An hour after Robert Prevost was elected as the first American pope, Villanova’s athletic director texted sports travel expert John Anthony with the idea.
asserted
director → elect → idea
“It just said, ‘ Villanova - Notre Dame.
asserted
It → say → Villanova
Basketball game in Vatican City?’” Anthony said, recounting how he then responded to Eric Roedl a moment later “with all caps, ‘YES. I’M SERIOUS.
asserted
he → say → caps
Now, 1 1/2 years later, the idea is about to become reality:
asserted
idea → become → ?
the Villanova and Notre Dame men’s and women’s teams will meet in a doubleheader in Rome — not quite Vatican City, but close enough — on Nov. 1 that will mark the start of the college basketball season.
asserted
that → meet → season
The Catholic universities are promoting the games as a celebration of their shared mission and heritage.
asserted
universities → promote → mission
The event has been dubbed the Eternal City Tip-Off and there will be a Vatican component
asserted
event → dub → ?
: Villanova alumnus Pope Leo XIV is scheduled — health permitting — to hold a private audience Oct. 31 with all four teams and their traveling fans.
asserted
XIV → schedule → teams
A total of about 7,000 people are expected in the Paul VI audience hall inside the Vatican.
asserted
total → expect → Vatican
“He will know who they (the players) are.
asserted
they → know → ?
He’s a true, blue Villanovan,” said the Rev. Rob Hagan, Villanova’s longtime team chaplain, adding that Leo used to attend Wildcats games at the Palestra, the Philadelphia arena known as “The Cathedral of College Basketball.”
asserted
Leo → ’ → Basketball
“And of course he’s not unfamiliar with Notre Dame and their history and legacy,” Hagan added.
asserted
Hagan → ’ → Dame
“I think he’ll be very dialed in and excited to be part of it.”
asserted
he → think → it
The plans involving the pope were made before the 71-year-old Leo had the lower lobe of his right lung removed last week and was diagnosed with lung cancer.
asserted
lobe → involve → cancer
Hagan said: “We’re rooting for him.”
asserted
We → say → him
Leo graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Villanova, the Augustinian school near Philadelphia.
asserted
Leo → graduate → Philadelphia
He was born in Chicago — not all that far from Notre Dame, which is located in South Bend, Indiana.
asserted
which → bear → Bend
“To have a pope who grew up an hour and a half from Notre Dame, who went to Villanova, who is an open sports fan, who consistently speaks about uniting the world and the ability of sports to bring people together — it’s just a unifying occasion that sport uniquely can do,” added Anthony, who has also organized college football games in Ireland for years.
asserted
who → have → years
Asked about the upcoming games on the papal plane during a recent trip to France, Leo said, “They tell me that the people coming to the match, 90% are Villanova and 10% Notre Dame, so the voice of the people of God will be very strong on the Villanova side.”
It turns out Leo may have received some inflated numbers.
“
uncertain
Leo → ask → numbers
It’s safe to say there will be more Villanova fans than Notre Dame, but no, it won’t be anywhere near nine to one,” Anthony said.
asserted
Anthony → ’ → one
The games will be played at the 11,000-seat Palazzo dello Sport, where Cassius Clay — before he became Muhammad Ali — boxed to a gold medal during the 1960 Rome Olympics.
asserted
he → play → Olympics
Pope Leo unlikely to attend the games
While the arena is only about a half-hour drive from the Vatican, the pope is not expected to attend the games.
Popes regularly go to sports stadiums when they are travelling internationally, but in those cases the pope is presiding over a papal event: A Mass, a youth vigil or some other event tied to his mission as Christ’s vicar on Earth.
asserted
pope → attend → Earth
He doesn’t go as a spectator, but rather as the chief celebrant.
asserted
He → go → celebrant
As a result, the pope’s attendance at a basketball game, even a season opener featuring his alma mater, seems unlikely — especially considering his health condition.
asserted
attendance → feature → condition
Still, organizers are preparing for the possibility that Leo shows up.
asserted
Leo → prepare → possibility
“He can throw up the ball for the tip off.
asserted
He → throw → tip
He can do whatever he wants and we will say, ‘Thank you,’” Anthony said.
asserted
Anthony → do → you
“We certainly have made contingency plans.”
The Vatican didn’t immediately respond when asked if Leo would attend the games.
asserted
Leo → make → games
is a Sunday and a major Catholic holiday — All Saints’ Day — which usually involves a papal Mass and noontime prayer at the Vatican.
asserted
which → involve → Vatican
The men’s game starts at 3:30 p.m. local (9:30 a.m. ET) and the women’s game starts at 6 p.m. local (noon ET).
asserted
game → start → p.m.
Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Perez will celebrate a private mass for traveling fans in St. Peter’s Basilica the day before the games.
asserted
Perez → celebrate → games
The ‘Italian Wemby’ and a top WNBA prospect
The men’s game will mark a Villanova debut on home soil for 7-foot-3 freshman center Luigi Suigo, a 19-year-old Italian who is a projected NBA draft lottery pick.
Organizers cut off ticket sales in the U.S. to hold some space in the arena for local fans hoping to see Suigo, who has been nicknamed the “Italian Wemby” after San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, who is French.
asserted
who → mark → Wembanyama
Hidalgo averaged 25.3 points last season and is the only major conference player this century to record 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists and 400 steals prior to the conclusion of their junior season.
asserted
Hidalgo → average → season
“She plays with a motor that I don’t know we’ve ever seen before — just non-stop energy,” said Anthony, a Notre Dame alum.
asserted
Anthony → play → motor
Global boom in sports tourism
The Michigan football team visited the Vatican in 2017, with then-coach Jim Harbaugh giving Pope Francis a personalized winged helmet complete with the pope’s name and number (226) and a pair of size 11 Jordan Brand sneakers.
asserted
Harbaugh → visit → sneakers
While there have been high-level college basketball games in Europe before — Kentucky beat Michigan in London in 2022; plus the Armed Forces Classic in Germany — organizers for this event are taking it to a new level.
“For instance, we had the court constructed in the U.S. and it went over by sea to Italy,” Anthony said.
asserted
Anthony → beat → Italy
With 7,000 traveling fans spending $3,000 each, Anthony estimated that the event will inject $21 million into the Italian economy.
asserted
event → travel → economy
Anthony is the executive vice president of On Location, a global leader in sports hospitality that arranges ticket packages for the Super Bowl.
asserted
that → arrange → Bowl
On Location also worked on the Milan Cortina Olympics and the soccer World Cup this year.
asserted
Location → work → Olympics
“We’re living in the center of this sports tourism global boom,” he said.
asserted
he → live → boom
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
