February 19, 2025
Change is difficult for most people, especially for those in my age bracket. I don’t ever want to be a negative person, but it appears to me that many things have not changed for the better. Take the game of football for example. Oh, there are rule changes, coaching changes, new formats, teams changing conferences, bowls ad infinitum, NIL, and the college transfer portal.
Don’t get me started on the portal issue that makes millionaires out of college football players, negatively alters the playing field for many colleges, and surely must give football coaches an unending plethora of headaches and heartburns.
But there appears to be a good thing in the football world emerging, and it has to do with the Christian faith. I well remember the time when football players who openly professed their faith in Christ were ridiculed and scorned.
For example, Tim Tebow played quarterback for the Florida Gators. In fact, he was an amazingly talented player. He was the first underclassman to win the Heisman Trophy. He also led the Gators to two National Championships in 2006 and 2008.
I have never been a Gator fan, but I was impressed at how his comeback victories and outspoken Christian faith made him a cultural phenomenon. He placed John 3:16 on his eye-black. He had the habit of dropping on one knee in prayer on the field which came to be called “Tebowing.” He openly admitted that he was a virgin, and he never missed an opportunity to profess his love and commitment to Christ.
Unfortunately, Tebow was criticized for publicly displaying his Christian faith. Many complained that his unashamed expressions of faith were inappropriate and proselytizing. The demeaning of Tebow’s faith became full blown when he became a quarterback for the Denver Broncos in the NFL.
In a rout of the Broncos, Detroit Linebacker Stephen Tullock openly mocked Tebow’s prayer pose, and tight end Tony Scheffler mimicked Tebow’s one-kneed prayer in the end zone after his rendition of the Broncos’ patented touchdown celebration.
Comedian Denis Leary denigrated Tebow in a tweet following the Detroit game stating, “Jesus must be thinking even Judas had a better release than this guy.” He was sometimes derisively referred to as “Goody Two-Shoes.” I may be dead wrong, but I do not think Tim Tebow was ever given an honest chance to succeed in the NFL because of his unwavering commitment to Christ.
Now, it appears that the tide has turned. Something has changed. High profile football players who embrace the Christian faith are not only tolerated, but perhaps even respected for their faith.
At Ohio State University, the football team has become the catalyst for a spiritual revival on the campus. NBC4 News in Columbus reported at the beginning of the recent football season that players on the team brought together thousands of students on campus not for football, but for faith. Their surrender to Christ was described as “a brotherhood within the brotherhood.”
Jennifer Bullock, reporting on the revival on the OSU campus, explained, “This year a group of upperclassmen have taken messages from Bible studies and locker room devotions and brought them to the Buckeye Nation and beyond.”
The spiritual revival on the Ohio State football team started at the fall camp when players started wearing t-shirts that had the common message in bold letters: “Jesus Won.”
Kevin Mercer, writing for Sports Spectrum stated, “Will Howard, the OSU quarterback, has been a perfect fit for the Buckeyes this season, and in more ways than just on the football field. In addition to football success, Ohio State has made waves this fall for the culture of faith in Christ. The roster is littered with players who boldly declare their faith in Jesus, and Howard fits right in."
Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State wide receiver and top pass-catching target, is also a devout Christian and commented, “The world didn’t give me this joy, and the world can’t take it away. I had this new feeling in my heart that the Holy Spirit implanted into me. And, so since then, it was really a radical change for me and I started walking more obediently with God. I started seeking Him day after day.”
Quinn Ewers, University of Texas quarterback, has often mentioned that his faith in Jesus Christ has kept him calm in challenging situations and high-pressure circumstances. He recently quoted II Corinthians 4:6 as a sustaining truth in his life: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”
Jayden Daniels, another vocal believer, has brought life and meaning back to professional football in the nation’s capital. The Washington Commanders had the number two pick in the 2024 NFL draft and selected Heisman Trophy winner Daniels of Louisiana State University to be their quarterback.
In accepting the 25-pound Heisman Trophy, Daniels stated, “I want to first give thanks to God. He is my rock, my Savior. He blessed me with the talents to get here.”
One of the most discussed plays of the current NFL season came in the 8th week of the competition when the Washington Commanders traveled to Chicago to play the Bears. The Commanders were trailing with only two seconds left in the game. Daniels received the snap and ran from one side of the field to another looking for an open receiver and finally, hurled the pigskin in a jaw-dropping, game-winning Hail Mary pass toward the endzone, and the ball was deflected into the hands of Noah Brown for the Washington victory.
When interviewed about the play the intrepid quarterback responded, “Nothing but God, man. Without Him, I don’t even think I’d be playing this week.”
Daniels is constantly writing Scripture on his Instagram page, recently entering: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
A much-publicized prayer prior to the Atlanta Falcons vs. the New York Giants game this season showed Atlanta Falcon quarterback Kirk Cousins, who had been benched, praying for the team’s new quarterback. Instead of complaining and getting bitter, Cousins put his hand on fellow Christian, Michael Penix Jr., and prayed for him before his first NFL start. That act of kindness and humility was impressive to people everywhere and spoke of the sincerity of Cousins’ faith.
So, what’s the difference between the ridicule of Tebow’s faith and the presumable acceptance of football players today who kneel to pray and unashamedly profess Christ as Savior and Lord?
First, I believe Tim Tebow started something that has blossomed into a beautiful, transforming, and rock-solid way of life.
Second, I believe people across the land are weary of a worldview that is devoid of truth and hope and ready to give Christ a chance to work in their lives.
Third, I believe when enough godly men stand tall in the face of scorn and derision it exposes the enemies of Christ and eventually emboldens other believers to respond in like manner and embrace Jesus even in the face of hostility.
Fourth, when successful athletes give evidence that there is something more important than their achievements in sports, it inspires others to put their lives in perspective.
Finally, I choose to believe that God is at work in the hearts of the men and women of America and even disposed to send another great revival to this land that has become spiritually impoverished.
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J. Gerald Harris is a retired pastor and journalist who served as editor of The Christian Index for nearly two decades. You can reach him at gharris@loveliftedmehigher.org.
