Matt Bush, FISM News
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is a league MVP, Super Bowl Champion, and widely regarded as the best current quarterback in the NFL. He is expected to win his second NFL MVP award for the 2022 season after throwing for 5,250 yards and 41 touchdowns.
With all of those accomplishments, a video shared by Sports Spectrum shows Mahomes saying, “My Christian faith plays a role in everything that I do. I mean, I always ask God to lead me in the right direction and let me be who I am for His name…So, it has a role in everything that I do. And, obviously, it will be on a huge stage in the Super Bowl that He’s given me, and I want to make sure I’m glorifying Him while I do it.”
Mahomes was injured in the second round of the playoffs against the Jacksonville Jaguars when he suffered a high ankle sprain in the first half of that game. He came back in, clearly hobbled, to lead his team to victory, but the rest of the Chief’s season seemed to be in question as their leader was hurt.
In the AFC championship game the following week Mahomes moved a little better. He was not 100%, but he led his team to a 23-20 victory against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, throwing for 326 yards along the way. As soon as that game ended, Mahomes took that opportunity to thank God.
“I wanna thank God, man. He healed my body this week,” Mahomes told CBS reporter Tracy Wolfson. “To battle through that, He gave me the strength to be out here.”
The first thing Mahomes did after winning the AFC Championship was praise God, and the first thing he did leading up to the Super Bowl was, again, praise God. He even says that he has been growing in his faith over the past few years.
“I know that I am here for a reason, to glorify Him,” Mahomes said. “It means everything, not only about my football career but all the decisions that I’ve made. I have a faith backing, and I know why I am here. It’s not about winning football games. It’s about glorifying Him. I think it gives me that I have no pressure when I step out on that football field; I know why I am here.”
There are a lot of storylines to follow for tomorrow’s Super Bowl game. Chief’s coach Andy Reid is playing his former team in the Eagles. It is the first Super Bowl with two black starting quarterbacks. The best two teams in the NFL are playing each other, and Mahomes is playing with a still injured ankle.
Even with all of those storylines in the biggest game of the year, Mahomes is taking a stand and making one of the major storylines of this year’s Super Bowl all about glorifying God and praising Jesus.
As was seen when Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field, sports can unify people and can be a tool to glorify God. The way that Mahomes has taken a stand for God leading up to the Super Bowl could be another turning point in American sports, and it is a great example of what followers of Christ should strive to do in their jobs, families, and lives every day.