The Christians in Sport Podcast Christians in Sport

This year's Mental Health Awareness Week is themed around movement, including sport and this week we have a special episode with Heather Lewis, project manager at the Mental Health Foundation. Alongside her work, Heather has a specific academic interest in elite sport, having completed a Master's at St. Mary's Twickenham on mental health within a Rugby World Cup context.

The Mental Health Foundation is there for people of all faiths and none, this conversation includes Heather's reflections on her personal faith and how that plays out in her work, sport and research.

Find out more about Mental Health Awareness Week 👉 https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/public-engagement/mental-health-awareness-week

Download the Sports Mission Pack 👉https://christiansinsport.org.uk/2024

(0:00) Intro and Heather's bio
(2:34) What is Mental Health Awareness Week all about?
(4:28) Moving more for mental health
(6:23) How did Heather come to work at the Mental Health Foundation?
(7:57) Why amateur sport can be so good for mental health
(12:14) How Heather's faith shapes her approach to work
(13:55) Researching mental health in elite sport
(16:52) What was surprising in your research?
(18:53) The tension between performance requirements and player care
(22:53) Key recommendations for performance
(26:34) What was the response to your research?
(28:50) How will your faith shape your actions based on your findings?
(30:28) What Heather learnt from years as a chaplain in elite sport
(32:38) What do you do now with elite athletes as a lifestyle advisor?
(35:46) How can we learn from this in amateur sport
(38:19) How does your faith shape what you long to see in your work?
(39:43) Outro

Jason Romano is the Director of Media with Sports Spectrum and the host of the popular Sports Spectrum Podcast – probably the most popular sports and faith podcast and blog globally.

For 17 years, he was an Emmy-Award winning Producer and Senior Manager at ESPN. He has created and produced content for shows such as SportsCenter, NFL LIVE, Mike and Mike in the Morning, Sunday NFL Countdown, College Gameday, Outside the Lines, MLB’s All Star Game and many more.

Listen for how Jason's reflections on thousands of conversations with top-level Christian athletes across many different sports.

(0:00) Intro and Jason's bio
(2:55) How did you get into sports broadcasting
(6:23) How did faith fit with a career in broadcasting at ESPN?
(10:53) How did you see sport and faith fitting together specifically?
(15:06) How hard was it to leave ESPN to work for Sports Spectrum?
(21:35) What do pro-athletes say when they speak of their faith?
(26:33) Is it becoming more acceptable to speak about faith for elite athletes now?
(31:08) What are your thoughts on the public witness of pro athletes on social media?
(36:01) How should we view Christian professional athletes with large public profiles? 
(37:01) Outro

Gill's story as a Christian, mother and marathon runner is inspiring. Taking up marathon running in 2011, Gill progressed to a personal best of 2:53:22 in 2016, all while working and more recently becoming a mum.

Listen for how Gill's identity in Christ is game-changing for her sport, church, to family life.

(0:00) Intro and Jan's bio
(1:30) What does it mean to have your sport and faith connected?
(3:16) How Gill got into running marathons
(5:52) Running highlights, and challenges so far
(9:35) How does Gill balance running, work, church and family life?
(13:53) What's it like to share faith with other runners?
(17:21) Is it hard for people in church to understand your commitment to running?
(20:21) Positive changes and possible pitfalls for women's running as the sport evolves.
(26:33) Coming back to running after pregnancy
(30:51) Has running shaped your faith?
(33:57) Outro

On nights out the best opportunity to chat may well be outside in the smoking area, away from the noise and where it’s natural to have a deeper conversation.
So, should you smoke on a night out to have gospel conversations with your teammates?

(0:00) Intro
(0:22) Today's question
(0:53) We're called to share our faith
(1:40) Permittable vs beneficial
(2:42) Temple bodies
(3:19) Damaged bodies
(4:59) What can you do when the smoking conundrum arises?
(7:17) Conclusion

Jan is a former long track and marathon speed skater, now working for Next Move Sports Ministries in the Netherlands. Jan decided to retire from skating at 22 because he struggled to connect his Christian faith with his passion for sport, yet now he helps top-level athletes to think through how they can combine faith in Christ with competing at the top level of sport. 

Listen to find out how Jan's perspective shifted as he worked through what it means to be a Christian and a sportsperson.

Find out more about Next Move Sports Ministries 👉 https://nextmovesport.nl/

(0:00) Intro and Jan's bio
(0:50) Refinding faith and retiring from professional sport
(5:24) What's it like to be a pro speed skater?
(7:00) The toughest speed skating race that almost never happens
(9:35) What changed that meant Jan finally connected sport and faith?
(14:27) Can church and elite sport really fit together?
(19:25) The biggest issues that face Christian elite athletes today
(20:49) Elite sport and fragile identity
(22:20) What does it like to live as a Christian in an individual sport
(24:25) Getting into ultra-running and discovering that sport can be worship
(26:13) Sharing faith in the ultra-running community

John Bostock debuted for Crystal Palace at just 15 years old, still their youngest-ever first-team player. He signed for Spurs a year later but his career wasn't straightforward, spending years on loan and playing abroad. 

He came to faith as a teenager and, in 2015, founded Ballers in God, an organisation that aims to disciple professional football players and to make Jesus known in the world of football. 

Danno caught up with John at Notts County's ground, Meadow Lane to talk to him about his career as a professional player, and his mission to share the good news of Jesus in the world of football through Ballers in God.

Find out more about Ballers in God 👉 https://ballersingod.com

(0:00) Intro
(2:55) How do you connect your sport and faith?
(4:35) How is normal for you to be a Christian and a pro football player?
(6:19) How did you become a Christian?
(7:54) How becoming a Christian quickly transformed John 
(12:29) Growing in church and learning to love the Bible
(16:05) Moving to Spurs at 16, going on loan, and faith deepening through hardship
(23:09) Being rebuilt and moving to Belgium
(24:15) Christian mentors within football as a young player
(28:15) How Ballers in God came to be
(32:28) Managing time and the power of prayer
(35:20) Coping with 6 months without a contract in the UK
(36:28) Landing at Notts County and helping them back into the EFL
(41:05) What's the future for Ballers in God?