The Sunday Morning Quarterback

"Circus time!" "Money Manziel in the building!" "He's a distraction to the team." "Why does he still have a job?" These questions and more were asked about Johnny Manziel the last time he did have a job in football. He was very much a distraction to his teammates. The "Money Manziel" mantra and mentality had taken over his life. It ran him out of football. But now look at him. As Johnny Football is going through different pro-days to show that he can still play, he appears to be a changed man. He's not a partying frat boy anymore. He's grown up and matured.  He's calmer in how he deals with reporters, answering questions with maturity and dignity. One of his answers in an interview this past week really stuck out to me. When asked how he got off the path that he had been on, Manziel said this: "I got so low to the point that I questioned what I was doing and if my life was probably really worth livi...

This week, two of the NBA's biggest stars came out about issues that they have had with mental health. DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Love each expressed a different mental issue that they had battled with over the course of their lives and careers. For DeRozan, it is depression. For Love, it is panic attacks and anxiety. Two of the league's brightest stars, but both have an inner darkness that they are facing.  Last night, after I heard about both athletes speaking on these problems, I overheard several students here at my school commenting on these issues. The comments went something like this: "He's 6'8", 250 and playing in the NBA. There's no way that he has these mental issues." "I don't want to hear about someone who's making millions of dollars every year making comments about depression." These are Christian college students. Have we come to the place where athletes are no longer people? Do we idolize them so much that they ...

THIS REVIEW ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON THE RESOLVED FOR CHRIST BLOG. CHECK IT OUT HERE: http://resolvedfc.blogspot.com The Assist-- a game-changer. Those who know me know that I love sports. If you are reading this review on the site of The Sunday Morning Quarterback, you obviously can recognize this too. One question that I have been asked often through the years is this: how can someone glorify God through sports? In this book, Brian Smith of Athletes in Action endeavors to answer this question on many different levels, from winning and losing to the gray areas that are often prevalent in sports. This book provides an excellent Biblical perspective on sports. It is able to do this for one reason-- its foundation is in the right place. By putting the issues of "Glory" and "God" first, this book is able to keep the rest of the Christian outlook on sports in perspective. It is critical for any Christian athlete, coach, official, and fan to have a Biblic...

Tonight was one of the events of NBA All-Star weekend-- the Rising Stars game. Over the last few years, young guns from here in the states take on the best young players from all around the world. Team USA vs. Team World. As the game has progressed over the years, it has come to the point where it's not even close anymore. The world team is dominating the game! Why is that? I truly believe that it is because youth basketball here in the United States is failing to teach young players the fundamentals. We live in a day where six and seven-year-olds are attempting euro steps and flop all over the court. When I was that age, we weren't even allowed to shoot 3-pointers yet! We were still learning the very basics of the game of basketball.  If you look at Europe's basketball teams and how they train their players, they start with the basics. They go from the ground up. Defense, discipline, effort, toughness, passing-- it's how the game was designed. I see this developmen...

Shaun White is one of the greatest athletes ever to grab a board-- skate or snow. He has proven this through the medals he has won throughout the years, culminating again in his 3rd Olympic gold medal in the halfpipe (2006, 2010, 2018). You may have noticed that I skipped a year in there. 4 years ago, at Sochi in 2014, White failed to win the gold, in fact failing to medal at all in his signature winter event. White's victory in redeeming himself is a great example for us to look at. You see Shaun White, again as one of the greatest athletes on a board, made mistakes 4 years ago. He did not perform well enough to get a medal. He was so close, yet finishing in 4th place did not give him a prize. As we live our lives, there are times when we will reach great heights. We will graduate from high school, college, or graduate studies. We get married. We get promoted to being "boss" of our company. Name whatever situation you may want-- we all experience greatnes...

This post was originally featured on the Resolved for Christ blog on September 9, 2017. No fan of the Philadelphia Eagles was happy this past week, as the team traded fan favorite player, Long Snapper/Magician Jon Dorenbos. Up until this past year, no one outside of Philadelphia would have known who he was. He plays one of the most seemingly insignificant positions on the football field. But he was a leader in the community and in the locker room. When he went on America's Got Talent, showcased his skills as a magician, and told his story, the whole country knew his name. Jon had a rotten childhood- he testified against his father in court for the murder of his mother when he was 12! But he pushed through that. Magic and football became safe havens for him. He signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent and spent some time with the Tennessee Titans before signing on with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2006, where he played and performed for the rest of his NFL career. ...