Over the years, there have been two or three sports fans who have worked at GetReligion.
I have even seen evidence that several dozen (cough, cough) GetReligion readers are interested in sports. Maybe there’s something about people who care about religion and journalism that blocks an all-American interest in sports? Beats me.
Anyway, from time to time some of us (looking at you, Bobby Ross, Jr.) have soldiered on, producing posts about mainstream coverage of sports stories that skips over (that’s putting it mildly) relevant religious content in the lives of star players and sometimes entire teams. I could write a whole book on ESPN and Baltimore Sun stories about the Baltimore Ravens that contain massive God-shaped holes, in terms of important facts about the lives of players, coaches and staff members.
Now it is time for round two of the National Football League playoffs and this round of games includes a renewal of one of the fiercest rivalries in the league, dating back to when the Ravens and the Tennessee Titans were in the same division. Yes, this means that one of my two NFL teams will knock the other one out of the Super Bowl race tonight.
With that in mind, let me recommend a story at The Athletic website (which is really worth its modest price) with this headline: “ ‘We gotta tell this story’: Eddie George, Ray Lewis and a friendship fueled by rivalry, marred by tragedy, saved by love.”
That last word — “love” — is linked to faith-based ties that bind.
We are, of course, talking about iconic players here. It also helps to know that quite a bit of this long story focuses on ties between George, Lewis and the late, murdered quarterback Steve McNair, who played for both franchises. Here is the overture, set in the present:
Ray Lewis knew it was coming. The familiar buzz of his cell phone the instant the Tennessee Titans had done the unthinkable: go on the road to topple the Patriots in Saturday’s stunning 20-13 AFC wild-card win.
“Here we go,” read the text, still the last message Lewis has gotten from ex-Titans great Eddie George since the fog-fueled, Derrick Henry show punched the Titans ticket to this weekend’s showdown in Baltimore.
“Here we go, again.”
But here is the long passage that best captures the tone of this piece.
Let me stress that the article isn’t packed with Godtalk. But once that tie is defined, it looms in the background. That’s good reporting by Brittany Ghiroli.
At the epicenter of [the rivalry] were Lewis and George, two supremely gifted players who were constantly trying to crush each other’s bodies and souls. They were the game within the game, and they were brutal. …
“He made me a better football player and a better, God-fearing man,” said George, who officially retired in 2006. “In order to beat someone and compete against someone physically you have to match them, not just physically, but spiritually. It’s a battle of wills. You got to be at a certain level spiritually and take that on without any fear or intimidation. It’s a lot deeper than just the battles on the field. (Lewis) challenged me.”
It’s no wonder George sought out Psalm 27 before one pivotal matchup against Baltimore, a powerful Biblical verse helping condition him for the gladiator-style football game to come.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.”
Oh, there is brutal football material in the piece, as well.
I really appreciated this description of the drama surrounding the most famous play — ever — involving these two men. It helps to know that this play was a crucial moment in the first Super Bowl run by Lewis and the Ravens.
After driving to midfield, McNair attempted a pass for his star running back. But the ball banged off George’s hands and was wrestled away by Lewis mid-air. The linebacker broke George’s leg tackle and ran 50 yards down the sideline for a touchdown. The game ended by the same score, 24-10, and the Ravens went on to beat the Raiders and Giants to win the Super Bowl. That interception is considered one of Lewis’ crowning triumphs, an iconic moment for the Ravens franchise.
Nearly two decades later, George is still haunted by the play. Lewis is more focused on what followed.
Before the magnitude of the moment had really sunk in, before Lewis showered and changed into street clothes, George was there, standing in the visiting locker room. Wearing a white vest fashionable enough that Lewis still gets envious 20 years later — “He looked like the Matrix. I was like, ‘Good God that thing looks good’” — George stared at his friend. He was fresh off one of the most deflating moments of his life, what he would describe later as a part of him dying on the field that day.
Still, he stood and waited to speak to Lewis face-to-face. Man-to-man. Brother-to-brother.
“It had to be me or you,” he said to Lewis. “I love you, brother. Go get it.”