Sports Spectrum Podcast

Episode 559 Levi Lusko is the lead pastor of Fresh Life Church, a multisite church located in Montana, Utah, Oregon, and Wyoming that he and his wife Jennie pioneered in 2007. He is the author of the bestselling books “Through the Eyes of a Lion” and “Swipe Right.” His latest publication is a devotional rebased in August 2020 titled: "Take Back Your Life: A 40-Day Interactive Journey to Thinking Right So You Can Live Right." Levi travels around the world speaking about Jesus and he and Jennie also host the "Hey! It's the Luskos" podcast. In this episode of the podcast, Lusko talks about his new devotional, why “thinking right” is so important to living right, the injury he suffered on the Fourth of July, how pastors and football coaches are very similar, and why leadership is more than a lifestyle or title. Follow Levi on Instagram: @LeviLusko For more stories of sports and faith, check out http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 558 Phil Murphy is a SportsCenter anchor at ESPN and ESPN International. He has anchored more than 500 SportsCenters for ESPN International and covered four Super Bowls. Phil has also hosted college football and basketball studio shows and reported from countless UFC events, two NBA All-Star Games and the 2019 World Series. On today's podcast, we talk to Phil about broadcasting to audiences on the other side of the world, how he worked his way up to his current role, his awesome story of faith and trusting in God when the storms come.  Follow Phil on Instagram: @Phil_Sports For more stories of sports and faith, check out http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Ernie Johnson is a broadcasting legend. He is the host of TNT’s Inside the NBA and a 3-time Sports Emmy Award Winner. He joined Turner Sports in 1989 and for over 30 years, has been considered one of the best in the business at what he does. His new book titled “Unscripted: The Unpredictable Moments That Make Life Extraordinary” is available now. Today on the podcast, Ernie shares his very personal story of coming to the Christian faith, raising a special needs son, what a typical day is like working on Inside the NBA, and what it meant to speak out on the TNT set the night after the election of President Donald Trump in 2016.  This interview originally aired on May 5, 2017. You can listen to the entire conversation right here. 

Episode 557 Tom Ryan is the Ohio State wrestling coach. He is a two-time NCAA Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2015 and led the Buckeyes wrestling program to a 2015 NCAA National Championship. The three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year has coached six different Ohio State wrestlers to 12 individual national titles including four-time champion Logan Stieber and Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder. His teams have finished as NCAA runner-up in 2008, 2009, 2017, 2018 and 2019. On this episode of the podcast, Tom shares his powerful and courageous story of losing his 5 year-old son Teague, finding the good among tragedy and how a crisis of faith brought him to fully trust in Jesus. Follow Tom on Twitter: @Buckeye158 For more stories of sports and faith, check out our website: http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Harris III is a magician and illusionist and author of the new book "The Wonder Switch: The Difference Between Limiting Your Life and Living Your Dream."  Harris has performed his unique brand of magic and storytelling for more than two million people on five continents. His performances have been televised to millions more on the Travel Channel and ABC Family.  On today's podcast, we talk to Harris about his new book, his love for baseball as a kid, how to find wonder in our lives and his favorite trick he's performed.  Follow Harris on Instagram: @HarrisIII   For more stories on sports and faith, check us out at http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 556 Edward Graham is the grandson of legendary evangelist Billy Graham and currently serves as the Assistant to the Vice President of Programs and Government Relations for Samaritan's Purse. Prior to his work with Samaritan's Purse, Edward served for 16 years in the United States Army through multiple combat deployments within Special Operations and various leadership positions. In college, Edward played soccer at Liberty University and also wrestled for the Army during his time at the U.S. Military Academy. Today on the podcast, we talk to Edward about his work with Samaritan's Purse, the work being done with "Operation Christmas Child," growing up as Billy Graham's grandson, and his experience serving in the U.S. Army. You can get involved and learn more about Operation Christmas Child by clicking here.  For more stories of sports and faith, check out our website http://SportsSpectrum.com    For more on Operation Christmas Child, check out their website https://www.samaritanspurse.org

Episode 555 Molly McManimie is the Vice President of Client Services with Caric Sports. As an NFL player agent, she represents clients and negotiates contracts with NFL teams.  An Arizona native, Molly got her Law Degree from Chapman University and has spent the past three years working with Caric Sports and president Steve Caric in Las Vegas as one of the few female NFL agents.   Today on the podcast, we talk to Molly about being an agent on NFL cut weekend before the season begins, the difficulty of being a female player agent, why the right yes is worth waiting for, getting baptized in 2019 as an adult and the importance for her to not get caught up in her ego and keep God at the center of her life.    Follow Molly on Instagram: @MollyMack   For more stories of sports and faith, check out our website http://sportsspectrum.com 

Episode 554 Phil Robertson is the founder of Duck Commander, a professional hunter, and New York Times Bestselling Author. He and his family were portrayed on the successful A&E reality show "Duck Dynasty" which ran from 2012-2017. As a high-school athlete, Phil earned All-State rankings in football, baseball, and track, which afforded him the opportunity to attend Louisiana Tech University on a football scholarship. There, Phil played first-string quarterback – ahead of Terry Bradshaw, who later went on to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl championships. After spending several years teaching in Louisiana schools, Phi formed the Duck Commander Company in 1973 and today remains a family business, with all 4 sons and their wives either presently working or previously having worked for the company at one time or another. After the success of "Duck Dynasty" on A&E, Phil moved to the book world and his first book "Happy, Happy, Happy" was a New York Times Bestseller. His latest book "Jesus Politics" released August 4, 2020. Phil also is the co-host of the very successful Unashamed with his sons Jase and Al.  He has five children, eighteen grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. On today's episode of the podcast, we talk to Phil about being an author, playing quarterback with Terry Bradshaw, starting Duck Commander, living a life that points people to Jesus and the one meal that Phil can't live without.  Follow us on Twitter: @Sports_Spectrum Read this Sports Spectrum story on Duck Dynasty and Phil Robertson from 2013. 

Ashton Washington is the Director of Football Operations for the University of Illinois. She's the first ever African American female staff member in the history of the Illini football program under head coach Lovie Smith.  On the podcast today, Ashton shares about her pioneering role with the University of Illinois, why she has a passion for the game of football, why getting baptized in Mississippi changed her life, working with Love Smith, and her desire to open more doors and break down barriers for women in football.    Follow Ashton on Twitter: @Ash3Washington Follow Sports Spectrum on Twitter: @Sports_Spectrum

Episode 554 Christian Yeager grew up in the North Shore of O'ahu, Hawaii, and his world revolved around the ocean and surfing. Surfing before school, after school, and sometimes during school if the waves were perfect. He joined his school's surf team and competed every weekend in the National Scholastic Surfing Association competitions around the island.  In his wild and crazy life, Yeager has taught kindergarten orphans in Mexico, produced feature films and documentaries in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, and spent time modeling in San Diego. In 2014, he got married and moved to Sydney, Australia, to attend Hillsong College. Three years later, he and his wife, Heather, moved to Southeast Asia to intern with A21, an anti-human trafficking organization. His time with A21 took him to Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. After returning to the United States and becoming a father, Yeager developed a show called "This Cosmic Planet," which he's currently hosting on Yippee TV. On this episode of the podcast, Yeager shares about his life as a surfer, his close call with a tiger shark, the story of his friend Diego leading him to Christ, and why he's passionate about creating content for kids on Yippee TV. Follow Christian on Instagram: @ChristianYeager