What’s Up With So Many NFL Players Talking About Jesus? (And Why It Matters to Us) – Part 1

The day after the Super Bowl, I wrote a blog about this year’s triumphant Seattle Seahawks and highlighted a few of the guys on the team who have talked about their faith. Afterwards, I thought more about the apparent trend that more players and athletes are boldly and extensively vocal about their faith than when I played, or ever before.

Athletes expressing their faith used to be relegated to a quick “praise and glory to God” preface to postgame interviews. But now, the media has more access to players than ever before, and players are sharing about their relationship with Jesus. Many are actively putting their faith out there, going on podcasts or even hosting their own.

These days, the mega-marketing NFL, along with its franchise PR teams and the media, brings fans extensive access to the personal side of the players and coaches. And more players are using this opportunity to profess their faith.

Benjamin Watson, a 16-year NFL veteran, is now the editor-in-chief of Sports Spectrum, a magazine that covers the intersection of faith and sports. They’re the source of the awesome quotes from my Super Bowl blog.

Watson also noted this shift: “There was an idea that there were certain things that were off-limits because they might be controversial, people might think differently. So I think that in general you’re seeing young people speak more about convictions, passions than they ever were before, specifically as regards to faith.”

Trent Difler and Matt Hasselbeck are two quarterbacks who were both vocal and credible in their faith—a trend that has been growing since Tim Tebow, and now a seeming majority of NFL starting quarterbacks profess their faith. Trent related, “Since that moment, this walk with Jesus is… serving others… not for myself.” And Matt professed, “Our only hope is our faith in Jesus.” And when Trent lost his five-year-old son to heart disease, Matt was there to stay up with his roomie all night for weeks of training camp when Trent’s pain was too big to sleep.

Trent and Matt walked the walk, which is why they also talked the talk. They live out Psalm 16:2. “You are my Lord, I have no good apart from you.”

More and more quarterbacks, NFL stars, and even young coaches are acknowledging the fact that their success and all the attention and privilege that come with it only exist because of God. Frequently, the tone and sentiment is humble gratitude. The New Living Translation of Psalm 16:2 frames it this way: “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.”

This was my dad’s favorite psalm. When he was in his last months of being blitzed by cancer and chemo, Dad (who half-jokingly referred to himself as Buffalo’s old #15) often asked me to read it to him. Dad was soberly looking back over his life and considering both what really mattered for eternity and who the true source of his earthly blessings, successes, and achievements was.

How about you? Are you expressing gratitude and assigning credit to Father God and Lord Jesus consistently, not just at a ‘post-game interview’ or church group, but privately in your home and heart? (After a good meal, a hard day at work, when a neighbor congratulates you on your symmetrically-lined, freshly mowed lawn…and yes, when a friend asks how you’re doing after you got some news that you’ll need chemo treatments to tackle the cancer you’re facing.)

Ask God for guidance and think about how you want to anchor your life. What is your message to your family and others about your gratitude to God and the central importance of Jesus in your life? Can the people around you tell who or what’s paramount to you by your actions and words?

Reminding others is also a reminder to yourself. It helps you ground yourself and stay loyal and accountable to the Lord, who is the central and most important person and purpose in your life.

Here are some more questions to reflect on:

• What would I say if the media asked me about my job, family, or interests?
• What do I say to peers, co-workers, neighbors, or the stranger in the seat next to me on a plane flight? What do I say to my kids and grandkids?
• Do I vocally credit and praise the Lord to remind myself that He is my treasure, priority, and provider?
• Do I express trust, dependence, and gratitude? Why not, and how can I start changing?