Last week millions of families across the country gathered for Thanksgiving, sharing the day with people who are important in our lives. The centerpiece was the food – turkey, stuffing and my favorite, cranberry sauce – and football. 

But this year there was a heavy helping of gratitude. 

For nearly two years we battled through the most challenging public health crises of our lifetime. The pandemic took so much from so many, including the loss of loved ones, the disruption of school or added financial distress. We’re not completely out of the woods and we need to remain vigilant but there’s a lot to be grateful for, including the return of normalcy for our kids and sports. 

This Saturday we will kick off our 64th Pop Warner Super Bowl and the Pop Warner National Cheer & Dance Championships in Orlando. Last year, COVID-19 restricted us to host only a modified National Cheer & Dance championship and no football Super Bowl. 

Frankly, we had a challenge truly gauging how many teams would be able to make the trek to Florida because there has been so much uncertainty. The answer: a whole lot of teams will be making their way to Universal Orlando Resort, Camping World Stadium and Orange County Convention Center to try and win a national title. We are back to near pre-COVID-19 levels with more than 500 cheer and dance teams and 64 football teams.

Beyond this upcoming week, we are also grateful for the thousands of student-athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and families who made this year so successful under such uncertain circumstances. Sports teach young people about working together, putting in maximum effort and overcoming adversity. Together, the Pop Warner community checked all those boxes this year.

For that, I give thanks.

Jon Butler,
Executive Director