Christian faith just one more plus in cheering on Mahomes
By Mike Haynes
Just before
the 2020 Super Bowl, a sports fan proclaimed on Facebook that although the
Kansas City Chiefs’ super-talented quarterback was from his alma mater, Texas
Tech, his reason for supporting the Chiefs wasn’t because he was jumping on the
Patrick Mahomes bandwagon. He loved that Mahomes is a former Red Raider, but he
made it clear that he had been a KC fan since he was 10 years old in 1968.
I have a
nephew who’s rooted for the Chiefs since he was a kid, too. He, too, is a Tech
graduate. He, his sister and a friend made the trip to Arrowhead Stadium for
the AFC title game, but his satisfaction at the win over Tennessee wasn’t
limited to liking the quarterback.
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| Patrick Mahomes displays the Lamar Hunt Trophy after the AFC championship game before the 2020 Super Bowl. |
I also have longtime loyalties, win
or lose, because of personal connections or proximity to where I’m from. No
matter how they’re faring, I yell for the Dallas Cowboys; Texas Tech, where I
graduated and worked; my hometown, McLean; the Texas Rangers; West Texas
A&M (I try to avoid the “A&M” part); the Amarillo pro baseball team
(whose name I still don’t like); and the Oklahoma Sooners.
But with
the Chiefs, I admit that I’m a bandwagon fan because of Mahomes. The 24-year-old
athletic phenomenon drew my eyes to every play of the Super Bowl for the first
time since the Cowboys were in it. And I’m not the only one. The seemingly
easygoing young man with the curly hair and big smile has seduced admiration
from both hardcore and casual sports fans.
And for
Christians, there’s a bonus. The Chiefs’ No. 15 professes to follow Christ, and
it appears that his faith is genuine.
Yes, I know
people – athletes and celebrities as well as us regular folks – can appear admirable
only to stumble. I remember a boxer who won the heavyweight championship,
enthusiastically gave God the glory and was arrested a few days later for drunk
driving.
But let’s
not doubt anyone until there’s reason to. Mahomes, the Super Bowl MVP in only
his third NFL season, was born in Tyler to Major League Baseball pitcher Pat
Mahomes and his wife, Randi. His parents divorced, but he grew up with a
Christian influence, according to his mother. While he played at Tech, she told
IN Magazine:
“In middle school,
he got real involved with his youth group. He got saved. There was a night at
church, he had his hands raised to the Lord and he was singing. I just felt
overcome with this most awesome moment, more than any football game, because I
knew where his heart truly is.”
According to
theringer.com, Mahomes’ parents’ divorce resulted in early maturity for him. “Living
with his mom, he took on more chores. Sometimes he declined friends’ invitations to hang out because he needed
to watch his two younger siblings. In the seventh grade, he chose to get
himself baptized; he wanted, his mom said, ‘to become a man in church.’”
Fast-forward to a 2019 interview
with the Faith + Family Sports Programming Network, when Mahomes said, “My
faith has always been a big part of what I do … I’ve grown up in church, and
faith really helps you know why you’re playing the game, and who you’re doing
it for.”
His tweets seem to include spiritual
references in a natural, not self-serving, way. When former Chiefs quarterback Alex
Smith suffered a season-ending injury, Mahomes tweeted, “Prayers for my guy
man! You will bounce back!” according to beliefnet.com. After the Chiefs’ playoff
win over Houston, he tweeted, “Man this is crazy! God is amazing! Thank you to
everyone who has supported me and helped me get here!”
Like many, I’m caught
up in Mahomes-mania for many reasons: his freewheeling, pass-or-run,
side-arm-throwing style; his positive, smiling, confident look; his results.
He’s intelligent: The long pass play that started the Chiefs to their Super
Bowl comeback victory over San Francisco was his suggestion. He’s loyal. He
tweets encouragement to Texas Tech teams and attends Tech basketball games when
he can. He still does local car dealer commercials even after signing contracts
with Adidas, State Farm, Oakley and other national firms.
And his Christian faith is
another plus for me. Of course, the NFL has lots of Christians. Teams have
chaplains and chapel services. Kansas City owner Clark Hunt has said, “My
identity is my faith in Christ.”
But it’s pretty cool that the most
popular football player, at least for now, on the planet gives credit – and
glory – where credit and glory are due.
