There’s an old episode of That 70’s Show where Donna attempts to explain football to Eric in Star Wars terms. “The Packers are like the Jedi, and you’re wearing a ‘Go Darth Vader’ jersey.” She explains. While this was played for laughs, there is some truth to the comparison. Both Star Wars and football deal with improbable odds, the need to be disciplined, and the importance of teamwork to ensure victory. Star Wars and football have influenced the childhoods of young men for decades, though none are more important to Hoosiers’ fans than those of Charlie Becker and Fernando Mendoza.
Speaking to the media in the locker room following a Peach Bowl victory, Becker explained that he and Mendoza would spend their off day watching a movie. “[Fernando’s] my roommate, and we watch movies whenever we’re done watching film, so tomorrow we’ll watch a movie.”
When asked what movie they would watch, Becker said, “Fernando is a die-hard Star Wars fan; you’ll have to talk to him about that because we’ll watch Clone Wars, the show, [and other Star Wars movies].”
Without hesitation, Becker continued by saying that his favorite film is “Revenge of the Sith all day. I mean, you’ve got Obi-Wan vs. Anakin, you can repeat the words [of the final speech]. That’s the best fight; ugh it’s fantastic.”
After being asked which character he thought was most like Coach Cignetti, Becker said, “Master Yoda, I mean, is there another answer? I mean, the GOAT Master Yoda—he’s so wise and so into the Force, he’s the GOAT.”
Cignetti definitely has both the stoic demeanor and the wisdom of Master Yoda. However, it is his ability to mold and shape the minds of young men such as Becker and Mendoza into such mature leaders that is the most similar to that of the Jedi master.
Becker continued comparing the rest of the team, saying, “I would consider Fernando like a Qi-Gon Jin [or] Obi-Wan, one of those wise masters, and we just have a ton of dawgs on the field, so we have a ton of Luke [Skywalkers], we have Lukes everywhere.”With Fernando “Obi-Wan” Mendoza at the helm, he looks to follow the plot of A New Hope.
By leading the Indiana “Lukes” into the heart of the Death Star that is Hard Rock Stadium and defeating the Evil Empire that is the Miami Hurricanes, the Hoosiers can win a National Championship. Up until two years ago, this was something that Indiana fans thought would happen “A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”