Sports Spectrum Podcast

Episode 484   Christina Hovestadt currently works for the NFL as a community relations manager. She is also a speaker, and host of “The Set Apart Women” podcast.   Prior to her role with the NFL, Hovestadt served as executive director of the Rashad Jennings Foundation, led by former NFL running back and “Dancing with the Stars: Season 24” champion, Rashad Jennings. A former collegiate volleyball player, she also took her passion of pouring into the next generation into the classroom and on to the court by working as a teacher and coach at a high school in Florida.   Whether she’s speaking in classrooms, locker rooms or boardrooms, Hovestadt’s message is a consistent one: to live intentionally and with purpose.   On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Hovestadt about her role with the NFL, her desire to love and serve others, what being a believer in the workplace looks like, and her powerful story of coming to faith in Christ.   * Interview recorded prior to coronavirus outbreak.

BONUS EPISODE   Trey Burton is a Super Bowl winning tight end who has played six NFL seasons with the Eagles and Bears. He won a Super Bowl a few years ago helping Philadelphia to their first ever Super Bowl title after defeating the Patriots. He'll always be connected to that game because of the play "Philly Special" where Trey threw a touchdown pass to quarterback Nick Foles that helped change the trajectory of the game.    On this episode of the podcast, we bring to you a conversation that was recorded LIVE on Facebook from April 9 as Jason Romano and Trey talk about the coronavirus outbreak, Trey's health in returning from injury in 2019, his faith during this quarantine time and of course, winning the Super Bowl and the coolest thing that happened to him after being crowned a champion.   For more stories of sports and faith, check out our website - http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 483 Michael Turk is a punter who is preparing to embark on a career in the NFL after punting for Arizona State in 2019. He was named First-Team All-Pac 12 after averaging 46 yards per punt and had 23 punts of 50+ yards.  Turk's football pedigree stems from his family, his uncle Matt Turk was a three-time NFL Pro Bowl punter and his uncle Dan was an NFL long snapper for many years.  Prior to arriving at Arizona State, Turk punted at Lafayette College in 2017. After transferring to Arizona State and redshirting in 2018, he would punt for just one season in 2019 with the Sun Devils before declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft. At the 2020 NFL Combine in February, Turk made headlines by recording 25 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press testing, the most reps by a punter since 2003 and more than 19 offensive lineman at the Combine. On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Michael about his preparation for the NFL Draft during the Coronavirus outbreak, his bench press experience at the NFL Combine, why he chose to give his life to Christ and how God has guided him throughout the football journey from college to the NFL Draft. For more stories on sports and faith, check out our website http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 482   Greg Stier is the co-founder of Dare 2 Share ministries that was birthed in 1991 out of a desire that Greg had to see teenagers come to faith in Jesus. The ministry is designed to equip teens to share the Gospel of Jesus and since its inception, Greg and his team have equipped more than a million young people to share their faith.   Greg has authored 20 books, written countless articles and preached on stages across the nation, sharing with audiences how they can go and share Jesus with others.    Dare 2 Share has a new app called "Life in 6 Words" that has been updated during the pandemic to help us all be able to share Jesus Christ with others in their sphere of influence.    On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Greg how he's rethinking Gospel witnessing during this social distancing time, why he has such a passion for seeing teenagers come to Christ, the amazing story of him and his family coming to faith, and how he used basketball as a way to share Christ with the opposing team.    For more stories of sports and faith, check out our website http://SportsSpectrum.com 

BONUS EPISODE   Steven Souza is a member of the Chicago Cubs. On this episode of the podcast, he shares how he is coping with the pandemic, training with his wife, how his previous MLB Spring Training experiences have helped him deal with uncertainty, his amazing testimony of faith in Christ and his desire to share the hope found in Jesus with others.    For more stories of sports and faith, check out our website: http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 481 Carlos Whittaker is a speaker and author of three books including "Kill the Spider" and his latest, "ENTER WILD" which releases on June 16, 2020.    * Interview recorded prior to coronavirus outbreak.   He speaks at some of the largest churches in the country and at conferences including the Orange Conference, Catalyst, MomCon and many others.    A People's Choice Award winner and host of a popular podcast, he is also a huge sports fan and can be seen tweeting his thoughts during games throughout the NFL season.    On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Carlos about his new book, tornado recovery in Nashville, trusting God while his daughter was in the hospital for 21 days, playing music for the President of the United States and the awesome story of the dog and the chicken.    * Interview recorded prior to coronavirus outbreak.

BONUS EPISODE   NFL quarterback Chase Daniel joins us today to talk about the new contract he signed with the Detroit Lions, his new internet show "Chase Chats," the adjustments he's had to make to being home all the time during this pandemic, his journey to faith in Jesus and how his time in Philadelphia during the 2016 season was particularly encouraging to him and helped him become a better spiritual leader.    You can check out Chase's new show on his YouTube channel here.    For more stories of sports and faith, check out our website: http://SportsSpectrum.com 

EPISODE 480 * Interview recorded prior to coronavirus outbreak.   Tom Allen is the head football coach at the University of Indiana. He was named as the head man for the Hoosiers in December of 2016.   In 2019, his team went 8-5 on the season and lost in the Gator Bowl 23-22 to Tennessee but their eight wins gave Indiana its best football season in 26 years. In January, Allen signed a new seven year contract with the Hoosiers.    In his previous coaching life, Coach Allen had stops at Arkansas State, Ole Miss and South Florida.   On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Coach Allen about his 2019 season, building a culture of accountability, toughness and love, how his journey of faith began and why it is imperative for him to have Jesus guide his life.    For more stories of sports and faith, check out our website - http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 479 John Eldredge is a bestselling author, a counselor, and a teacher. He is also president of Ransomed Heart, a ministry devoted to helping people discover the heart of God, recover their own hearts in God's love, and learn to live in God's kingdom.   In his new book Get Your Life Back, released in February 2020, John provides a practical, simple, and refreshing guide to taking your life back. By practicing a few simple practices—or what John calls “graces”—you can begin to recover your soul, disentangle from the tragedies of this broken world, and discover the restorative power of beauty.   John's most notable piece of work is his book "Wild at Heart" released in 2000 and continues to minister to men across the world two decades later.   On this episode of the podcast, we talk to John about rest, why the noise of technology is so difficult for us to turn down, the power of the one minute pause, his love for soccer and his awesome testimony of coming to faith in Christ after a life of drugs and alcohol.   * Interview recorded prior to coronavirus outbreak. For more stories of sports and faith, please check out our website - http://SportsSpectrum.com 

BONUS EPISODE Don Christensen is the Executive Vice President of the Professional Athlete Division of Ronald Blue Trust   As part of the Pro Athlete Division, Don and his team assist professional athletes in building their wealth, giving generously, and managing their financial resources wisely. Through Don's 30+ years of personally working with pro athletes and their families, he has learned how to help them navigate the financial, marital, and personal pitfalls that professional athletes face today. Ronald Blue Trust serves over 100 active and retired players and coaches across the MLB, NFL, NBA, PGA, NASCAR and the NCAA.   Prior to joining Ron Blue, Don owned a public accounting and financial planning firm. Don earned his BS in Accounting from Arizona State University and received his master's degree in Christian Leadership from Western Seminary.   Don is a Pastor and also serves as a mentor to leaders at a local church in Tempe, AZ. He serves on various boards inclusion Baseball Chapel, Endurance and Pro Athletes Outreach.    On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Don about the financial climate in America right now with the Coronavirus outbreak, if it is time for us to panic from a financial perspective, how we can continue to be cheerful givers, and financial advice for people in all walks of life during these uncertain times.    You can get in touch with Don and Ronald Blue Trust by going to their website: http://RonBlue.com