Patriots owner Robert Kraft talks Super Bowl, Tom Brady's future on 'Fox & Friends'
Owner of the New England Patriots Robert Kraft sits down with Brian Kilmeade to preview the matchup with the Rams, discuss quarterback Tom Brady's future and more.
By the numbers, Sunday's Super Bowl LIII matchup in Atlanta featuring the perennially favored powerhouse New England Patriots versus the upstart Los Angeles Rams is the Mount Rushmore of sporting and marketing events.
With an expected audience of over 100 million people watching at home via CBS's 115 high definition cameras, 71,000 people paying an average of $3,861 a ticket to witness in person, and television advertisers shelling out $5.2 million for a 30-second commercial, not to mention the hundreds of millions of dollars wagered legally - and the billions illegally - this year's NFL finale will garner the lion’s share of popular culture’s attention this weekend.
But despite the immensity of influence, it’s still just a game, a 150-year-old sport that evolved from a collegiate rugby-styled pastime to its current multi-billion-dollar global enterprise. I love football, but however entertaining, there’s nothing overly noble about it – grown men running, passing, blocking and tackling – all in the name of advancing an oval pigskin across a white chalked goal line.
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Surely there are far more “important” things going on, including wars that simmer across the world, suffering people who battle for breath, fighting families desperately seeking peace, heartbroken children in foster care, and countless debates that rage about any number of pressing, critical issues. But for a few short hours, we’ll watch and we’ll welcome the reprieve, a much-needed respite centered on a game of seemingly insignificant cosmic consequence.
Or does the game – and its outcome - really matter after all?
Even more pointedly, does God care who wins?
The answer to both questions is yes – but not because the Creator of the universe is a fan of any particular team or player.
Instead, it’s because God cares about every detail of our lives and is constantly weaving those details together, though very often in mysterious, confusing and even confounding ways.
Los Angeles Rams fans may not cheer this observation, but according to Jesus in the Gospels, God has numbered every hair on the head of Tom Brady. Conversely, and perhaps comfortingly for those rooting for the Patriots’ opponent, He’s also intimately familiar with Jared Goff, the Rams 24-year-old rising star. That holds true for every player and every fan.
For people of faith, the Divine’s role in the every day, including the outcome of a football game, has long been the subject of spirited debate. In theological terms we call it God’s sovereignty – the belief there’s a boss who is in complete control of the universe with a playbook – and one which the Creator knows how all the plays will eventually pan out.
At the same time, we believe that people have free will – we’re not simply puppets on strings. In other words, God is in charge, but our choices have consequences.
The opposite viewpoint is called fatalism – a belief that there’s nothing we can do to impact the outcome of anything, including Super Bowl LIII. To use modern parlance, “It is what it is.”
One morning, when our oldest son was five, I was attempting to get across the subject of God’s sovereignty with him.
“Riley,” I began, channeling my best Ward Cleaver impersonation, “God has a great plan for your life.”
“Daddy,” he replied, looking up at me with his ocean blue eyes twinkling in the early light, “I know God has a great plan for my life, but right now, my pants are too tight.”
I laughed, but his comically candid response captured the conundrum many of us regularly find ourselves in. Though we may believe God is our ultimate guide, we so often dismiss or diminish His role in the small details of our lives.
Los Angeles Rams fans may not cheer this observation, but according to Jesus in the Gospels, God has numbered every hair on the head of Tom Brady. Conversely, and perhaps comfortingly for those rooting for the Patriots’ opponent, He’s also intimately familiar with Jared Goff, the Rams 24-year-old rising star. That holds true for every player and every fan.
But not only is God aware and involved, but He is also the master weaver – using one outcome to influence an avalanche of others, often in unseen and remarkable and mysterious ways. In science, it’s a theory known as the “butterfly effect” – the suggestion that the flapping of a wing of a butterfly on one side of the world can trigger a tornado on the other.
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It’s tempting to try and connect the divine dots, to draw conclusions about circumstance in order to understand God’s rationale behind the good and the bad in our lives. There are times when it may appear obvious. I’m reminded of the story of a little girl who admired the famed Christian writer, C.S. Lewis. She would write him letters, and he took the time to respond. As a result of his work and grandfatherly affection towards the youngster, her faith was strengthened. Kathy grew up to marry a small-town preacher – and her love of Lewis’ work heavily influenced him. Dr. Tim Keller is now pastor emeritus of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, a vibrant faith community that has planted thriving churches all over the world.
The scoreboard in Atlanta will reveal Super Bowl LIII’s winner and loser, but like in our own lives, our stories are not single, solitary, random acts but a well-coordinated play of many parts unfolding under the watchful care of a God who loves each one of us.
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