Here are the seven top sports candidates–to become the next pope

With the sad recent passing of Pope Francis, the battle is now on to see who will become the next pope.

He will be difficult to replace due to the wonderful example he set through his leadership and through his many inspirational messages he gave over his 12-plus years as pope.

Compassion for all, understanding each of our differences,giving the most help to those of us who have the least, and on top of it all–not being afraid to shake up some of the long-standing traditions of the Catholic Church.

He did all that in an understated, yet powerful way. To say “he will be missed” is way too trite, but suffice it to say he leaves a huge void.

So… who fills his shoes? A tough call, obviously, and there will be many candidates.

But as resident sports expert here at the Chicago Star, I thought we might (with tongue firmly implanted in cheek) take a look at our top seven  candidates to replace the pope—all from the world of sports. Just for good measure, we even added some Honorable Mention candidates as well.

Here we go:

No. 7  Shaquille O’Neal. Can’t you just picture the 7-foot-tall, 300-plus-pound Shaq wearing the papal colors and the white outfit?  Who would not pay attention to his teachings? A brilliant orator he is not, but Shaq is soft-spoken, intelligent, thoughtful, and insightful. The big fella might just do a great job filling Francis’ large left-behind shoes.

No. 6  Coach Bill Belichick. He would be like the old school popes: aged, ornery, hunched over and not much to look at—but not afraid to pass on wisdom and do so without any “soft cushions.” You could almost picture Belichick wearing the papal white—he would look very pope-like.  Bonus: Nobody could put up better defensive schemes against competing religions.

No. 5. Alexander Ovechkin. The guy is on a roll, so why not keep it going?  At age 39, the hockey superstar is just the perfect age for a long run in the pope position. He just passed Wayne Gretzky and became hockey’s all-time leading scorer, so what’s next? A long run in the Vatican might be just the ticket. Bonus: Having a Russian-born pope—maybe he could talk some sense into Putin. Couldn’t hurt.

No. 4 Bruce Pearl.  We have to have at least one Jewish candidate to be pope. Kind of the Vatican version of DEI. Who better than the mercurial Auburn basketball coach who is never (to put it mildly) at a loss for words?  He has that look that could pass as pastoral (might have to shave the beard), and the Pope Pearl press conferences would be worth the price of admission alone.

No. 3 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Have you heard the hall-of-famer talk? Or read any of his readings or books? Amazing! His depth of thinking, soft but spot-on wisdom, worldly perspective, and moral ascensionsare right in line with Pope Francis. You want a seemly transition from Francis to the next? Jabbar would fill the bill precisely. Note: Understood, he is Muslim,  but why get caught up in technicalities? He preaches all the same good moral lessons that the church does.

No. 2  Paige Bueckers. Our first female candidate to go for the pope. Yes, she is only 21, and yes, she has absolutely no experience in the Catholic teachings, but you talk about high ceilings? Bueckers could absolutely shine in her new role as the pope!  

She has off-the-charts natural charisma, a wonderful welcoming personality, remarkable maturity for a young kid, and man can she shoot the rock! Seriously… you get the right people guiding her, maybe Coach Geno and a few of the more athletic cardinals,  and the sky is the limit on how she could grow into the role. Future trivia question: Which Pope had the best smile? Answer? Pope Paige.

No. 1 Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Magic has to be on top of the list! Nobody can light up a room like he can. Picture Magic in the papal white gown, and waxing poetic to audiences of all different kinds. That's a home run every time. Nobody can capture a room and hold attention like this guy, but maybe most of all, when you are done talking to him or listening to him speak, you simplyfeel better–about yourself, and better about mankind in general. Pope Magic would truly be “one for the ages.”

Honorable Mention Candidates:  Dick Vitale (Pope Dickie V has a ring to it); Derek Jeter (celibacy could be a major hindrance here); Dwayne “The Rock“ Johnson (no-brainer, Pope Rock would be awesome); soccer superstar Lionel Messi (how about another Pope from Argentina?);Serena Williams (no one would dare not listen to her); and finally…Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid along with his quarterback Patrick Mahomes (The first pope duet in world history).

Other candidate ideas for pope from the world of sports?  Email me at jcsportsandtees@aol.com and we will print some of the next best in a follow-up column.