THE UNIVERSITY Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) returns this September in its 88th season, this time hosted by the University of Santo Tomas.
As the oldest Catholic University in Asia welcomes the league back, each athlete is reminded to carry a deeper resonance: that there is, indeed, more to winning.
In his Jubilee of Sports homily, Pope Leo XIV said that there is more to doing sports. What’s beyond the thrill of competitions and pursuits of titles, athletics are moments of encounter with teammates, with rivals, and ultimately, with God.
“Sports can thus help us to encounter the Triune God, because it challenges us to relate to others and with others, not only outwardly but also, and above all, interiorly. Otherwise, sport becomes nothing more than an empty competition of inflated egos,” the Pope said.
Throughout the years, the UAAP has stood as a living witness to this truth—that in every area, there is character, humility, and solidarity that make each game.
As Pope St. John Paul II, an athlete himself, said, “Sport is joy of life, a game, a celebration. It must be fostered by recovering its sheer gratuity, its ability to forge bonds of friendship, to encourage dialogue and openness towards others.”
In his homily, Pope Leo XIV highlighted areas where sports can correct our society’s distortions: solitude, digital isolation, and a competitive society. In a world tempted by these dangers, sports summon us back to the “we.” In the digital age where interactions are confined to screens, the UAAP opens doors to let out and share our spirit, pride, and enthusiasm with one another that echo beyond the court. In a society that glorifies only the strong, the league teaches us to win and lose, and discover hope.
The UAAP may fill arenas, but its greater mission is to fill hearts with the conviction that life, like sports, is meant to be lived with discipline, purpose, and joy. Pope Leo’s homily calls us to see that the sacred is not confined to chapels or rituals; it can emerge in the sweat of athletes, the chanting of crowds, and the quiet dignity of competition embraced with honor.
The Pope concluded: “Dear athletes, the Church entrusts you with a beautiful mission: to reflect in all your activities the love of the Triune God, for your own good and for that of your brothers and sisters.”
As the Tigers roar on home ground, let the new season remind us, in Pope’s words, “that no one is born a champion, no one is born a saint. It is daily training in love that brings us closer to final victory.”
With the privilege of carrying the colors of the University, may we all embody Veritas in Caritate, truth in charity, in the realm of the UAAP.
Go USTe!
