips, jerseys, and hard-hats (???) lets not get worked up about the consumerism and remember that the Colts and the Bears are both owned by traditional Catholics.
Virginia McCaskey, majority owner of the Bears, is an ardent irish Catholic who regularly lends support to Catholic programs such as the Midtown Educational Foundation, run by Opus Dei. Jim Irsay is a Roman Catholic who is rumored by one young pro-life wife of a lawyer to move in more conservative Catholic circles in Indianapolis.
So what does this mean for Catholics in Indy and Chicago? Well, Chicagoans seem to like that the Bears are Catholic-owned but won't say much else. One resident fan was quoted, "Yeah that is cool, wasn't Walter Payton some kind of religion too?" On the other hand, the beat on (ahem) the Colts is that the Colts' fans seem to believe that their coming to the superbowl is some sort of spiritual event.
One commentator recollected, "Later, devout Christian & Colt's Head Coach Tony Dungy said, “We just have to thank the Lord. He did it in such a way that no one would believe it.” These two men are known for walking the talk and don't tend throw out the God card flipantly. Dungy seems to believe God had a role in yesterday's game, or at least a role in how the team played."
In fact, Dungy does.
First Black Super Bowl Coaches Say 'The Lord Set this Up'
"It means a lot," said Dungy, according to the Associated Press. "I'm very proud to represent African-American coaches."Not only are they making history representing African-American coaches, but both coaches are also representing Christ."The Lord set this up in a way that no one would believe it," said Dungy, according to the Baptist Press. "The Lord tested us a lot this year, but He set this up to get all the glory."
Right Tony, God set this up, and your bonuses too. Don't mind the hard work, preparation, and determination by every team in the NFL, God willed two of the best teams in the NFL to meet in Miami. God knew it was finally time to complete the civil rights movement. Even better, God willed Chicago to dash the Cinderella story of the year in New Orleans. God willed the supposed only hope existing of that underwater Southern jungle to sink again back into namelessness. You are a priest in the Mass of Televised Violence. In persona Christi could be tagged onto that if Christ wears a tacky sweater vest, headphones, and leaves all the work to St. Peter the quarterback (greek for "Keys to the Kingdom" I think).
Can you imagine some Chicago fan of Polish/Irish/German/Italian Catholic stock talking like this? Maybe in an SNL parody. (Remember that Ditka versus God turned out to be a good game and he pulled one out versus the Holy Angels by a Safety) Midwesterners and Southerners are notorious for this blending of the secular and sacred. All things American are presumed good and holy. It is part of its grotesque charm ripe for slight in a Flannery O'Connor story. All sides claim God as their own and that God is impartial at the same time. If it is in good fun, (like my priest jokingly saying that the Colts play under the Blue mantle of Our Lady of Victory) , it is funny. If it is a statement of attempted fact, it is funnier.
Regardless, I hope to find myself with the Chicago fans come Superbowl Sunday. When you live around this all the time, the quaint, fat hoosier debtor isn't of much interest. It loses its charm slowly, but you can't disown it only avoid it strategically. I think I will be travelling to a small bar in Illinois for the occasion. The game will be enough entertainment and I don't need Pastor Coltsfan leading us in "We shall Overcome" when, proving nature matters as much as grace, Urlacher, Briggs, and the Bears defense crucify Manning upside down on the goalposts.
Duebster
Ah Miami, CSI, Cuban refugees, hanging chads, it promises to be an event to remember. People in Indianapolis yesterday stood out in the cold for half the morning to watch the players get on a plane 50 yards from a barbed-wire fence. One blue-and-white decked fan said, "I just wanted my kids to be able to see the team." This of course entailed taking them out of school and risking pneumonia in the Indiana cold, but we all understand what it means for you to be the one guy who cares so much about some guys you don't know to be there to watch them ignore you.
But while the establishment corporations spin out overtime (as in one and a half times more per hour) chips, jerseys, and hard-hats (???) lets not get worked up about the consumerism and remember that the Colts and the Bears are both owned by traditional Catholics.
Virginia McCaskey, majority owner of the Bears, is an ardent irish Catholic who regularly lends support to Catholic programs such as the Midtown Educational Foundation, run by Opus Dei. Jim Irsay is a Roman Catholic who is rumored by one young pro-life wife of a lawyer to move in more conservative Catholic circles in Indianapolis.
So what does this mean for Catholics in Indy and Chicago? Well, Chicagoans seem to like that the Bears are Catholic-owned but won't say much else. One resident fan was quoted, "Yeah that is cool, wasn't Walter Payton some kind of religion too?" On the other hand, the beat on (ahem) the Colts is that the Colts' fans seem to believe that their coming to the superbowl is some sort of spiritual event.
One commentator recollected, "Later, devout Christian & Colt's Head Coach Tony Dungy said, “We just have to thank the Lord. He did it in such a way that no one would believe it.” These two men are known for walking the talk and don't tend throw out the God card flipantly. Dungy seems to believe God had a role in yesterday's game, or at least a role in how the team played."
In fact, Dungy does.
First Black Super Bowl Coaches Say 'The Lord Set this Up'
"It means a lot," said Dungy, according to the Associated Press. "I'm very proud to represent African-American coaches."Not only are they making history representing African-American coaches, but both coaches are also representing Christ."The Lord set this up in a way that no one would believe it," said Dungy, according to the Baptist Press. "The Lord tested us a lot this year, but He set this up to get all the glory."
Right Tony, God set this up, and your bonuses too. Don't mind the hard work, preparation, and determination by every team in the NFL, God willed two of the best teams in the NFL to meet in Miami. God knew it was finally time to complete the civil rights movement. Even better, God willed Chicago to dash the Cinderella story of the year in New Orleans. God willed the supposed only hope existing of that underwater Southern jungle to sink again back into namelessness. You are a priest in the Mass of Televised Violence. In persona Christi could be tagged onto that if Christ wears a tacky sweater vest, headphones, and leaves all the work to St. Peter the quarterback (greek for "Keys to the Kingdom" I think).
Can you imagine some Chicago fan of Polish/Irish/German/Italian Catholic stock talking like this? Maybe in an SNL parody. (Remember that Ditka versus God turned out to be a good game and he pulled one out versus the Holy Angels by a Safety) Midwesterners and Southerners are notorious for this blending of the secular and sacred. All things American are presumed good and holy. It is part of its grotesque charm ripe for slight in a Flannery O'Connor story. All sides claim God as their own and that God is impartial at the same time. If it is in good fun, (like my priest jokingly saying that the Colts play under the Blue mantle of Our Lady of Victory) , it is funny. If it is a statement of attempted fact, it is funnier.
Regardless, I hope to find myself with the Chicago fans come Superbowl Sunday. When you live around this all the time, the quaint, fat hoosier debtor isn't of much interest. It loses its charm slowly, but you can't disown it only avoid it strategically. I think I will be travelling to a small bar in Illinois for the occasion. The game will be enough entertainment and I don't need Pastor Coltsfan leading us in "We shall Overcome" when, proving nature matters as much as grace, Urlacher, Briggs, and the Bears defense crucify Manning upside down on the goalposts.
Duebster
posted by Duebster95 at 10:12 AM
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