The Eagles had qualified for the playoffs earlier in the day when the New Orleans Saints, who were also in the playoff hunt, lost to the Carolina Panthers. The Eagles clinched a playoff berth when the San Francisco 49ers beat the Houston Texans, 23-7.

Mailata now hopes there will be no letdown against the Cardinals after having met the president and first lady. He had better not have let down his guard against an Arizona team that should prove to be a formidable challenge for an Eagles’ team that will likely rest some starters in the regular-season finale to get healthy for the playoffs.

Mailata thought he was just going to entertain First Lady Dr. Jill Biden but instead had an extended visit with the President Joe Biden, singing the song ‘This Christmas.’

The Philadelphia Eagles tackle had not sung since he was about 15 because it was his father, Dafe, who had done so at various church events.

Jordan’s father, who had been cut down at the age of 45 by a heart attack, continues to inspire his son. Dafe encouraged his son to give up his first love, rugby, and give football a try once the elder Mailata saw the kid was too big for a nose tackle that was his playing position in rugby.

Mailata hasn’t disappointed his father’s memory since that life-altering moment as a teenager. Nor did he disappoint when gathering the courage to perform in front of the Bidens in the White House.

The 6-8, 365-pound player who started out as a project has come a long way. 

In coming to America to play football at age 20, Mailata didn’t know what the Super Bowl was at the time. He didn’t know anything about American football culture.

But he has adapted. He has made it. And he has lived up to what the organization was looking for when they called his name in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL draft, which is development. Could he top the day he had last week in the White House assuming the Eagles go on to win the Super Bowl?

As they always have their backstory, sports can be adventurous and unpredictable, like life itself.  But there is a difference. Like all of us, professional athletes are under the microscope. Some handle it better than others.

It would be wise to predict success for Mailata, though he doesn’t want to get ahead of himself.

He has remained a player who doesn’t even take a good life for granted when it is blessed upon him.  You can imagine Dr. Jill Biden must have been overjoyed to meet and converse with Jordan Mailata. How her eyes must have twinkled upon listening to Mailata’s lightly accented English. In part, he reminds her a little of home, with his thriving ambition and larger-than-life potential for personal growth. How the entire day last week at the White House must have made the overachieving artist-athlete understand and appreciate the perfect moments of belonging.

He is being counted upon to be there, steadfastly at the position that could most help the Eagles wrest back control of their playoff game against the Cardinals, or any future opponent.

Mailata, who became a U.S. citizen in 2020, is a true blue Eagle, with the flag of his adopted country a flutter inside his chest.

Mailata just hopes to keep winning, and there have been very few instances when the listeners would have really minded that his luck would be in short supply. 

With a parade of Super Bowl champions expected to visit the White House in the coming months, the Eagles hope to make a repeat visit. Mailata would be thrilled to be among them, being one of the most adventurous, inspirational and integral parts of the acclaimed team.

There is a saying that people can take the boy out of a place but not the place out of the boy. Mailata came to the football-mad United States from rugby-mad Australia, and showed his American hosts how a gentle giant with a lion’s heart can be a champion both on the field and off the field.

Every individual fits a rhythm, a native music that allows them to soar. It’s refreshing that Mailata realized he can actually be a person of value when he dipped into his old love of singing with the team. Is it surprising that Mailata is doing well at another crossover attempt outside of sports?

But among all this, Mailata is now expected to take the weight of leading the Eagles to the next round of playoffs. Mailata is an essential part of the Eagles’ play for dominance at the PNC Field in Philadelphia. The man is undergoing a metaphor of life when he exists there.  

It’s great to follow the rise of one of football’s new legends. 

The spectacle of Mailata comforts and challenges Mailata at once. It’s more of a drama of being the next best than just appearing as a distant figure. In fact, the everyday occurrences of Mailata take on a more rod-like form because they are carried out in dance.  

For a sports lover, watching a game in the stadium is not the end of the world. Do we often forget that sports exist so that we can sometimes be the player? The ever developing game of football has also offered a variety of experience to players and coaches. Unfortunately, we have converted the game of implants into soulless lessons of endurance from alleged experts of the game. The real bottom line for all athletes of the game, including Mailata, is constantly deprived during the course of NFL.  

Few of the experiences in the life of ambitious athletes match the exception of the gift of good luck. It’s only by sheer coincidence that Mailata would be able to lift the entire Philly back to winning. Mailata is prepared to face the oncoming events and a steadfast opponent such as the Cardinals. His fear lies not in reaching conclusions about winning, but in grappling with the entire process.