A.J. Brown is the star wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles. Brown tends to dominate games because of his physicality and speed. However, there is a story about his cleats that illustrates his love for his child, while also echoing the love of God for each one of us.

The story goes that he always felt bad when he had to go on road trips with the team because that meant he had to leave his young daughter. While he was away, she would often ask, “Where is daddy? When is he coming home?”

This prompted Brown to consider how he could show his love for his daughter in a special way while also giving her a chance to see him while he was gone. Due to her young age, she can’t fully grasp the game of football. And, seeing that all of the players on the same team wear identical uniforms and helmets, the only visible difference is the numbers on their jerseys, but these are hard to spot as the players are on the field.

So the football-playing father came up with an innovative idea to help his daughter find him on the field: In 2023, he began wearing bright-pink cleats, which stood out vividly against the green football field — making him easy to find, no matter where he was on the gridiron.

Brown later described to reporters the reason why he wore these cleats: “They’re for my daughter, so she can recognize me.”

Unfortunately, the NFL does have specific rules about the types and colors that players can wear on their cleats. Lately, Brown has not been wearing the pink for this reason. While we will probably not see him in his signature bright-pink cleats on Sunday during the big game, his daughter will be watching closely.

The Super Bowl is always played on a Sunday, the day that millions of Catholics attend the Sacrifice of the Mass. It is there where God communicates to us in a public way that he is always there for us, in the Holy Eucharist.

While we might feel distant from God at times and question where he is amid all of the challenges of life, it is our participation at Sunday Mass that allows us to find the Lord in the clearest way on this side of heaven.

So, keep your eyes on the Host elevated by the priest. See the King of Kings and his deep longing to do something special just for you. He doesn’t have to wear special shoes to show us that he’s always with us. He offers us his very life, every Sunday — with or without football.