(OPINION) As I celebrate the Rangers taking me higher “to a place with golden streets,” I can’t help but draw parallels between baseball and Christian life. The ups and downs. The perseverance required. The journey together with those of like minds. The promise of an indescribable reward at the end.
Read More(OPINION) Let’s start with Chapter 9 of Ecclesiastes: “Under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.” Baseball is different from basketball, where a perfect shot will go into the basket. In baseball, it’s possible to hit a ball so hard — yet a well-positioned fielder can catch it.
Read More(ANALYSIS) During Babe Ruth’s heyday, his fame didn’t only help baseball — but religion, too. Anti-Catholic sentiment was prevalent in the United States during Ruth’s era, and his proud demonstrations of his Catholic faith helped ameliorate that prejudice.
Read MoreFall means NFL football, and NFL football means that staffers with Athletes in Action, the sports ministry of Cru, are busy serving a number of NFL teams. Unlike Major League Baseball, which uses Baseball Chapel to offer players and coaches regular chapel services before nearly every game, NFL teams vary in their commitment to introducing chaplains and pastors to their organizations.
Read More(OPINION) What I’ve retained about Sept. 15, 1973, is more a feeling than details of a game. It’s an impression. It’s an aura of happiness and relief. In Commonwealth Stadium, amid all the opening day hubbub, Dad and I seemed almost magically removed from our outside lives. In a desert of private unhappiness, we’d stumbled on an oasis: a place where a band played, people laughed and the hot dogs were tasty. Our tension eased.
Read MoreThe New Orleans Saints won their season opener in dramatic fashion — defeating the Tennessee Titans 16-15 — but it was linebacker Demario Davis who stole the spotlight after the game with an amazing story of faith. Instead of talking about Sunday’s win, Davis took the time to thank God after his 4-year-old daughter Carly-Faith had suffered a seizure two days earlier.
Read MoreThese days, the 56-year-old Sanders is known less for what he did on the field and more for what he’s doing on the sidelines and what he’s saying in the locker room as coach of the University of Colorado’s football team. Sanders is also making headlines for his Christianity and how he’s used his faith to motivate himself and his players.
Read MoreLast month, former football star Tim Tebow announced on Instagram that the Tim Tebow Foundation was launching unKNOWN — a public campaign to generate $1 million towards combating human trafficking and child sexual exploitation by his 36th birthday.
Read MoreThe Saudis have lots of money, easily outspending European clubs for players. Since the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund took control of four teams earlier this year, the deep-pocketed Saudis are recruiting players — and specifically Muslim talent — in their quest to change their global image. Human rights groups such as Amnesty International have called this process “sportswashing.”
Read MoreLos Angeles Dodgers star pitcher Clayton Kershaw and his wife, Ellen, talked about their faith — not to mention their family and fastballs — during the team’s Christian Faith and Family Day. Clayton and Ellen — high school sweethearts who married in 2010 — are natives of Dallas and the parents of four children: Cali Ann, Charley, Cooper and Chance.
Read MoreFaith nights at MLB ballparks across the nation feature Christian music, player testimonials and prayers. The theme events are part of marketing efforts to boost baseball’s ticket sales.
Read MoreAfter four years of excavation, archaeological preservation, extensive engineering work and construction — and just in time for the sweltering heat wave now baking Jerusalem — an indoor swimming pool was inaugurated July 3 at the Terra Sancta School in the Old City’s Christian Quarter.
Read MoreMookie Wilson’s ground ball that went through first baseman Bill Buckner’s legs in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series has been called lots of things. Just don’t call one of the biggest plays in baseball history divine intervention if you’re around Wilson. These days, Wilson, who has been an ordained Baptist minister since 2014, continues to serve as a role model.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Dodgers have held Pride Night for 10 years. This year’s edition became ensnared in controversy. Following criticism from Catholic groups, the team rescinded an invitation to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to be honored at Pride Night. They were later reinvited. Unless you attended the game and got there an hour before it started — that’s when the group was honored — you don’t really know what happened.
Read More(REVIEW) LeBron James’ coming-of-age story is inspiring and entertaining. Whether you enjoy basketball or not, this biopic keeps audiences vested in the success of James and his three best friends/teammates — even though you already know he’s going to go on to become an NBA star. Those looking for faith angles, however, will be left disappointed.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Baseball, and specifically the Los Angeles Dodgers, became the focus of controversy over the last two weeks when the team invited, then uninvited, and then issued a welcome once again a group known as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a well-known San Francisco group of queer and transgender people dressed as nuns at the team’s annual Pride Night on June 16.
Read MorePro sports can be a demanding career path for many young men and women. Baseball, for example, has produced a number of talented stars, but many of them couldn’t handle the success and money that came with being a big-time ball player. As a result, many have used their post-playing careers to preach the gospel and help others in need.
Read MoreWhile the bright lights shined on the biggest boxing match of the year, another thing was also on full display in the recent fight between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia in the form of comments before and after the match regarding faith and even religiously inspired walkout music.
Read MoreIslam is one of the fastest-growing religions in the world. Some notable American athletes have converted to Islam starting in the 1960s, a trend that continues to this day. For some, the belief provides a chance to emphasize personal responsibility and social justice.
Read MoreEveryone now knows what Caitlin Clark can do after her wonderful performances this season — but many schools had seen that potential a few years ago. She was heavily recruited by a number of schools after ESPN rated her one of the nation’s top prospect in 2020 when she was a budding point guard at a Catholic high school in Iowa.
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