Sports Spectrum Podcast

Vance Pitman is the lead pastor of Hope Church in Las Vegas. He is the author of multiple books including his latest, "The Stressless Life."  Today on the podcast, we talk about how to live a stressless life in 2022, church planting, where his love for Alabama football comes from and why Las Vegas is a great place to live out the intersection of sports and faith.  Looking for a great gift idea? Order our new devotional book: "The Increase 52 Week Devotional: Inspiring Stories of Faith from the World of Pro Sports." 

Ben Roethlisberger played 18 seasons as the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2004-2021. He announced his retirement from the NFL in late January 2022 after a career that saw him lead Pittsburgh to three Super Bowls, winning two championships and being selected to six Pro Bowls. At the time of his retirement, he was fifth all-time on the NFL passing yardage list (64,088) and eight all-time on the NFL passing touchdowns list (418).  Today on the podcast, we talk to Ben Roethlisberger about retirement, turning 40 years old, what it was like to live out his faith as an NFL player, using the platform of football to give back and the decision he made to be baptized a few years ago.  Looking for a great gift idea? Order our new devotional book: "The Increase 52 Week Devotional: Inspiring Stories of Faith from the World of Pro Sports." 

Matt Sayman is a former Baylor Men's Basketball player and the current head high school basketball coach in Texas. He received a full scholarship from Baylor and played basketball there from 2000-2004. After remaining with the program following a shocking scandal in the off-season before his senior year, Matt would go on to break the Baylor career record for games played (118). Today on the podcast, Matt Sayman shares how he was able to navigate the 2003-04 Baylor basketball season amidst a shocking scandal, what he learned during the difficult moments, forgiving his former coach, his connection with former Cowboys QB Tony Romo, and the powerful moment of surrendering to Jesus.  Looking for a great gift idea? Order our new devotional book: "The Increase 52 Week Devotional: Inspiring Stories of Faith from the World of Pro Sports." 

Jake Boss Jr is the head baseball coach for the Michigan State Spartans, In 13 seasons at MSU, Boss has compiled a 359-302 (.543) record. His 359 wins are the most over a 13-year span in program history. Five of the 10 winningest seasons in MSU history have come under Boss’ direction. He has guided the Spartans to 30-win seasons in seven of the last 11 completed seasons, as well as the Big Ten regular-season championship in 2011 and the NCAA Tournament in 2012. During Boss’ tenure at Michigan State, MSU has had 35 selections in the Major League Baseball Draft, including three or more in six of the last 11 years. His father, Jake Boss Sr. is a longtime baseball coach who was inducted into the Lansing Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.  Today on the podcast, we talk to Jake Boss Sr about the lessons learned from his father, playing baseball in March in cold weather, living his faith out as a coach and the responsibility he believes he has as a leader of young men at Michigan State.  Looking for a great gift idea? Order our new devotional book: "The Increase 52 Week Devotional: Inspiring Stories of Faith from the World of Pro Sports." 

Today on the podcast, our Sports Spectrum Managing Editor Jon Ackerman joins host Jason Romano to preview the 2022 Spring edition of the Sports Spectrum Magazine with Adam and Jenny Wainwright on the cover.  SIGN UP HERE for Sports Spectrum Magazine and use the code WAINO15 to get 15% off a one-year subscription. 

Tanner Morgan is a quarterback with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. He joined the Gophers in 2017 and redshirted his first year. In 2018, he took over as the team's starter and remained there through 2021. Because of Covid and the pandemic, Morgan will return for a 6th super senior season in 2022. Morgan was a high school standout in Kentucky, where threw for 27 touchdowns his senior year. He originally committed to Wester Michigan but changed his mind and committed to Minnesota when head coach P.J. Fleck joined the Gophers. In 2019, Morgan set multiple Minnesota records including passing yards, touchdown passes (30) and in a 38-31 win over Purdue, he finished with the highest completion percentage in a game in Big Ten history (21-22, 95.45%) Today on the podcast, Tanner shares about being a Big Ten quarterback, returning to Minnesota for 2022, losing his father to cancer in 2021, working through grief and how his faith in Jesus Christ has been his anchor. Looking for a great gift idea? Order our new devotional book: "The Increase 52 Week Devotional: Inspiring Stories of Faith from the World of Pro Sports." 

Jennifer Rocha is Associate head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners softball program. The former OU softball player coached for 13 years with the Florida Gators before returning to her alma mater in the summer of 2018. Today on the podcast, we talk to Jennifer Rocha about leadership, coaching with Jesus at the center, how her faith motivates her to be the best coach she can be and the importance of relationships with her fellow coaches and with her players. Looking for a great gift idea? Order our new devotional book: "The Increase 52 Week Devotional: Inspiring Stories of Faith from the World of Pro Sports." 

Jake Reed is currently an MLB pitcher with the New York Mets. He was selected in the 5th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by Minnesota. In 2021, after 7 years of minor league baseball, he finally made his MLB debut in 2021.  Jake is married to Janie Reed, a member of Team USA's softball team, who won a silver medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics.  Today on the podcast, we talk to Jake about his crazy 2021, clinging to his faith in God, making his MLB debut and cheering his wife on at the Summer Olympics.  Looking for a great gift idea? Order our new devotional book: "The Increase 52 Week Devotional: Inspiring Stories of Faith from the World of Pro Sports." 

Dr. Tim Clinton is the president of the American Association of Christian Counselors and Executive Director of the James Dobson Family Institute. He's also a recurring co-host of "Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk." Zach Clinton is the president of Ignite Men's Impact Weekend and host of the "Built Different Podcast." Be a part of the Ignite Men's Conference in Lynchburg, Virginia on Friday March 11 and Saturday March 12. Order your tickets at IgniteMen.net and use the discount code SPORTSSPECTRUM to save 10% on your registration. 

Quarterback Isaiah Sanders just finished his college football career at Stanford. A sixth-year senior from Aurora, Colorado, graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 2019 with a BS in Systems Engineering, and later earned a MS in Management Science and Engineering. During that time, he was named a member of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, was named a Mountain West Conference Scholar-Athlete, and in 2019 was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy and a finalist for the Wuerffel Trophy.  In 2020, as a fifth-year senior, Sanders transferred to Stanford and continued on this season for the Cardinal at quarterback. In 2021, it was announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN that Sanders is the 2021 recipient of the Wuerffel Trophy. At Stanford, he founded the “Adopt-A-Cardinal” program, which pairs a football player or position group with a classroom of grade school students to regularly encourage them, read to them, to assist them with their homework and to help them in any way possible.  He participated in the Lockheed Martin Internship in Orlando, was Cadet-in-Charge of FCA, and was the Community Service representative for three years at the Academy. Sanders was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force in April 2020 and was selected as a Human Factors Engineer by the USAF. Today on the podcast, we talk to Isaiah Sanders about football as a platform to share his faith, serving in the United States Air Force, leading Bible studies with  FCA and why his walk with Christ is the guiding light for him to give back to others. Looking for a great gift idea? Order our new devotional book: "The Increase 52 Week Devotional: Inspiring Stories of Faith from the World of Pro Sports."