By Cameron Slavin ‘23

On Sunday, Feb. 12, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. This was the first Super Bowl that had brothers play against each other. These brothers were Chiefs’ tight-end Travis Kelce and Eagles’ center Jason Kelce. Both of these brothers have played in two Super Bowls.

For the upcoming Super Bowl, according to menshealth.com, playing against his brother made Travis Kelce say, “It’s wild, and kind of surreal… For it all to align like it has, it’s mind-boggling… It’s a special moment. It’s something we’ll remember for the rest of our lives… but at the same time I’m just trying to get a win for the Chiefs.”

Playing against a brother or family member in any sport always makes it an even better occasion. You get to play someone you have known for a while and whoever wins has something to brag about at the next family holiday party.

Senior Rory Cusack has had somewhat of the same experience. Cusack plays club Gaelic Football in the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) for the Chicago Celtics. Cusack has gone up against his cousin, Henry Coughlin, who plays for St Jarlath’s. Coughlin is a senior at St Laurence.

When Cusack got to play his cousin he said, “It was cool to compete against him, especially because our positions guard each other, and we are both so competitive. We are family off the field, but when we step on that field, all the love goes out the window.”

Henry Coughlin was on the winning team and from his experience playing his cousin he said, “It was very cool to play my cousin in a competitive sport. It gave me a new and more mature outlook on the game. Many times as athletes we divide the game into good vs evil and win vs loss, yet when I faced my cousin, I realized nothing in this life is quite as serious as we play it up to be. That was a unique moment I should have taken in, and I believe the Kelce brothers completely understood the extremely special scenario they were in and cherished every moment of it.”

Source:  menshealth.com