Due to Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Saints began the 2005 NFL season with more on their minds than winning football games. Katrina caused devastation not only in the lives of many Saints fans, players and families, but also to the whole city of New Orleans. In the season opener, kicker John Carney hit a 47-yard field goal with three seconds left to give the saints a 23-20 victory over the Carolina Panthers. “You don’t want to attach too much importance to it, you know, because it’s still just a football game,” Carney said. “But, sure, there was a sense that we were playing for more than ourselves today."

Deion Branch came from relative obscurity as one of the no-name New England Patriot receivers to win the XXXIX Super Bowl MVP title. With 11 catches and 133 yards, he added to his 10 catches in last year's Super Bowl to set several receiving records. He missed seven regular season games this year due to a knee injury but came back in time for the playoffs.

Interestingly, Anthony "Deion" Branch wasn't highly recruited out of his Albany, Ga., high school. Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Miss., offered him a scholarship in some respects to assure the signing of linebacker Anthony Maddox, a highly recruited teammate. At Jones, Branch worked hard and contributed significantly and in 1998, helped his team achieve a perfect 12-0 season.

Athletes today live in a “me first” society. Many like to be served, not serve. Some professional athletes lead the way on “me first!” Yet, we hear stories of some who put others in front of themselves. Jason is one of those athletes. He has learned the art of “you before me.”

Paul teaches us that we can be very selfish. In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul explained that others are more important than ourselves. This is not to put us down, but to lift the needs of others higher. A dear evangelist friend of mine, Aidan McKenzie, once said, “If there are two people in the room and you are one of them, guess who is more important? It’s not you.” That is something good to live by.

It was in a post-game press conference that we saw the true Curt Schilling. Sure, he had pitched an unbelievable game in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS, but in the first question of his press conference we quickly learned where the Boston Red Sox pitcher found the strength to complete his performance. Schilling explained that he has been a Christian for seven years and has learned over time that he cannot do anything under his own strength. He puts his hope and trust solely in God for the strength to do what is needed.

The NBA … it's fantastic. Well, maybe not. But at playoff time it does get pretty exciting. The Indiana Pacers are once again making a push for the coveted title. The Pacers are not being led by the deadly sharp shooting of Reggie Miller this season, but the powerful play of two younger players — Ron Artest and Jermaine O’Neal. Reggie's days are ending, and he is passing the torch to his teammates. He knows he cannot carry the load like in years past. It is time for the younger, more youthful players on his team to step up, take on the responsibility, and lead their team to a championship. Reggie no doubt will do his job, but his best days are behind him now.