No doubt college sports are a big deal. No doubt within that big deal, college football is the most prominent — both in terms of individual program value and overall sport revenue. As we near the climatic bowl season, one football player recently stood out to me… although for reasons, dare we say, that had little to do with sports…
Allow us to turn our attention to SEC football, one of the most competitive, tradition-rich and lucrative college brands. There are 16 teams in this conference, following the addition of Texas and Oklahoma in 2024. Among the other teams with longer tenure is Auburn, which joined the SEC in 1933 and has won 8 SEC football championships.
On this team, of all the positions, this year’s kicker stands out.
We speak of Alex McPherson. The 22 year old, 160 lb. placekicker out of Fort Payne, Alabama. In high school, he set the state record for the longest field goal. He is a junior on this year’s Auburn Tigers team.
A few weekends ago, Auburn faced off with another set of Tigers. It was Missouri vs. Auburn. The game would go back and forth with the teams taking turns with the lead, with the Missourians coming out on top after two overtimes. Missouri has the better record of the two this season.
Over the course of the game, Alex McPherson would struggle. He would attempt 4 fields goals this night, missing a 40-yard attempt before halftime, a 38-yard attempt in the third quarter, and a 50-yard attempt in the first overtime. The missed kicks were indeed a significant factor in the opponent’s victory; the multiple missed kicks were also completely uncharacteristic of McPherson. He would privately apologize to his coach for his performance, saying, “I lost that game for you.”
After each attempt, no less, make or miss, McPherson pointed to the sky so as to thank God. Success on the field did not alter the gratitude in his heart.
His acknowledgement of the great big God of the universe did not go unnoticed. Popular sports and pop culture personality and founder of Barstool Sports, Dave Portnoy, criticized the pointing, seeing it as an inappropriate celebration. “This bothers me,” Portnoy wrote. “You shouldn’t be allowed to pretend you hit a Fg when you missed you 19th chip shot of the game.”
Many of the Auburn faithful came to the kicker’s defense, noting how he missed most all of last season, after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and forced to have surgery to remove his colon. Many noted how it’s a miracle the man is even alive, much less playing in a college football game.
But McPherson’s response was what caught our attention.
Confronted with the criticism, he offered the following: “All I’m gonna say is I praise the Lord whenever I miss and whenever I make. You praise Him in the highs as well as the lows. That’s what I’m going to continue to do. He’s the reason I’m back on that field.”
I love how his athletic success didn’t affect his gratitude; his lack of success didn’t diminish his giving of intentional thanks.
There are always reasons to be thankful.
I love the reminder to thank God in the good and the bad… in the easy and the hard…
Gratitude leads to contentment.
Contentment doesn’t mean we have everything we want or are able to succeed in all we want. Contentment simply means we trust God’s given us everything we need. Young as he is, Alex McPherson knows that.
In these days as we near the national holiday where so many will gather to give thanks, this young man stands out…
For something far bigger than sports.
Respectfully…
AR