Sports Spectrum Podcast

Jason Adam is a pitcher with the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2022, he helped the Rays to a postseason berth, pitching in 67 games with an ERA of 1.56. In 2023, he pitched in 56 games and helped the Rays to another postseason appearance.

Originally drafted by the Royals in the fifth round of the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft, he made his MLB debut May 5, 2018, with Kansas City. In 2019, he pitched with the Blue Jays in Toronto and then signed with Chicago, splitting time with the big-league club and their Triple-A affiliate in Iowa in 2020 and 2021.

Today on the podcast, we talk to Adam about standing firm in his faith, claiming Jesus for his family, being bold and the gratitude and appreciation he has for his baseball career.

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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

Episode 5

Sam and Emmanuel Acho are brothers who both achieved their dream of making it to the NFL.

Sam was selected in the 4th round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Cardinals and played in Arizona from 2011-2014 before signing with the Bears in 2015 and playing the last 2 seasons in Chicago.

Emmanuel was selected in the 6th round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. His career spanned 4 seasons with stints in Cleveland, Philadelphia and with the New York Giants. Emmanuel last played in the NFL with Philadelphia in 2015.

In this episode, the Acho brothers discuss their faith, growing up as elite athletes, faith in the NFL locker room, and how to navigate the world of race through the lens of the gospel.

For more, you can check us out on the web at http://sportspectrum.com

Today we look back to May 31, 2018, Episode 113 of the podcast with former NFL player and now Atlanta pastor, Léonce Crump Jr..

Léonce is the author of “Renovate: Changing Who You Are by Loving Where You Are.”

A champion for the church’s participation in focused and intentional cultural renewal, Crump is the leading voice of a generation committed to operating as God’s redemptive agents in the earth.

His unique background includes contacts from the world of professional sports and the music industry. At the University of Oklahoma, Crump was an All-American wrestler and defensive end for the Sooner football team; he went on to play professional football for the New Orleans Saints.

He has been in ordained ministry for nine years and holds graduate degrees from the University of Tennessee and Resurgence Theological Training Center. He is currently a Master of Divinity student at Reformed Theological Seminary and a member of the Acts 29 church planting network. He and his wife, Breanna, reside in the heart of downtown Atlanta with their two daughters and son.

Léonce shares on this THROWBACK edition of the podcast, about the temptations that come from being an NFL player.

You can listen to the entire interview with Léonce Crump from Episode 113 here or by searching his name on iTunes/Apple, Spotify, iHeart Radio App or anywhere podcasts are listened to.

Shane Williamson is the President and CEO for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. A native of Loris, S.C., Williamson became a Christ follower while attending an FCA Camp in Black Mountain, N.C., in 1986. Following that life-changing experience, his high school head football coach, Tim Renfrow, discipled him and became his encourager, mentor and role model. This enduring impact of a coach influenced Williamson to make his own commitment to the power of transformational coaching in the world of sports.

Williamson attended Wofford College (S.C.) earning a B.S. in Biology while playing football for coach Mike Ayers. He remained active in the FCA Huddle throughout his years including serving as an officer. He then attended Converse College (S.C.) earning a Master’s degree in Secondary Education.

Bringing understanding and experience as a coach and athlete, Williamson joined the FCA movement as a staff member in 2002 as the Upstate South Carolina Director. He then became the Multi-Area Director for Metro Atlanta FCA from 2005-2011. His roles in FCA continued to expand as he went on to serve as the Vice President of Field Ministry for the Carolinas from 2012-2014, and followed by leading all of FCA’s U.S. Field Ministry as the Executive Director from 2014-2016.

Today on the podcast, we talk to Shane about his journey to Christ, the role FCA has played in his life since he was a kid, the keys to being a great leader, and why sports is such a great space to share the Gospel.

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If you enjoyed this podcast with Shane, we know you'll love these conversations as well:

- Sarah Roberts - FCA Area Director

- Kent Chevalier, Steelers Chaplain

For more stories on sports and faith, check out our website SportsSpectrum.com.