Pope Leo Opens Up College Basketball Season With A Lesson On Sportsmanship
Pope Leo XIV signs a basketball on Oct. 31 at the Vatican ahead of the Eternal City Tip-Off doubleheader between his alma mater Villanova and Notre Dame. (Photo courtesy of Vatican Media)
Pope Leo XIV may be the spiritual leader of more than a billion Catholics worldwide, but when it comes to college basketball, he apparently remains a Villanova alumnus at heart.
His playful declaration of neutrality on Saturday during a Vatican audience with the men’s and women’s basketball teams from Villanova and Notre Dame — two of the biggest Catholic schools in the country — offered a glimpse into the personality behind the papal robes.
The occasion was more than a ceremonial meeting between two American universities and the first American-born pope. The gathering took place a day before the Eternal City Tip-Off, where the men’s and women’s teams from both schools opened the college basketball season in Rome.
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The pope used the opportunity to remind everyone how sports can bring together people, institutions and cultures that would otherwise have little reason to share the same stage. In Rome this past weekend, basketball became a vehicle for friendship, Catholic identity and a bigger message about the importance of competition without hostility.
The pontiff, born Robert Prevost, graduated from Villanova in 1977 with a mathematics degree. That connection was impossible to ignore when he welcomed the Wildcats and Fighting Irish to the Vatican ahead of their season-opening doubleheader. With 7,000 players, coaches, fans and family members gathered, the pontiff found himself navigating an unusual challenge: Acknowledging both teams while resisting the temptation to favor his alma mater.
“But as you all know, Prevost graduated from Villanova,” Leo told the crowd, referring to his past self in the third person.
Declaring that the pope does not take sides in sporting matters, Leo added, “Prevost has another opinion — but we won’t do that now.”
The comments drew laughs, but Leo’s central message went beyond basketball allegiances. In prepared remarks, the pope encouraged the athletes and their families to regard sports as an opportunity for personal development and spiritual growth. His observation that “no one is born a champion, just as nobody is born a saint,” established a connection between athletic achievement and the lifelong pursuit of moral character.
“Rather, holiness requires a daily training in love,” the pope explained.
It was a particularly appropriate message given that the teams would compete on All Saints’ Day. Leo used the religious significance of the occasion to challenge the conventional understanding of success. Winning a game, he said, should never become the only measure of achievement. The deeper objective is to develop qualities such as discipline, humility, perseverance and respect for others.
Leo also cautioned against allowing competitive rivalries to turn opponents into enemies. His hope was that players and fans from both universities would use their time in Rome to build relationships, even while cheering passionately for their respective teams.
Ultimately, the Eternal City Tip-Off represented something larger than two unusual overseas basketball games. It showed how sports can serve as a meeting point between faith, culture and community. Bringing two American Catholic universities together at the Vatican also gave the occasion a symbolic dimension that extended well beyond wins and loses.
The pope did not attend the doubleheader at the 11,000-seat Palazzo dello Sport. He missed Brady Koehler scoring a series of key baskets down the stretch as the Notre Dame men’s team made a late surge to beat Villanova 74-72. Notre Dame made it 2-for-2 as the women’s team routed Villanova 99-75.
Despite the outcome, Villanova men’s head coach Kevin Willard said the experience of meeting the pope and playing in Rome was something special.
“To see [Pope Leo’s] love for Villanova, to see what he’s done for the Catholic Church and really for people all over … I don’t have the words to be perfectly honest with you, that’s how special it was,” he told reporters. “We’re just blessed that it happened.”
Clemente Lisi serves as executive editor at Religion Unplugged.