And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him” – Colossians 1:22-23

On Monday, January 8, 2024, the Michigan Wolverines defeated the Washington Huskies 34-13 to claim the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship. As a lifelong Michigan fan, the decisive victory was a pleasure to watch. It was the culmination of a season filled with hope and promise as Michigan realized its potential and won their first national championship since 1998. It’s been a memorable year for many reasons, and some are even football related!

Michigan and its coach Jim Harbaugh have been engulfed in controversy throughout the season. The year started with the school self-imposing a three-game suspension for Harbaugh for recruiting violations during COVID. It later erupted with allegations that a Michigan staffer and some of his associates were filming the sidelines of future opponents in an attempt to decode and steal their signs. The staffer resigned, the NCAA is investigating, and the Big Ten issued another three-game suspension for the coach. The first suspension came against two of the three weakest opponents Michigan would face this year (sorry MSU fans, it’s true). The second, however, would be against two of the three best teams in the conference, including arch-rival, Ohio State. Michigan would go on to win all of those games, followed by the Conference Championship game, the Rose Bowl over Alabama, and finally Washington for the natty.

For a team to have accomplished so much is incredible. To have done so in the face of so much adversity makes it even more amazing. However, not everybody sees it that way.

For some, Michigan’s win will forever be tainted by the allegations of cheating. It’s common for rival fan bases to grouse and cry foul over impropriety, but this Michigan story became national news as the biggest sports related topic over most of the season. Now that the season is over and Michigan has been named the victors, those people who still object to the alleged cheating are claiming the win should come with an asterisk.

On the surface, that sounds weird. The claim is that by typing “Shift-8” on your keyboard after Michigan’s name we will totally resolve the issue; easing the pain of those fans who are suffering. That one keystroke will once and for all, show those cheaters in Ann Arbor that we mean business!

Again, as a Michigan fan, my initial response is, “Whatever.” Cleverly placed punctuation marks will not erase the memories, change the outcome of the game, or award anyone else a championship. But the asterisk isn’t designed to do any of that. Its goal is to diminish the accomplishment by questioning its legitimacy.

On the surface this may appear to be much ado about nothing, but there is a history to this practice. For many years, Major League Baseball listed Roger Maris’s single-season home run record in their official publications with an asterisk because he hit 61 homers playing in a 162-game schedule, while the previous record-holder Babe Ruth set his mark of 60 in a schedule with only 154 games. Why would they go to such lengths for this record? MLB didn’t quantify any other records in the same way, so why this one? Probably because commissioner Ford Frick couldn’t stomach the idea that Roger Maris, an above-average player would erase the great Babe Ruth from the record books. Getting back to the Michigan situation, the goal for those calling for the asterisk is to let history record that Michigan cheated and didn’t win their games with clean hands. The asterisk would forever blemish the title, the games, the players, coaches, and the season.

I don’t know what will eventually happen with all of this. The investigations will be conducted, and decisions will be made regarding any additional punishments that may be handed down. What I do see in all of this is a connection to our faith life.

There will never be a consensus on Michigan’s alleged guilt. Some will claim it to be overblown while others will contend that the vaunted integrity of sports was irreparably besmirched. Asterisk or not, the controversy will always be connected to a certain degree. The validity will likely fall along the lines of your fandom.

As Christians, we all fight a common issue of sin. It doesn’t matter if you root for Blue, Green, Scarlet, Crimson, or Burnt Sienna. We have all sinned. Some of our sins are significant and carry serious consequences. Many are minor infractions that are by and large unknown to the rest of the world. Unfortunately, the depth and gravity of the sin are not mitigating factors. Any sin equals impurity and ultimately death. This is a blemish that we all carry and are powerless to remove on our own.

By the grace of God shown through the loving sacrifice made by Jesus, we are given a restorative gift. Despite being without the blemish of sin, Jesus died on the cross to atone for the sins of all mankind. The Bible tells us that our sins are washed away in the blood of the Lamb. This saves us from an eternity of separation from God. Instead, our relationship with God is restored. This is made clear in Paul’s words to the Colossians. Jesus will present us to the Father “holy and blameless and above reproach.” We enter His heavenly presence without so much as an asterisk by our name. We could never do that. Thankfully, Jesus did.

May the love of God displayed throughout creation, and demonstrated by Jesus Christ in our salvation lead us to share the love that God has given us with everyone we encounter, especially our rivals. Let His love guide us in all things that we and others through us can come to that same saving grace.

And one last thought…. Go Blue!