We give praise to God for the people He has blessed and put into places where His name is glorified and heard by millions across the planet, through their actions and words.
The sports industry is one such place where Christian men and women have been used by the Lord to spread the Gospel and point others to Jesus Christ who was sent to redeem us from our sins through His death and resurrection.
Here we provide a list of those men and women, who are not only admired for their physical feats and prowess on the field in their respective sports but also for their exemplary lives as followers and believers of Christ on and off the field.
1. Israel Folau
Israel Folau is an Australian professional rugby union footballer who plays for the Shining Arcs in the Japan Rugby League One and the Tonga national rugby union team. In 2019, he became the record holder for most tries scored in Super Rugby history.
In April 2018, when a follower of his Instagram account asked him what God’s “plan for homosexuals” was, Folau replied: “Hell.. unless they repent of their sins and turn to God.”
Folau’s statements about what he understands the Bible to say about same-sex marriage and homosexuality brought him into conflict with the administrators of Rugby Australia. Following his stand against the issue of homosexuality, Rugby Australia terminated his contract in 2019.
Also, In 2019, Folau, posted a screenshot, on his Twitter handle, of the news headline that read: “Tasmania becomes first Australian jurisdiction to make gender optional on birth certificates”. He then tweeted: ‘The devil has blinded so many people in this world. Repent and turn away from your evil ways. Turn to Jesus Christ who will set you free”.
“Faith in Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of every single thing in my life” and “I believe that it is a loving gesture to share passages from the Bible with others. I do it all the time when people ask me questions about my faith or things relating to their lives, whether that’s in-person or on my social media accounts”, he has been recorded saying.
2. Tim Tebow
Known for his many accolades on the field, such as winning the prestigious Heisman Trophy, his efforts to protect vulnerable children, and many charitable works. Tim Tebow has become known worldwide not only for his achievements as a former NFL and MLB athlete but as an important Christian celebrity today.
Tim is also a speaker and has been a great source of inspiration for many through his powerful talks, where he has frequently shared his background as a missionary child in the Philippines where he saw great poverty and learn the importance of giving back to others with what God has blessed us and leading them to Christ. His message is that everyone is special and we have a mission from God to complete while we are on earth and as long as we have the breath God has given to us, we must strive for the Lord.
“Being outspoken about my faith isn’t just something that I do; it’s who I am because my faith isn’t just a little piece of my life. It is my life. It’s not a question of whether I’m outspoken about it or not. I’m definitely not ashamed of it, ” Tim said.
3. Sydney McLaughlin
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is an American hurdler and sprinter who competes in the 400 meters hurdles and is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion with the Games record, and 2022 World champion with a world record time of 50.68 seconds.
When she entered to compete in the 2020 Olympics, McLaughlin revealed that her goal was to glorify God, win or lose. “I didn’t know what was gonna happen in the race, but I knew where my intentions were,” she recounted. “Regardless of what happens, whether you win or lose, they’re going to ask you about it. And you’re going to say the reality: ‘God gave me the opportunity to be here, and I’m really grateful for that and all the glory is for Him, regardless of what happens, ” she openly declared.
Mclaughlin said that she grew up in a Christian household. and always knew that God existed and that God definitely played a big role in her life, but there was no personal relationship with Him. It was only during the onset of the pandemic that she truly began to seek God, having gone through personal setbacks and bouts of depression after straying away from the righteous path.
“I found a lot of comfort and peace as I started to watch sermons, started to read the Bible, things I didn’t normally do on a daily basis,” she said. Through the help of others and her fiance, she began to understand the Bible more and was able to grow in the word of God.
She proclaims, “I’m a child of God, and the track is not who I am, it’s just what I do. It’s the opportunity He’s given me to bring all of the glory back to Him. Ultimately, the lessons that He’s taught me through it, I can now use as my testimony.”
4. Darrell Green
Considered as one of the best defensive backs in the history of the NFL. Darrell had a lustrous twenty-year career in NFL and is a 2 time Super Bowl Champion. He’s also one of the fastest players and won the NFL’s fastest-man competition 4 times.
He first heard about Jesus in 1978 when one of his trainers, Doug Taft, invited him to a Bible study. Looking back on his early Christian life, Darrell said that he really did not know the principles that he was supposed to live by. So he made a strong commitment and declared to himself, “Lord, I’m going to follow you.”
The NFL veteran and Pro Football Hall of Famer says that all of the attention that he received from winning those championships and personal accolades he used to give glory to Jesus Christ.
“Jesus Christ is everything. I like to identify with him, I like to be, you know, they say that the, the first uh, in Acts, it talked about they were called Christians. They didn’t call themselves Christians, they didn’t say I’m a Christian. People said man, you’re—you’re—you’re like that guy, yeah, you’re a Christian, you’re Christ like. Just like when people see us, our family, they say you’re a Green. I like—I like when people, not so much to remember, but to see that I look like Jesus. And my actions look like Jesus’ actions. Probably don’t see it, but I hope they do in time. Uh, that would be my goal.”
At present, Green and his wife Jewel run a faith-based foundation that works to empower children, and his own grown children (one of whom is a pastor) are also centering their lives on their relationships with Jesus.
5. Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner is a former football quarterback who played in the NFL for twelve seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams and the Arizona Cardinals. He won two-time Most Valuable Player and Super Bowl MVP. His 12-year NFL career has been regarded as one of the greatest Cinderella stories in NFL history.
Nobody, even himself, ever thought that a young man who was working in a grocery store and waiting for years to be drafted, would one day go on to win championships, break and make records, and be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Kurt shared that although he grew up in Church, he never experienced a personal relationship with Christ. That was until he met his wife Brenda who challenged him to seek Jesus and develop a personal relationship with Him.
In January of 2000 when he accepted the Super Bowl MVP trophy, Kurt shared with the entire world, his faith in the one who created him:
“First things first, I’ve got to thank my Lord and Savior up above – thank You, Jesus!”
Currently, together with his wife, he leads the First Things First Foundation to help children. His life story and faith in Jesus were the subjects of the movie, ‘American Underdog’.
We are grateful to God for using His children to open the eyes of the people to the truth. These Christian athletes are using the attention they have garnered by winning games and championships to point others toward Jesus, who is the greatest hope for humanity. Winning or losing a championship or a competition is not important but glorifying God in every circumstance is what counts. They are inspiring others to live just like that.