Category: Football
Faith, ‘divine journey,’ and Trump will ensure unforgettable World Cup, island nation’s soccer president says
The soccer president from the tiny island nation of Curaçao says divine intervention has brought his team to the World Cup and, in turn, to the United States and in front of President Trump.
The executive’s faith is also what has him confidently saying that everyone involved will lead with love, including the president.
‘President Trump will make sure that this will be a World Cup that will not be [forgotten].’
Gilbert Martina, president of the Curaçao Football Federation, humbly avoided bragging about his hard work that turned his nation’s soccer program around. Instead, he credited a long but fruitful “divine journey.”
In an interview with Blaze News, Martina spoke in detail about his many run-ins with divine intervention, including his trip to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., in December.
There, at the World Cup draw, he sat just a few yards away from Trump and came to believe that Trump will act with love and grace to make it the biggest World Cup in history.
“We are all spiritual beings, and we have to take care of each other, and we have to globalize love,” Martina passionately decreed. “And football unites. That’s the slogan of FIFA. So I’m sure all stakeholders and even President Trump will make sure that this will be a World Cup that will not be [forgotten], ever, because it’s the biggest on this planet.”
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Divine intervention
The former insurance director and CEO of a medical center attributed most of his accomplishments to his divine journey with spirituality and faith. This starts with daily gratefulness, prayer, and meditation before preparing for what is ahead, Martina said.
Persistently pointing to this divine journey, he said he always believed his country would qualify for the World Cup. He offered no other explanation as to how such a small nation could unite in under a year for “a greater purpose.”
“With the universe, with God, with the cosmos, whatever name we want to give it,” his team started “co-creating beauty,” he explained. “Then the magic happens.”
Martina also said there were too many instances and overlapping themes to ignore. On the very day he got the job as president of Curaçao Football Federation in April 2025, he predicted to his wife that his team would make the World Cup.
“There is no coincidence,” Martina declared.
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ANGEL BATTA/AFP/Getty Images
Putting in the work
What the executive also explained — without giving himself the proper credit — was how he brought his country out of the Stone Age in terms of organization and formalities.
Before his election as president of Curaçao’s soccer federation, the tiny country of about 150,000 had a program that was in shambles. Hotels and travel were not organized, players were not paid on time, and soccer teams within the country were at odds.
“Too much distraction,” Martina said, expressing the stress of the job. “There’s so much things that we had to professionalize, and so that was the focus.”
He continued, “Because if they’re not focused [on qualifying] … you will have too much distraction.”
After Martina became president, Curaçao went undefeated in eight matches (five wins, three ties) and qualified for the World Cup. There, the team will share Group E with Germany, the Ivory Coast, and Ecuador, with its first game against Germany on June 14.
Message for others
Martina compared his approach to life, and to a successful nation, with a hummingbird.
“A hummingbird isn’t going to a garbage nest at KFC or Pizza Hut. A hummingbird always goes for the best nectar, the best flowers, because that’s the best of the best,” he said, mirroring advice he gives in his book, “Healthy Minds, Healthy Nation.”
Martina insisted that people should strive for the best, whether it is in performance, organization, or even nutrition.
“That’s a powerful message. … When we are able to convert that into our daily life, purpose, and intention, beautiful things happen.”
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The Weekend Spectator Ep. 55: TPUSA Announces Alternate Pro-America Super Bowl Half Time Show
For years, the NFL has become more woke, less family-friendly, and less patriotic. This year’s halftime performer, Bad Bunny, is…
The left is at war in Minnesota. America is watching football.
Gunfire, smoke grenades, vehicles charging law enforcement: The scene in Minnesota looks like a war zone. Leftists are assaulting ICE agents, storming churches, threatening journalists, and ripping conservatives out of cars, all in one of the most frigid winters imaginable.
While CNN and MSNBC are treating ICE’s presence as a fascist takeover that every progressive foot soldier should travel to fight, they are increasingly frustrated that no one seems to really care. The left might be engaged in its own miniature insurrection, but the rest of America isn’t at war. The rest of America is watching football.
The average guy might catch an online video or headline and shake his head, but he goes right back to wondering if the Patriots are going to win another Super Bowl.
The summer of 2020 was truly a wonder to behold. After the entire country was locked down for months on end, tensions were boiling. The media had been steadily bombarding their captive viewers with different stories of police brutality against black people, the most sacred of all victims, hoping that one spark would eventually trigger a wildfire. It took a while, but once riots started, they spread to different cities quickly. Teachers had their students write essays about George Floyd, while churches baptized in his name. Statues were built, murals were painted, and companies donated millions to Black Lives Matter, even as rioters looted and burned down their stores.
It was a truly religious movement, supported by every major power center in the nation, justifying outrageous violence and property damage, while news organizations glorified the entire spectacle. Not since the 1960s has America been gripped by such a fervently spiritual devotion to revolutionary politics.
Now, Trump is back in office and the left is desperately trying to recreate the magic, but leftists can’t seem to get it done. ICE has started its deportations of the worst illegal-alien criminals. In most states, the operation has gone smoothly. Some blue states have decided not to work with ICE, forcing the agents to retrieve the illegal aliens themselves, often in very hostile environments, without the aid of local law enforcement. Minnesota has been a hotbed of domestic unrest, so it is no surprise that the state has also seen the most conflict during these ICE raids.
It isn’t just that Minnesota refuses to cooperate with federal immigration officials. The entire state political apparatus is involved in a conspiracy to foment violence. Government officials, including the lieutenant governor, have been caught in a group chat working to coordinate the revolution. Teachers’ unions and school boards collaborate to suspend school so that educators and students can join in the street protests and riots. Judges refuse to sign arrest warrants for obvious crimes because they agree with the perpetrators. Minnesota is in open insurrection. There really is no other word for it.
Despite the incredible level of subversive coordination occurring in Minnesota, events have failed to capture the popular imagination like they did during the summer of love. Some have blamed the winter, claiming that it is simply too cold for the leftists to maintain an overwhelming presence in the streets. Others have pointed to the lack of lockdowns or some other simmering psychological factor increasing political tensions.
The most likely explanation centers around the cause itself. Black criminals have gained an almost sacred status on the left, making them a far more animating cause, especially for the black community at large. No black activist is showing up to die for white lesbians who get themselves shot standing up for child-molesting illegal aliens from Venezuela. Without the sacred victims, it is difficult for leftists to get their most violent foot soldiers in the streets or to get corporations to sign on and push the agenda. Whatever the true explanation, the consequences are obvious. The revolution is not spreading, and most of America does not care.
If you are someone who follows the news obsessively, it is easy to overestimate the impact that events in Minnesota are having on the country. It’s not that what is happening between ICE and violent leftists isn’t serious. It is, but most Americans are barely paying attention. Most states are cooperating with ICE, and deportations are entirely positive, making very little noise. The average guy might catch an online video or headline and shake his head, but he goes right back to wondering if the Patriots are going to win another Super Bowl.
Progressive activists are posting on social media complaining about how most of the country just does not care about what they are doing. The revolution is contained, and the leftist insurgency is becoming demoralized.
Tim Walz has now agreed to involve local law enforcement if ICE reduces its direct presence in operations. Some disgruntled right-wingers have described this as capitulation by the Trump administration, but that simply is not the case. The goal was always to use ICE as a supplementary force in conjunction with local agencies. Anything else invites chaos.
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Blaze Media Illustration
The refusal of local law enforcement to cooperate created a “city under siege” mentality, where progressives could sell the image of faceless authoritarians surging into their hometown, justifying all kinds of ruthless tactics. Now that local police are handling the riot control, they own the situation. It’s a lot easier to demonize and attack a faceless federal agent. Now the protesters are assaulting their friends, family members, and neighbors. Activists have even started to surround Tim Walz’s residence due to their outrage. Once revolutionary energy is redirected toward their own leaders, the movement is not long for this world.
Many GOP commentators and politicians have decided that now is the time to defect, calling for ICE to withdraw and abandon operations in Minnesota — a huge mistake. The progressives are outraged that their government allies have wavered and demoralized becuase their revolution has been contained. The worst possible move would be to rip defeat from the jaws of victory because a few MSNBC segments started to make the donor class squeamish.
Now is the time to break the insurgency and continue nationwide operations without hesitation. Americans are more interested in whether the Seahawks can pull this one off than they are in spreading the Marxist open-borders gospel. If conservative politicians and commentators can control their impulse to surrender like spineless cowards for a few weeks, the moment will pass and immigration law will be enforced.
Critically ill ‘The Blind Side’ star shows signs of recovery; family credits power of prayer
A beloved Christian actor is showing possible signs of recovery while in hospital on life support.
Quinton Aaron starred in “The Blind Side,” a movie with Sandra Bullock about Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who is taken in by a Christian family and becomes a first-round NFL draft pick.
‘I grew up in the church. I was raised in the church.’
In real life, Aaron’s wife, Margarita, said she rushed the 41-year-old to the hospital after he lost feeling in his legs. The issues were initially thought to be from a bad sleep, but pain persisted in Aaron’s neck and back until he became numb.
His wife is a registered nurse, and she helped him lie down before calling 911. The big man — reportedly around 6’6″ — was in and out of consciousness on the way to hospital.
Doctors allegedly determined after several tests that he had a blood infection and recommended he be put on life support, according to TMZ.
A ‘fighter’
After initial reports looked grim, the outlet explained that Aaron was partially breathing on his own until Monday, when he “opened his eyes today and gave a thumbs-up,” his wife said.
Describing her husband as “a fighter,” Margarita had previously said, “He’s showing a lot of improvement. We all have faith in God that he will walk out of here fully recovered.”
Aaron had been dealing with health issues last March, according to E News. He was hospitalized after experiencing a bloody cough coupled with a fever and was told he was likely dealing with Type A flu and pneumonia.
In 2019, he was also admitted to a hospital for an upper respiratory infection and bronchitis.
Man of faith
The man of faith was interviewed by Blaze News in 2013 when he said, “I grew up in the church. I was raised in the church.”
“I do believe in showing more so than having to say. I feel like if I live the Christian life, then the people should be able to see it in my everyday actions.”
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Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Outspoken Christian
Aaron has been outspoken about being a Christian in Hollywood. In a 2017 interview, he noted that many people in the film industry are “not very charitable” unless it benefits them.
“I’ve noticed that, especially with friends in Hollywood, if you want to keep a friend, don’t ask them for anything. I tell people all the time, I say, ‘The moment you ask for a favor, you’re probably never going to hear from them again,'” he explained.
“They may grant that favor, but don’t plan on asking for another one,” the actor added.
Oher, whom Aaron portrayed in the 2009 film, had eight seasons in the NFL, five of which were with the Baltimore Ravens.
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College Football: CFP Punts on Expansion in 2026
As the Indiana Hoosiers are still trying to figure out where to display their most unlikely but well-deserved national championship…
Trump attends college football national championship
President Trump on Monday attended the College Football Playoff National Championship in Florida taking place on the Martin Luther King, Jr., federal holiday. Trump, who has been at Mar-a-Lago over the long weekend, was in attendance to watch the Indiana Hoosiers battle the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., alongside family…
Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza gives ‘all the glory to God’ ahead of national championship
When it comes to his role in Indiana’s unlikely rise to the top of college football, Hoosier quarterback Fernando Mendoza knows just who to thank: “the man upstairs.”
“I really give a lot that I have accomplished this season in my life to the Lord and really give thanks to God. … Give all the glory to God,” Mendoza told reporters ahead of tonight’s 2026 National Championship against the University of Miami.
‘I really give a lot that I have accomplished this season in my life to the Lord.’
Team effort
At the press conference Saturday, the recent Indiana University transfer stressed that his success was a team effort — a team that includes the priests at his Catholic parish in Bloomington.
“I’m a Catholic man,” Mendonza told reporters. “And they’ve done so much to help me, whether it’s confession or just [being] able to talk or just Mass every Sunday.”
This is not the first time Mendoza has credited the men of the St. Paul Catholic Center.
Christmas gift
On Christmas Eve, the 22-year-old brought them his 2025 Heisman Trophy. Mendoza won the award — which honors the nation’s top college football player — on December 15, thanks in part to the 41 touchdown passes he threw for the Hoosiers this season.
Recalling the moment, Mendoza said, “I think it was really important to take it over [to] those guys, especially those guys who have been great religious mentors to myself.”
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Chasing a dream
In his Heisman acceptance speech, Mendoza thanked God for giving him “the opportunity to chase a dream that once felt the world away” and vowed to live up to the honor.
Mendoza, who attends Mass weekly and says he prays before every game, also thanked his younger brother Alberto, currently Indiana’s backup quarterback. Calling Alberto his “lifelong teammate,” Mendoza described him as the one person he could trust to “get through a tough day, tough play, [or] tough game.”
“I love you, bro. I love you and thank you for always giving it to me straight no matter the circumstance.”
The NCAA national football championship airs from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
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Catholic priest accused of changing the outcome of the last NFL game of the season
With everything on the line, a Catholic priest’s blessing may have changed the outcome of the NFL playoffs on Sunday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium for “Sunday Night Football” with the season on the line. The game would decide who topped the AFC North and the final playoff spot.
‘The Catholic community in Pittsburgh is very strong.’
A perfect, dramatic ending was set up for the last game of the season, after the Steelers went ahead 26-24 with a late touchdown. After blocking their opponent’s extra point, the Ravens converted a pivotal fourth-down play to get into position for a 44-yard game-winning field goal.
However, kicker Tyler Loop pushed the ball right, and the Ravens lost in dramatic fashion.
Just after the game, NBC commentators Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth decided to sprinkle some Catholic lore on the ending and revealed that a priest may have been involved in the missed field goal.
At 6:15 p.m. local time, Tirico revealed, a priest was seen “spreading holy water” in the Steelers’ defending end zone, where the kick was missed.
“The Catholic community in Pittsburgh is very strong … and down at that end zone, Tyler Loop misses the … field goal … and allows the Steelers to win,” Tirico explained.
“So it’s not Tyler Loop’s fault,” Collinsworth laughed.
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The priest in question has since been named by local outlets as Father Maximilian Maxwell. Maxwell currently serves as the prior of Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. According to WJCL, the Steelers have held their training camp at the college since 1966.
At the same time, Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Georgia, was quick to claim Fr. Maxwell as one of its own and proudly boasted on the school’s Facebook page.
“Check out former Benedictine Military School theology teacher Fr. Maximilian Maxwell blessing the Pittsburgh Steelers’ football field with holy water before the game Sunday night!” the school wrote.
Following the dramatic ending, Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward was asked about the potential blessed outcome.
“I’m not gonna ask questions,” Heyward said, per WJCL. “The good Lord made a good decision tonight. I’m thankful, and we keep moving on.”
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Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
On the other side of the ball, Ravens players still kept their faith, particularly Loop, who said he will be leaning on his religion to get him through the tough moment.
“I had written down a little prayer before the game. … Faith is a big part of my life and right now I’m reading the book of Romans, and in Romans 8 it says God works for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”
Loop continued, “Ultimately, I’m here to love on the guys around me. I’m here to try and have their back … reminding myself that ‘hey, God’s got my back even when stuff sucks.'”
Ravens running back Derrick Henry told reporters that he advised Loop to keep his faith and trust in God’s plan.
“I just told him the story after this is gonna be great for him because God put him in this position to use him as an example,” Henry revealed.
The Steelers will host the Houston Texans in Pittsburgh on January 12.
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Colts’ Alec Pierce Slapped With Ejection For Contact With Referee, But Is This Just Another Example Of NFL Being Soft?
Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me
