Patriot virtues

For the first time in the history of the papacy, last Sunday Pope Francis recorded a Super Bowl message. ^[1] His message underlined what so many athletes and coaches, parents and educators have long known, that sports are a school in which one can be formed in many virtues and skills necessary for life: teamwork, self-discipline, asceticism, docility, selflessness, dependability, perseverance, focus, preparation and training, poise under pressure, sportsmanship, how to celebrate and how to handle setbacks.