Super Bowl LVIII is scheduled for Sunday, February 11, and will take place at Las Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium. And while most fans are looking forward to watching the Kansas City Chiefs or San Francisco 49ers play and their wives and girlfriends look forward to watching Taylor Swift on the TV, there’s a whole different reason some might be excited for this year’s game: many high-profile Christians in the NFL will be playing in the game.
In fact, some of those players have even used the publicity generated by their participating in this year’s Super Bowl to speak out about faith in Christ and what it means to them, a powerful use of access to the media and the attention paid to them by the American public.
Of all the Christian players in the game, perhaps the most high-profile is Brock Purdy, the quarterback of the 49ers. Purdy has routinely spoken about his faith in public. For example, when asked about if he prays during games, Purdy said, “Yeah, I do. It’s not, ‘God, can we win here? Can we do something great here?’ It’s more just to have that peace, that steadfastness in all the chaos. That’s really what it is. It’s sinking back into, ‘Holy Spirit, take over and lead me here in this moment and allow me to think clearly, allow me to obviously go through my reads.’ Like I said, just have an even-keeled mind that I get from the Holy Spirit.”
Similarly, in another interview, Purdy said that he is “rooted” in his faith and “I know that God’s going to take care of wherever I’m at in my life, whether it’s football or not, and so I’m actually able to use that when I’m making decisions and playing football.”
Joining Purdy is Christian McCaffrey, another player on the 49ers team. McCaffrey, a running back, one of the best in the league, recently spoke about his faith. That came during a pre-Super Bowl interview, during which he said, when asked about his faith, “It means everything to me. My faith has gotten me where I am in life and through all the ups and downs when I rely on God.”
Continuing, McCaffrey said that his Christian faith is the “most important thing” in his life, saying, “Anytime I’m having a tough day or having a bad time in my life, I just get back to getting in the Word — it’s got all the answers. So it’s the most important thing in my life, and it’s something that I know I’ll always have to lean back on and to make a priority.”
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Joining the quarterback and running back was the 49ers’ defensive end, Arik Armstead. He has spoken about his faith before as well, such as in 2020, when he spoke in an interview with Sports Spectrum, saying, “[Faith] is super important to me. That’s the foundation, my backbone, everything that I believe in. My family instilled that into me at a young age, and we grew up in the church.”
Further, commenting on how his mother helped him develop his faith, he said, “She’s always done a great job of keeping us level-headed and always remembering the important things and the reason why we’re so blessed in the situations we’re in in life. Anything that we go through, that’s what we rely on is Christ. She always does a great job reminding us of that.”
On the other side is Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs. Mahomes, speaking last year before the 2023 Super Bowl, said, “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.” Mahomes also said, “I know that I am here for a reason, to glorify Him. 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.”
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Another Christian on the Chiefs side, kicker Harrison Butker, has spoken about his faith as well. For example, before the 2023 Super Bowl, Butker, a member of the Knights of Columbus, a fraternal order, said that his faith helps him excel in his career.
Butker said, making that point, “If I didn’t have faith in God, I don’t think I would be the father I am, the husband I am, the kicker I am. That kind of sets the tone for everything else, and everything falls under that. But that gives me the strength to do everything that I need to.” He added, “I know that I’m a child of God.”
Also on the Chiefs side was the Chiefs defensive tackle, Chris Jones. In 2020, he said, describing a wristband he wears saying “I am Second,” that he has worn it for years and “It’s a Christian wristband.” Continuing, he said that it means, “I am second, God is first.” Jones then said that he is a “very religious guy,” and “I believe my faith is everything, and that’s what I live by.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video