Sports Spectrum Podcast

Jrue Holiday is a starting guard for the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans.  He was selected in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers before being traded to New Orleans in July of 2013.  An All-Star in 2013, Holiday is currently averaging a career-high 18 points per game, to go along with 6 assists and 4 rebounds.  In July 2013, Holiday married USA women's national soccer team midfielder Lauren Chaney. The two first met at a UCLA women's basketball game during his only season at the school.  In September 2016, Holiday took an indefinite leave from the New Orleans Pelicans to take care of his wife, after she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The following month, Lauren had brain surgery, just weeks after giving birth to the couple's first child, a daughter, named Jrue Tyler Holiday. On this episode of the podcast, Sports Spectrum's Justin Adams talks with Jrue about where his faith in Christ began, how his prayer life has evolved and brought him closer to his wife during one of the scariest times in his life.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Adam LaRoche played 12 seasons in the Majors with 6 different teams, most notably the Pirates and the Nationals, where he won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award in 2012.  LaRoche abruptly retired from baseball in March 2016 after his club, the White Sox had placed a restriction on his 14-year-old son entering the team's clubhouse every day. By retiring, LaRoche walked away from a $13 million contract.  Adam's platform has allowed him to bring to light the issue of sex slavery and human trafficking.  Gary Haugen is the founder and CEO of International Justice Mission, who's mission is to rescue those enslaved in human trafficking, protect them from violence and bring hope and justice for the poor.  Before founding IJM in 1997, Gary was a human rights attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, where he focused on crimes of police misconduct.  In 1994, he served as the Director of the United Nations’ investigation in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide. In this role, he led an international team of lawyers, criminal prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and forensics experts to gather evidence that would eventually be used to bring the perpetrators of the genocide to justice.  Gary has been recognized by the U.S. State Department as a Trafficking in Persons “Hero” – the highest honor given by the U.S. government for anti-slavery leadership. His work to protect the poor from violence has been featured by Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, the New Yorker, The Times of India, Forbes, U.S. News and World Report, the Guardian and National Public Radio, among many other outlets.   On this episode of the podcast, Jason Romano sits down with Gary and Adam in front of a live audience at a conference in San Antonio, Texas to talk about the real issue of human trafficking and sex slavery.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com  

Brock Huard covers NFL and College Football for ESPN. He's also the co-host of the Brock and Salk show on 710 ESPN in Seattle and is the host of the "Above and Beyond" podcast. Brock was selected in the 3rd round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks out of the University of Washington.  He played 6 seasons in the NFL, including 2 as Peyton Manning's backup in Indianapolis.  Brock was the 1995 Gatorade High School Football Player of the Year.  On this episode of the podcast, Brock and Jason talk about Brock's journey to faith in Christ, being authentic as an analyst, why he feels it's a necessity to meet weekly in a discipleship group, and balancing family with the rigors of a broadcast schedule that has him traveling across the country.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com  

Team USA's Gigi Marvin is a two-time silver medalist at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia and 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C. Born into a hockey family, Gigi takes after her Dad Mike, her brother Aaron, all who played college hockey and her grandpa Cal, who was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.  Gigi played her college hockey at the University of Minnesota, where she helped the Gophers advance to the NCAA Women's Frozen Four in 2009 and earned All-WCHA Second Team honors and was named WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year.  Currently training in Florida, Marvin is hoping to make the 2018 U.S. Olympic Women's Hockey team that will compete for the gold at the Winter Olympics come February in South Korea.  On this episode of the podcast, we learn about Gigi's journey to the Olympics, the dream of winning the gold, competing against her friends for a spot on the team, how she stays grounded in her faith and why Finding Nemo is her favorite movie.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Francis Chan is the founding pastor of Cornerstone Community Church and author of Crazy Love, Forgotten God, and Erasing Hell. He travels throughout the world challenging Christians to a higher commitment to Christ. He’s also the founder of Eternity Bible College and has been pastoring churches and discipling people for over 25 years. He currently lives with his family in the Bay Area where he oversees We Are Church, a network of house churches. Adam Wainwright is a starting pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals. In 13 years with the Cards, Waino has won 2 World Series, been elected to 3 All-Star teams, and was named a 2017 Silver Slugger award winner. Adam was also a guest on Episode 14 of this podcast.  On this episode of the podcast, Francis and Adam sit down at a recent conference in San Antonio, TX with host Jason Romano to discuss their unique friendship, what Adam is learning from Francis' teaching, why it's important to use your platform to share the Gospel, and what is breaking Francis' heart in the church. This is a powerful listen! For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com  

With a vision to create the best sports experience possible for every child, Caz McCaslin founded Upward Unlimited, the world's largest Christian sport league for young athletes. In 1995, Upward Unlimited launched Upward Sports and has grown under McCaslin's leadership and guidance from several hundred children playing in seven church basketball leagues to more than half a million children playing in 2,500 multi-sport clinics, camps, academies and leagues in 47 states. Caz also has released a new book titled "Coach Em Up - Reclaiming Sports For the Benefit of the Athlete." On this episode, we talk to Caz about starting Upward Basketball, why youth sports are broken, and how the founder of the game of basketball, Dr. James Naismith, actually invented basketball to be a ministry, much like Upward.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com or http://Upward.org 

Minnesota Twins 2B Brian Dozier won a Gold Glove and is the first American League second baseman to hit 40 home runs in a season.  Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson went 6-0 in his last 8 starts and finished with 12 wins in 2017.  Both are teammates and devoted followers of Christ.  On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Brian and Kyle about helping the Twins to an amazing turnaround from losing 100 games in 2016 to being in the playoffs in 2017. We also go inside the clubhouse to hear about their faith and how they live out who they are in Christ with their teammates each day.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Mark Price played 12 years in the NBA from 1986-1998. He's a 4-time NBA All Star and was named to the All-NBA First Team in 1993.  Known as one of the best shooters in basketball, Price won the 1993 and 1994 NBA Three-Point Shootout.  His number 25 is retired by the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2015, Price became the head basketball coach at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, where he is now in his 3rd season leading the 49ers.  On this episode of the podcast, Mark Price shares his journey from NBA player to college coach, the biggest difference coaching NBA players vs college players, his biggest struggle spiritually and why Christ is at the center of everything he is as a husband, a Dad and a coach.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Dan Orlovsky played 12 seasons in the NFL with the Lions, Texans, Colts, and Buccaneers before retiring in October of 2017. He was a standout quarterback in college at the University of Connecticut, where he set numerous passing records. Selected in the 5th round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Lions, Dan would be mentored in Detroit by quarterbacks Josh McCown and Jon Kitna.  It was there that Kitna and McCown introduced Orlovsky to Jesus Christ and the sacrifice he made. On this episode of the podcast, Dan Orlovsky shares his disappointment in being drafted in the 5th round, why he considered it a privilege to be a backup quarterback in the NFL, how it took him almost 18 months to accept Jesus Christ into his life, and why broadcasting might be in his future.   For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Trey Burton is in his 4th season as a tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played his college ball at the University of Florida, where he found himself as a versatile athlete playing multiple positions for the Gators. As a freshman in 2010, Burton broke the Gators record for most touchdowns in a single game, finding the end zone 6 times against Kentucky. Despite a lot of success with Florida, Burton would go undrafted in 2014 before signing as a free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles. Burton has made the most of his time, both on special teams, and as a pass receiver for Carson Wentz. The Eagles started 9-1 in 2017 with the best record in the NFL and expectations are very high in Philadelphia. Trey is married to Yesenia and has 3 children. On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Trey Burton about the Eagles hot start, where his faith in Christ began, why he's so unashamed about the gospel, the development of his quarterback Carson Wentz, and how he came to baptize his teammates. For more, check out http://SportsSpectrum.com