Nick Saban was honored with the Icon Award at Thursday’s ESPYs ceremony, and took the opportunity to urge athletes to make the world a better place.
Being good at sports gives you an incredible platform, he said, and you have a “responsibility and obligation” to use that platform well.
“Sports bring people together better than anything,” Saban said.
Sports as a religion
The legendary college football coach backed up that claim by recalling a meeting he had with the Rev. Jesse Jackson in 2003, after LSU, Saban’s school at the time, won the national championship.
Jackson told Saban that football can be a religious experience — and that a stadium is like a church.
“He said to me, ‘Your team on a Saturday night in Tiger Stadium (at LSU) is closer to the kingdom of God than my church,’” Saban said.
He said he jokingly pushed back against the Rev. Jackson’s claim by noting that LSU fans are often so drunk at games that you can “smell the bourbon on the 50-yard line.”
But the Rev. Jackson didn’t back down.
“He said, ‘Everybody has the same goal, the rules are clearly defined and everybody’s together in spirit,’” Saban recalled.
The now-retired coach told the ESPYs audience that Jackson’s observation makes it clear that athletes and coaches have more power to unite people than almost anyone else.
“We all have a responsibility and obligation to bring people together because our platform in sports can do that for so many folks,” Saban said.
He continued, “Help someone. Bring people together. God bless you, and thank you very much.”
Religion at the ESPYs
Saban wasn’t the only honoree to reference religion during the ESPYs.
Several speakers thanked God while accepting their awards, and South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley talked about her belief that her platform was “divinely bestowed” on her.
Like Saban, Staley called on the athletes watching to use the blessing of their success to lift up others.
“With this blessing comes the chance to live extraordinary lives and take on even more extraordinary responsibilities. ... You have the power to make a difference. You can stand up for what is right. You can inspire, motivate and help others. All it takes is the will to do so,” she said.