Faith, Family, and Football: The Culture of the Chili Bowl

As an annual event, Regent’s flag football Chili Bowl gives family and friends the chance to come together and enjoy community and a timeless tradition. 

A Prominent Event

The Chili Bowl is one of the most exciting events that takes place on the Regent Universities campus. This event hosts activities for children, an assortment of food vendors, and an amazing football game to create the ultimate tailgate experience. The best chilies in the area are judged and the winner is hand selected. There are all sorts of opportunities to win Regent merchandise, gift cards, and an assortment of unique prizes. The bounce castles are a go-to for children of all ages; there are even pony rides and a petting zoo for the animal lovers. Local food trucks also make an appearance, selling everything from breakfast burritos to cupcakes.

The actual football game is always a thriller. The two teams in it have competed through a tough regular season, and an even more difficult sudden-death style playoff tournament. These two titans of the intramural league emerge from the playoffs with one thing in mind: winning the Chili Bowl trophy.

While all these activities help in creating an electric atmosphere, they are not the sole reason for the Chili Bowl’s significance. It is an event essential to Regent because of its powerful ability to unify, bringing young and old, current students and alumni, parents and siblings, and faculty and staff together; even the founder of the school, Pat Robertson, makes an appearance. The Chili Bowl gives professors a chance to have a casual conversation with a student from their 8:00 a.m. class, and there are no social barriers preventing people from being friendly to one another. In Psalm 133, King David remind us, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” Unity brings peace, love, and acceptance. Events like this help to facilitate the social foundation of the entire university. Make sure you drop by this Saturday to come see for yourself!



Abraham is a Contributor to Daily Runner.