Podcasts about Naismith

Today we have a special episode with the return of Professor Rory Naismith! You will remember him from his interview on Anglo Saxon Economics and Money, and today he is back to talk with us about his new book on Offa, King of the Mercians.  Professor Rory Naismith is the Professor of Early Medieval History […] The post An Offa Interview with Rory Naismith first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Send us Fan MailThis week, more NCAA Tournament discussion with the great Christy Winters Scott! Bob starts us off with a news note from the week, all presented by Jersey Mike's!WANT TO SUPPORT A TROPHY LIFE?Leave a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback only helps make the show better, and we appreciate your support! For more information about the Naismith Trophy Award, visit our home on the web.

College students are uniquely positioned to respond to the Great Commission—energized, flexible, and seeking purpose. In this breakout session, we'll explore how to engage, equip, and send students on short-term mission experiences that ignite a lifelong commitment to Jesus and His mission. Discover practical strategies for casting vision, preparing teams, partnering with churches and agencies, and ensuring that these trips foster spiritual growth and gospel-centered impact—both abroad and back on campus. Whether you're a pastor, campus leader, or student, this session will help you see short-term missions as more than a trip—it's a launchpad.This session was recorded live at Roundup 2026, a gathering of college ministry leaders hosted by the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention.Matt is the Canadian Collegiate Strategist for Send Network Canada and National Director of the Canadian Campus Collective (C3), a ministry of the Canadian National Baptist Convention (CNBC). Prior to his work with Send and the CNBC, Matt served as Pastor for Teaching & Vision with Church of the City, a church he co-founded and planted in Guelph, Ontario, in 2013. Church of the City is home to many students from the University of Guelph, and Matt was instrumental in seeing that come to fruition.  Matt is married to his wife, Andrea, and they have three boys. 

Send us Fan MailThe NCAA Tournaments are expanding!Bob leads off this week's show with that blockbuster! Later, he chats with our 2026 Jersey Mike's Naismith Awards Girls High School Coach of the Year: Aundre Cummings from Ontario Christian School in Ontario, CA! WANT TO SUPPORT A TROPHY LIFE?Leave a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback only helps make the show better, and we appreciate your support! For more information about the Naismith Trophy Award, visit our home on the web.

Send us Fan MailThis week, we salute our 2026 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy men's winner, Duke freshman sensation, Cameron Boozer! Back to Indianapolis we go, presented by Jersey Mike'sWANT TO SUPPORT A TROPHY LIFE?Leave a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback only helps make the show better, and we appreciate your support! For more information about the Naismith Trophy Award, visit our home on the web.

This week the Cambridge professor Rory Naismith takes us back to the eighth century to glimpse what we can of Offa King of the Mercians. Offa was a mighty figure in this early moment in the history of Britain and he is remembered chiefly for the extraordinary earthwork – Offa's Dyke. But what more can be said about Offa's life? In this episode Naismith explains that he was a ruler of considerable gifts whose reputation stretched far beyond his considerable kingdom. He corresponded with Charlemagne and was connected with the Islamic World and, when he died, he left a great void behind. The scenes, characters and storylines in this episode of Travels Through Time all feature in Rory Naismith's book, Offa: King of the Mercians. Read more about Offa at Unseen Histories. Show Notes Scene One: Offa of Mercia receives a letter from Charlemagne that is one of the first diplomatic exchanges between two Medieval monarchs. Scene Two: 29 July. Offa's dies. Scene Three: December 796. Offa's son and heir Ecgfrith dies unexpectedly. Memento: Offa's side of the correspondence with Charlemagne People/Social Presenter: Peter Moore  Guest: Rory Naismith Producers: Maria Nolan Theme music: Firelight by Minka

If you’ve ever stepped inside a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse, you likely noticed almost every LDS Church has basketball court. But have you ever wondered why basketball became the unofficial sport of the church? Dr. Matthew Bowman, the Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University discussed his new book, Game Changers: AJ Dybantsa, BYU, and the Struggle for the Soul of Basketball, which he co-authored with BYU alum Wayne LeCheminant. Their fascinating conversation peeled back the historical layers of basketball, revealing that the sport was intentionally designed to promote religious virtue/ https://youtu.be/5K58pElo0CA 0:00 Why Basketball is a Christian Sport 9:10 BYU Banned Football? 12:35 Why LDS Church Adopts Basketball   Don't miss our other discussions with Matthew. https://gospeltangents.com/people/matthew-bowman Copyright © 2026 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Invention of a “Christian” Sport While many fans know that James Naismith invented basketball using peach baskets in Springfield, Massachusetts, few realize that Naismith explicitly designed basketball to produce “Christian gentlemen”. Naismith was a frustrated minister working at a YMCA training school during the dead of winter. His students were bored with indoor calisthenics, but it was too cold for outdoor sports. To keep them active, Naismith created basketball, drawing heavily on the popular 19th-century concept of “muscular Christianity,” which taught that developing a healthy body was just as important as developing a healthy soul. Unlike other popular sports of the era, Naismith structured basketball around self-sacrifice and fellowship. He believed baseball was too individualistic, focused largely on the isolated duel between pitcher and batter. By contrast, basketball was designed as a game of unending cooperation. The earliest rules only allowed passing or shooting—no dribbling—forcing players to subordinate their individual egos for the good of the team. Civilized Alternative to Football In the 1890s and early 1900s, football was wildly popular but incredibly violent. Without modern helmets or pads, the sport was literally killing dozens of players each season. In 1905 alone, 18 football players died, leading multiple states to consider banning the sport entirely. Because of this brutality, the board of trustees at Brigham Young Academy (now BYU) voted to ban football in 1901. Basketball was championed as the perfect, civilized alternative. It allowed for vigorous physical activity without the deadly consequences, aligning perfectly with the moral framework desired by religious leaders. LDS Church Has Basketball Court As the LDS Church looked to expand out of Utah and into urban centers across the country, basketball offered a logistical advantage. While baseball required large outdoor fields, a basketball court could easily be placed inside a church building right in the middle of a city. During the presidency of Joseph F. Smith, the Church built the massive Deseret Gym in Salt Lake City (where the Conference Center stands today), featuring multiple basketball courts. By the 1920s, the Church formally recommended that wards build “recreation halls” or “amusement halls” under the same roof as their worship spaces. The primary goal of these courts was to attract the youth. Church leaders believed that by offering basketball, they could bring young men off the streets and into the Church building. Because young men were priesthood holders necessary for the formation of new wards, keeping them engaged in wholesome, cooperative activities was seen as crucial to the church’s growth. To hear the full interview and learn more about how modern money is reshaping BYU’s basketball legacy, check out the full episode on Gospel Tangents! What’s Next? Basketball’s role in the Church evolved deeply throughout the 20th century, leading to massive All-Church tournaments and a prominent NCAA footprint at BYU. However, the landscape of college basketball is shifting. Today, athletes like BYU’s AJ Dybantsa are navigating an era of millions of dollars in NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) money and “one-and-done” draft prospects—developments that past leaders like Ernest Wilkinson would likely have hated. Don't miss our other discussions with Matthew. https://gospeltangents.com/people/matthew-bowman Copyright © 2026 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved

This week, it's back to the podium in Indianapolis to meet our 2026 Naismith Awards Men's Defensive Player of the Year Presented by MOLECULE: Florida's Rueben Chinyelu!Our weekly podcast is presented by Jersey Mike's.WANT TO SUPPORT A TROPHY LIFE?Leave a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback only helps make the show better, and we appreciate your support! For more information about the Naismith Trophy Award, visit our home on the web.

In Offa: King of the Mercians (Yale UP, 2026), Professor Rory Naismith presents an authoritative biography of Offa of Mercia, revealing his importance as the king who stood at the turning point of Anglo-Saxon history. Offa ruled the Mercian heartland of the west midlands from 757 to 796. But while Alfred the Great and his dynasty are seen as agents of a new beginning that resulted in a unified Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Offa is best remembered as the builder of a great dyke and as a symbol of an older, divided order. In this major new biography, Professor Naismith challenges this view. Professor Naismith reveals how Offa cemented Mercia's position as the dominant force in the southern part of Britain, strengthened the internal cohesion of his domains, and laid the basis for a new model of kingship. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including charters, coins, and chronicles, Professor Naismith reveals Offa as a king who was ambitious and successful, and who carefully constructed his image and that of the royal family. Far from just one in a sequence of overlords, Offa had a lasting impact on how kingship was practised and conceived across England. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In Offa: King of the Mercians (Yale UP, 2026), Professor Rory Naismith presents an authoritative biography of Offa of Mercia, revealing his importance as the king who stood at the turning point of Anglo-Saxon history. Offa ruled the Mercian heartland of the west midlands from 757 to 796. But while Alfred the Great and his dynasty are seen as agents of a new beginning that resulted in a unified Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Offa is best remembered as the builder of a great dyke and as a symbol of an older, divided order. In this major new biography, Professor Naismith challenges this view. Professor Naismith reveals how Offa cemented Mercia's position as the dominant force in the southern part of Britain, strengthened the internal cohesion of his domains, and laid the basis for a new model of kingship. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including charters, coins, and chronicles, Professor Naismith reveals Offa as a king who was ambitious and successful, and who carefully constructed his image and that of the royal family. Far from just one in a sequence of overlords, Offa had a lasting impact on how kingship was practised and conceived across England. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

In Offa: King of the Mercians (Yale UP, 2026), Professor Rory Naismith presents an authoritative biography of Offa of Mercia, revealing his importance as the king who stood at the turning point of Anglo-Saxon history. Offa ruled the Mercian heartland of the west midlands from 757 to 796. But while Alfred the Great and his dynasty are seen as agents of a new beginning that resulted in a unified Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Offa is best remembered as the builder of a great dyke and as a symbol of an older, divided order. In this major new biography, Professor Naismith challenges this view. Professor Naismith reveals how Offa cemented Mercia's position as the dominant force in the southern part of Britain, strengthened the internal cohesion of his domains, and laid the basis for a new model of kingship. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including charters, coins, and chronicles, Professor Naismith reveals Offa as a king who was ambitious and successful, and who carefully constructed his image and that of the royal family. Far from just one in a sequence of overlords, Offa had a lasting impact on how kingship was practised and conceived across England. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Offa: King of the Mercians (Yale UP, 2026), Professor Rory Naismith presents an authoritative biography of Offa of Mercia, revealing his importance as the king who stood at the turning point of Anglo-Saxon history. Offa ruled the Mercian heartland of the west midlands from 757 to 796. But while Alfred the Great and his dynasty are seen as agents of a new beginning that resulted in a unified Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Offa is best remembered as the builder of a great dyke and as a symbol of an older, divided order. In this major new biography, Professor Naismith challenges this view. Professor Naismith reveals how Offa cemented Mercia's position as the dominant force in the southern part of Britain, strengthened the internal cohesion of his domains, and laid the basis for a new model of kingship. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including charters, coins, and chronicles, Professor Naismith reveals Offa as a king who was ambitious and successful, and who carefully constructed his image and that of the royal family. Far from just one in a sequence of overlords, Offa had a lasting impact on how kingship was practised and conceived across England. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/british-studies

This week, we start the recaps of our fabulous Naismith Award presentations from Phoenix and Indianapolis! In this edition, the announcement of the 2026 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's Coach of the Year to Arizona MBB Head Coach: Tommy Lloyd. Our podcast is presented by Jersey Mike's. WANT TO SUPPORT A TROPHY LIFE?Leave a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback only helps make the show better, and we appreciate your support! For more information about the Naismith Trophy Award, visit our home on the web.

Send us Fan MailS8 Ep.15: Mile High Move — Mike Malone and the New Blueprint for North CarolinaThe lineage is broken, the cord is cut, and a new era has arrived in Chapel Hill. In the most shocking coaching hire in college basketball history, UNC has reached into the NBA ranks, naming Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone as the next leader of the Tar Heels.In this historic Episode 15, Darryl and Will break down the seismic shift in the 919. For the first time since the 1960s, the seat once held by Dean Smith will not be occupied by a direct disciple of his coaching tree. We explore the end of the Naismith-to-Smith-to-Guthridge-to-Matt-to-Roy-to-Hubert lineage and what it means for the "Carolina Family" brand.In this episode, we dive into:The Malone Era Begins: Why the 2023 NBA Champion is the "outsider" the Heels needed.Family Ties: With Malone's daughter already on the UNC Volleyball team, how deep do his roots in Chapel Hill already go?The Staffing Shakeup: Who stays and who goes? We discuss the urgent need for a "bridge" between the NBA blueprint and the Carolina Way.The Rivalry Reset: How does the Duke camp feel about an NBA heavyweight entering the Triangle?Don't forget to Like, Subscribe, and leave a 5-star review! Your support helps us keep the rivalry conversation going across the country.Follow us on Instagram: @BlueBloodRivalry#BlueBloodRivalry #UNCBasketball #MikeMalone #DenverNuggets #CollegeHoops #NorthCarolina #919Sports #NBAtoNCAA #TarHeelNationSupport the showKeywords: Duke basketball, Carolina basketball, Louisville, Jason Williams, Hubert Davis, combo guards, transfer, Dean Dome, ACC

The Mercian king history reduced to a ditch—but changed EnglandMost people know Offa of Mercia for one thing: a giant ditch dividing England and Wales. But that familiar image hides a far more powerful—and fascinating—figure.In this episode, host Paul Bavill is joined by Cambridge historian Rory Naismith to challenge the long-standing myth of Offa as a brutal warlord. Instead, we uncover a ruler who helped shape the political, economic, and diplomatic foundations of early England.Why Offa of Mercia deserves a rethinkFor centuries, narratives shaped by sources like the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle have painted Offa as a violent tyrant. But as Rory explains, that version of history is incomplete—and often biased.Look closer, and a different picture emerges:A king who ruled for nearly 40 years, stabilising a vast kingdom A ruler who centralised power across southern England A leader who pioneered systems later used by kings like Alfred the Great Offa wasn't just surviving—he was building something lasting.More than Offa's DykeYes, Offa's Dyke is impressive—stretching coast to coast and rivaling Roman engineering in scale. But it wasn't simply a defensive ditch.It was:A symbol of power and dominance A political statement to neighbouring Welsh kingdoms Part of a wider strategy to control borders and project authority Offa wasn't just reacting—he was sending a message.The king who connected kingdomsFar from being isolated, Offa operated in a deeply interconnected world.This episode explores:His rivalry and diplomacy with Charlemagne Trade, coinage, and economic reform across his realm A remarkable gold coin linking Mercia to the Islamic world From Rome to Francia, Offa was playing the game of international politics at the highest level.Offa's real legacyForget the “bloodthirsty conqueror” cliché. Offa's greatest achievement was something far more significant:Creating a unified system of kingship Bringing together multiple regions under one authority Laying the groundwork for the future kingdom of England Without Offa, the later successes of rulers like Alfred may not have been possible.Listen MoreEpisode 16 – Eleanor Janega on the Dark Ages: https://pod.fo/e/11c7f3Episode 240 – Dirk Hoffman-Becking on the Holy Roman Empire: https://pod.fo/e/3330ceGuest details: Rory NaismithTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/rory_naismith

NBA referee legend and Philly's own JOEY CRAWFORD has been announced as a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026. After a tense Final Four matchup, Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley are at the center of a major conversation. Al Morganti and Joe DeCamara disagree on a crucial Eagles draft debate.

It's Wednesday, April 1st, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark and Timothy Reed Muslim Nigerians killed 53 people on Palm Sunday Muslim gunmen in Nigeria killed 53 people in a predominantly Christian area on Palm Sunday, reports the Baptist Press. The attackers arrived in a van, killing men, women, and children and wounding dozens more.  A local Christian told Morning Star News, “We saw the terrorists coming down from their vehicle with guns. … Within seconds from alighting from their vehicle, we heard gunshots. They were shooting at anyone in sight. Many have been killed, and I feel so heartbroken.” Daniel Okoh, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, said, “Nigerians are tired of mourning. Nigerians are tired of statements. Nigerians want to see action. Those responsible for this atrocity must be found, arrested and made to face justice; swiftly and decisively. Anything less will only deepen the sense that life in our country is no longer protected.” Please pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ in Nigeria.  YouGov retracts British religious study YouGov retracted it's “Quiet Revival” study last week. The 2024 study suggested a rise in church attendance in Britain, especially among young people. However, after an investigation, YouGov said the survey sample was faulty.  The U.K.-based Bible Society commissioned the study. The organization noted, “YouGov's error does not mean that all of the findings were wrong. It means that we cannot reliably support those findings on the basis of this survey.” YouGov plans to conduct new research with the Bible Society on religiosity in the United Kingdom. U.S. Army raises recruitment age to 42 The U.S. Army has raised its max recruitment age from 35 to 42. This comes as the United States has had trouble meeting its recruitment standards in recent years.  Part of the reason for the change? American youth are not ready to fight in the military.  ABC News reports that, “The Pentagon has estimated that only 23% of young Americans (between the ages of 17 and 24) are eligible to serve. Much of this is due to academic performance on the military's SAT-style entrance test, obesity, and criminal records.” Judge rules against Biden's COVID-era censorship U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty has ruled in favor of the State of Missouri in the Missouri vs. Biden free speech case.  The case centered around the Biden administration's censorship of free speech and silencing of opposition through Big Tech platforms.   The judge ruled that the U.S. Surgeon General, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are barred from threatening social media companies with retaliation for not censoring what they deem to be misinformation.  Trump to Planned Parenthood: No more Title X grants! The Trump administration announced this is the last year that Planned Parenthood will receive Title X grants from the federal government.  White House spokesman Kush Desai told The Daily Wire, “The administration has issued the fifth and final year of Title X grants that were locked in place during the Biden presidency. … Title X funds cannot be used for abortions by law and … the Administration remains committed to realigning the Title X program with the President's pro-life and pro-family agenda going forward.” However, pro-life leaders are criticizing the administration for the additional year of funding to the abortion giant.  NBA player cut for expressing Christian beliefs A professional basketball team cut one of their players on Monday for expressing his Christian beliefs. Jaden Ivey played in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls. He recently described Homosexual Pride Month as a celebration of unrighteousness.  Listen. IVEY: “The world can proclaim LGBTQ, right? They proclaim Pride Month and the NBA. They show it to the world. They say, ‘Come join us for Pride Month to celebrate unrighteousness.'” The Chicago Bulls described Ivey's conduct as “detrimental to the team.”  Send a polite, yet firm 2-sentence letter of complaint. Coach Billy Donovan, 1901 W. Madison Street, Chicago, IL 60612. Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness.” Basketball invented by Christian chaplain in 1891 And finally, men's college basketball teams are competing for the national championship in the March Madness tournament.  What many do not know about the popular sport is that it was invented by a Christian named James Naismith.  He was a Christian chaplain and sports coach. Naismith invented basketball in 1891 while serving at the YMCA International Training School in Massachusetts. He started the sport in order to evangelize young men.   Basketball spread as far as China by 1895 thanks to YMCA missionaries.  Naismith said his goal was to “win men for the Master through the gym.” In Matthew 4:19, Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  Close And that's The Worldview on this Wednesday, April 1st, in the year of our Lord 2026. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Our big week is here! Stay locked and loaded to all of the Naismith Awards social channels for the latest announcements of the most prestigious awards in College Basketball! This week, Bob chats with our 2026 Jersey Mike's Naismith Boys' High School Coach of the Year: Glenn Farello of Saint Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, VA!WANT TO SUPPORT A TROPHY LIFE?Leave a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback only helps make the show better, and we appreciate your support! For more information about the Naismith Trophy Award, visit our home on the web.

Frank Kaminsky played eight seasons in the NBA and was a first round pick after a stellar career at Wisconsin, where he led his team to two Final Fours and was the 2015 Naismith college basketball player of the year. Today on the podcast, Matt Forte talks to Frank Kaminsky about his fandom for the Chicago Bears, the phone call he got from Michael Jordan, playing in two Final Fours with Wisconsin, growing in his faith and becoming a dad.Have a question? Got a guest suggestion? Want to advertise with us? Email us - jason@sportsspectrum.comWATCH all of our podcast episodes on our YouTube page:https://www.youtube.com/SportsSpectrumMagazineSign up for our Sports Spectrum Magazine and receive 15% off a 1-year subscription by using the code PODCAST15https://www.theincrease.com/products/sports-spectrum-magazine Do you know Christ personally? Click below to learn how you can commit your life to Him.https://sportsspectrum.com/gospel/

This week, our 2026 Naismith Awards Outstanding Contributor to Basketball winner, Tara VanDerveer joins Bob for a look back at her amazing career. Plus, a recap of the March Madness first week! All presented by Jersey Mike's WANT TO SUPPORT A TROPHY LIFE?Leave a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback only helps make the show better, and we appreciate your support! For more information about the Naismith Trophy Award, visit our home on the web.

The head coach of the 23rd ranked Saint Louis Men's Basketball: Josh Schertz joins Bob to talk about the 25-3 Billikens! Plus, this weekend's key games, all presented by Jersey Mike's! WANT TO SUPPORT A TROPHY LIFE?Leave a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback only helps make the show better, and we appreciate your support! For more information about the Naismith Trophy Award, visit our home on the web.

Two wins against UCLA and Ohio State keep the Spartans at 22-5, but this episode earns its soul not from the wins themselves — the UCLA game was a blowout and the Ohio State game was an officiating drama wrapped around a Bruce Thornton highlight reel — but from the questions underneath: whether Kohler's foul trouble and shooting coldness is a problem that follows them to Mackie, whether Fears can finally become the guy Izzo is still waiting for, and whether Carson Cooper's career performance against Ohio State is a new floor or just a good day. Mick Cronin provides the comic relief, the Naismith committee provides the outrage, and Plum once again is right about Jeremy Fears being maddeningly inconsistent, even in a win.

Ben Criddle talks BYU sports every weekday from 2 to 6 pm.Today's Co-Hosts: Ben Criddle (@criddlebenjamin)Subscribe to the Cougar Sports with Ben Criddle podcast:Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cougar-sports-with-ben-criddle/id99676 

Chois Woodman and Dr. Mike Gustafson discuss a list of the most difficult and easiest sports to play, expectations for Red Raider baseball as they seek their first win of the season, preview the matchup for Red Raider basketball as they prepare for the Arizona St. Sun Devils and play of the day highlights the last matchup between Red Raider basketball and the Arizona St. Sundevils, Rob Breaux joins the show to discuss possibility of JT Toppin being Naismith player of the year, ask tech talk with Chois and Rob.

Over a distinguished NBA and collegiate career, Shane Battier established himself as a scholar-athlete, All-American, leader, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "No-Stats All-Star" by Michael Lewis in a New York Times Sunday Magazine cover story, Shane is regarded as one of the most successful, albeit atypical, basketball players in history for using his leadership, lockdown defense, and intellect to win championships at every level. After graduating with honors from Duke University with two Final Four appearances, one national championship, two All-American awards, & Naismith and John Wooden National Player of the Year awards, the Memphis Grizzlies selected Battier in the 2001 NBA draft. Battier went on to be part of the back-to-back 2012 and 2013 NBA championship Miami Heat team and a USA Basketball Men's Senior national team member. He understands that champions are made when no one is looking and that attention to the often-unnoticed intangibles makes the difference in building a championship culture. In our conversation this week, John and Jerry unpack the highs and lows of Shane's remarkable journey, from his childhood and the role of his parents, to his high school and college days, to his introduction to the NBA, and finally his championship seasons. We also discuss his post basketball years, his struggles with the transition off the court, an dhow he has reinvented himself to become an advisor, speaker, and a better father and husband.  BOOK A SPEAKER: Interested in having John or one of our speaking team come to your school, club or coaching event? We are booking November and December 2025 and Winter/Spring 2026 events, please email us to set up an introductory call John@ChangingTheGameProject.com PUT IN YOUR BULK BOOK ORDERS FOR OUR BESTSELLING BOOKS, AND JOIN 2025 CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS FROM SYRACUSE MENS LAX, UNC AND NAVY WOMENS LAX, AND MCLAREN F1! These are just the most recent championship teams using THE CHAMPION TEAMMATE book with their athletes and support teams. Many of these coaches are also getting THE CHAMPION SPORTS PARENT so their team parents can be part of a successful culture. Schools and clubs are using EVERY MOMENT MATTERS for staff development and book clubs. Are you?  We have been fulfilling numerous bulk orders for some of the top high school and collegiate sports programs in the country, will your team be next? Click here to visit John's author page on Amazon Click here to visit Jerry's author page on Amazon Please email John@ChangingTheGameProject.com if you want discounted pricing on 10 or more books on any of our books. Thanks everyone. This week's podcast is brought to you by our friends at Sprocket Sports.  Sprocket Sports is a new software platform for youth sports clubs.  Yeah, there are a lot of these systems out there, but Sprocket provides the full enchilada. They give you all the cool front-end stuff to make your club look good– like websites and marketing tools – AND all the back-end transactions and services to run your business better so you can focus on what really matters – your players and your teams. Sprocket is built for those clubs looking to thrive, not just survive, in the competitive world of youth sports clubs.  So if you've been looking for a true business partner – not just another app – check them out today at https://sprocketsports.me/CTG. BECOME A PREMIUM MEMBER OF CHANGING THE GAME PROJECT TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST If you or your club/school is looking for all of our best content, from online courses to blog posts to interviews organized for coaches, parents and athletes, then become a premium member of Changing the Game Project today. For over a decade we have been creating materials to help change the game. and it has become a bit overwhelming to find old podcasts, blog posts and more. Now, we have organized it all for you, with areas for coaches, parents and even athletes to find materials to help compete better, and put some more play back in playing ball. Clubs please email John@ChangingTheGameProject.com for pricing.  Become a Podcast Champion! This weeks podcast is also sponsored by our Patreon Podcast Champions. Help Support the Podcast and get FREE access to our Premium Membership, with well over $1000 of courses and materials. If you love the podcast, we would love for you to become a Podcast Champion, (https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions) for as little as a cup of coffee per month (OK, its a Venti Mocha), to help us up the ante and provide even better interviews, better sound, and an overall enhanced experience. Plus, as a $10 per month Podcast Super-Champion, you will be granted a Premium Changing the Game Project Membership, where you will have access to every course, interview and blog post we have created organized by topic from coaches to parents to athletes. Thank you for all your support these past eight years, and a special big thank you to all of you who become part of our inner circle, our patrons, who will enable us to take our podcast to the next level. https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions

Ben Criddle talks BYU sports every weekday from 2 to 6 pm.Today's Co-Hosts: Ben Criddle (@criddlebenjamin)Subscribe to the Cougar Sports with Ben Criddle podcast:Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cougar-sports-with-ben-criddle/id99676

Hanna, Andy, and Fish cover the early days of basketball, with its 13 rules, 9 man teams, and peach baskets nailed to the walls! Intro music is from "Across the Line" by the Wellington Sea Shanty Society.

Send us a textBurnout can creep up quietly - until one day you realise you've got nothing left to give.In this honest, wide-ranging conversation, Dr Gillyanne Kayes, Jeremy Fisher and guest Dr Marisa Lee Naismith (host of A Voice and Beyond) talk about burnout in the performing arts: how it happens, what it feels like, and what recovery really takes.We explore:The link between trauma, stress, and burnoutBoundaries and learning to say “I don't have the capacity”Why people-pleasing drives exhaustionThe real brain changes in burnout and how to resetWhat it means to honour yourself as a creativeThis episode includes insights from Stress Burnout Reset by Kerry Norton, reflections on somatic recovery, and practical tools for singers and teachers finding their way back to balance.00:00 Intro and Phlegm Alert02:10 When Burnout Creeps Up On You03:23 Losing Everything and Working Harder05:39 Adversity vs Trauma07:53 Burnout in the Performing Arts08:41 Self-Worth and People-Pleasing11:11 Learning To Say No And Setting Boundaries15:19 The 24-7 Access Problem19:28 The Power Of Saying "I Don't Have The Capacity"22:07 What Burnout Does To The Brain25:25 Recovery Tools and Somatic Practices33:45 Maria's Final Reflections - Honouring YourselfWatch, reflect, and share your experience of burnout in the comments.Remember to like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon for more insightful episodes. Leave a comment below on what inspired you the most!

It's time to celebrate! This is our 300th episode of A Trophy Life! And who better to join than the President of the Naismith Awards and the Atlanta Tipoff Club: Eric Oberman! He joins Bob this week, presented by Jersey Mike's.WANT TO SUPPORT A TROPHY LIFE?Leave a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback only helps make the show better, and we appreciate your support! For more information about the Naismith Trophy Award, visit our home on the web.

This week, we feature the 2025 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Boys National High School Player of the Year, current freshman Darryn Peterson! Plus Bob with the week's news and notes.WANT TO SUPPORT A TROPHY LIFE?Leave a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback only helps make the show better, and we appreciate your support! For more information about the Naismith Trophy Award, visit our home on the web.

The lads meet up for their weekly catch up and talk all things Luton Town!

The Green Impact Report Quick take: Most commercial buildings are controlled by 200 global logos—and the way they're financed makes decarbonization almost impossible. Christopher and his team at Audette are flipping that script, proving sustainability and ROI can—and must—go hand in hand. Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Christopher Naismith grew up on Vancouver Island surrounded by forests and ocean. After starting as a civil engineer, a career pivot led him into construction, building science, and eventually founding Audette, a fintech company redefining how real estate owners invest in decarbonization. Today, his platform models over 30,000 commercial buildings, helping some of the world's largest portfolios cut emissions and boost asset value.

In this heartfelt episode, I'm in the podcast hotseat. World-renowned singing teacher and voice researcher Dr. Marisa Lee Naismith interviewed me for her podcast and I have repurposed that conversation here just for you. Together, we unpack: Why so many people feel their voice doesn't matter The power of mirror work and affirmations to rewrite limiting beliefs Emotional techniques to connect with your authentic voice, including imagining the opposite — what if you weren't allowed to speak? Why self-doubt is a privilege, and how that perspective can fuel courage My personal stories of resilience, from mountain climbs to handling social media trolls with humor and heart The surprisingly easy thing you can do right now to reclaim your voice Whether you struggle with public speaking, personal expression, or simply finding your confidence, this episode offers practical insights and inspiration to help you step into your authentic voice and speak up in moments that truly matter.

This week, Bob chats with our 2025 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, presented by MOLECULE --Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner! He's one of the Creighton's and Big East's all-time greats! Plus, our weekly news and notes! WANT TO SUPPORT A TROPHY LIFE?Leave a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback only helps make the show better, and we appreciate your support! For more information about the Naismith Trophy Award, visit our home on the web.

Ollie gives his thoughts on Kal Naismith re-joining Luton Town on a free transfer!

Clair Bee is one of the greatest coaches in basketball history. But, he is rarely included in the conversation. He won 82% of his games as a college coach. He also contributed three new ideas that are still used today throughout basketball. And he wrote 24 novels for young readers. He might be the largest contributor to basketball outside of Naismith himself.CREDITSRick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voiceJacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC"Happy Days" by Chuck Sims"Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORKsportshistorynetwork.comsportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/basketball-history-101/ FACEBOOKm.facebook.com/Basketball-History-101-103801581493027/ BUSINESS CONTACTbballhistory101@gmail.com

In this mini-season of the Roundup Podcast, we're featuring every breakout session from Roundup 2025. Enjoy this episode on On Mission Now: Mobilizing Students for Short-Term Impact with Long-Term Vision with Matt Naismith.

A Wisecracker Classic [tm] - Sam and Mac talk current events while Matt investigates the new Pope in Villanova. Remember to like, subscribe, leave a nice comment and KEEP GAMBLING using the you know what "WISECRACKER" at you know where dot you know what. Happy Mother's Day.Follow @wisecrackerpodFollow Matt Burn @mattmburnFollow Sam Naismith @samnaismithcomedyFollow Mac Naismith @macnaismithVideos referenced   • how'd they even get that picture?     • she's immune #thelastofus  #comedy #podcast #podcasts #podcasting #comedian #funny

The history of Basketball begins in the unassuming town of Springfield, Massachusetts. Canadian born James Naismith is trying to keep his group of students at the YMCA busy during a cold New England winter. It took 2 peach baskets, a soccer ball, and a few simple rules to create the game of basketball... sort of. The first thing Naismith created was chaos. Eventually, out of the chaos came basketball. The popularity of the game spread much like other sports. Barnstorming teams like the New York Rens and the world famous Harlem Globetrotters popularized the game in small towns all over the country. On a professional level some leagues came and went, but eventually found their way to the NBA and ABA merger. These two leagues would form the modern NBA today. There is so much more to the story though. Don't miss a second as we get Historically High on Basketball and the NBASupport the show

This week, Part One of our look back at our fabulous Naismith Awards Ceremony from San Antonio. In this edition, MC Fran Fraschilla introduces our 2025 Jersey Mike's men's national player of the year Cooper Flagg from Duke! Plus his coach, Jon Scheyer joins the program! WANT TO SUPPORT A TROPHY LIFE?Leave a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback only helps make the show better, and we appreciate your support! For more information about the Naismith Trophy Award, visit our home on the web.

In this episode of Rogue Bogues, the NBL Free Agency is heating up while the NBA nears the end of the regular season with the Playoffs in sight. The Chicago Bulls earn Team of the Week honors, and Josh Giddey continues to shine. What's going on in Memphis as coaching changes raise eyebrows? Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony head to the Hall of Fame. Jokic racks up a wild defensive stat, and we reveal the Aussie of the Year. Plus, a great Fact or Fake News stat from Naismith, and Dellavedova is heading to the Sydney Kings! Tune in! 00:00:17 Intro 00:08:51 Team of the Week 00:13:41 Week team of the Week 00:30:29 
Latest NBA News 00:52:04 Useful or Useless 00:59:26 
Aussie of the Year 01:00:10 Fact or Fake News 01:02:33 Latest NBL News © 2025 AMB Media

In hour three of 3 Man Front we went to Fayetteville and caught up with Tye Richardson with ESPN Arkansas & got his preview of the Razorbacks in the Sweet 16. Brett Norsworthy joined to preview the Rebs and their potential 4th matchup with Auburn. Plus, we discussed Coach Cal's first year at Arkansas & Naismith finalists! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we salute our 2025 Jersey Mike's Naismith High School Boys Coach of the Year, Andrew Moran, from Columbus High School in Miami, Florida! Bob chats with the coach of the country's #1 high school team!WANT TO SUPPORT A TROPHY LIFE?Leave a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback only helps make the show better, and we appreciate your support! For more information about the Naismith Trophy Award, visit our home on the web.

In this engaging episode of the Driving Change Podcast, Jeff Bloomfield interviews Dr. Iona Naismith, a clinical psychologist, adventurer, and expert in the neuroscience of compassion. Dr. Naismith shares her fascinating journey from growing up in the Scottish Highlands to leading expeditions in the Italian Dolomites and pursuing a career in psychology. The conversation explores the neuroscience behind compassion, the importance of self-awareness, and practical strategies to rewire negative thought patterns for personal and professional growth. The episode offers actionable insights into achieving balance through mindfulness, self-compassion, and emotional intelligence. Why You Should Listen This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking personal growth or looking to improve their leadership and relationships. Dr. Naismith's unique blend of adventure and psychology provides inspiring lessons on resilience, self-awareness, and the power of compassion. Whether you're navigating life's challenges or seeking to optimize your mental well-being, her insights will leave you equipped with practical tools to transform your mindset and achieve balance. Key Takeaways Neuroscience of Compassion: Compassion is more than being nice—it's about addressing and alleviating suffering while fostering resilience and growth. Self-Compassion vs. Self-Criticism: Many people are compassionate toward others but harsh on themselves. Learning self-compassion can unlock greater potential and self-acceptance. Mindfulness as a Tool: Staying present helps disrupt negative thought patterns, reducing anxiety and increasing focus. Neural Pathways and Habits: Rewiring negative beliefs requires consistent effort, likened to forging a new path in a forest. Three Circles Model: Understanding the balance between the threat, drive, and soothing systems is key to maintaining emotional equilibrium. Visualization's Power: Mentally rehearsing positive outcomes can build confidence and reinforce neural pathways for success.

Penny Hardaway named to Naismith Watch List 2024 25 - Jason & John discuss it full 775 Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:14:44 +0000 itjZvEad1uuoOqCapmdY98a2EWQ5bBwf sports 92.9 Featured Podcast sports Penny Hardaway named to Naismith Watch List 2024 25 - Jason & John discuss it 92.9 ESPN FM/680 AM Featured Podcast of the Day 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. Sports False https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?feed-link=https%3A%2F%2Frss.amperwave.net%2F

The definitive college basketball coach rankings going forward! College basketball time machine: Where will these teams be in 5 years? Picking the winners for every Naismith positional award! PRESENTED BY MyBookie! Double your first deposit with promo code SLEEPERS here: https://bit.ly/SLEEPERS

#199: Jerod Haase is the former Stanford university head men's basketball coach. During his time on the farm at Stanford the Cardinal had won 126 games, recorded its best conference finish and most league wins in a decade and earned a postseason berth for the first time since 2015. The 2020 team was set to be postseason bound before the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament.A native of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Haase attended California in 1992-93, starting 23 games as a freshman and playing alongside Jason Kidd in the backcourt. Haase then transferred to Kansas, where he helped lead the Jayhawks to three consecutive conference titles and finished his career ranked in the school's top 10 in assists, three-point field goals and steals. Haase started 99 of 101 games at Kansas and scored 1,264 points, averaging 12.5 per game and reaching double figures 74 times. While at Kansas, Haase was a candidate for the Naismith and Wooden Awards. Haase was also a first-team GTE Academic All-American as a senior, a second-team Academic All-American as a junior and a three-time academic all-conference pick. The Jayhawks' Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1997, Haase later earned a master's degree in business at Kansas in 2000.After playing professionally he went on to help as an assistant with his former college coach Roy Williams at Kansas and then North Carolina, before he became the head coach at UAB. At UAB, Haase led the Blazers to a regular-season Conference USA championship in 2016 and the program's 15th all-time NCAA Tournament berth in 2015. Haase compiled an 80-53 overall record in four seasons while improving the Blazers' win total every year. In 2016 he was tabbed as the Gene Bartow Conference USA Coach of the Year, leading the Blazers to a 26-5 overall record and a 16-2 conference mark while capturing their first regular-season title since 2011. In 2017, Haase joined the National Advisory Board of the Positive Coaching Alliance, the organization that uses the power of positive reinforcement to pursue winning and the more important goal of teaching life lessons through sports.On the show you will hear his story, overcoming setbacks, being genuine and authentic, core values, relationships, and much more. Enjoy the show! Book Link:https://www.amazon.com/Floor-Burns-Inside-Kansas-Jayhawk/dp/0965839214  

In this episode of the Just Schools Podcast, Jon Eckert interviews Paul Putz, director of the Faith & Sports Institute at Baylor University, where he helps to lead and develop online programming and curriculum as well as assisting with communications and strategic planning. They discuss his journey from high school teacher and coach to historian, diving into insights from his new book, The Spirit of the Game: American Christianity and Big-Time Sports. Putz reflects on the role of sports in K-12 education and the importance of of resilience, collaboration, and integrating faith into leadership in both education and sports. The Just Schools Podcast is brought to you by the Baylor Center for School Leadership. Each week, we'll talk to catalytic educators who are doing amazing work. The Center for School Leadership and Faith & Sports Institute are partnering together for a summer professional event! Join us for the FIT (faith-integration-transformation) Sports Leadership Summit! We will gather at Baylor to empower and equip Christian sports leaders in K-12 schools to lead, serve, and educate well as they pursue competitive excellence. Be encouraged. Mentioned: The Spirit of the Game: American Christianity and Big-Time Sports by Paul Putz Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe by David Maraniss. Faith & Sports Institute Youth Sports Summit  Connect with us: Baylor MA in School Leadership EdD in K-12 Educational Leadership Jon Eckert LinkedIn X: @eckertjon Center for School Leadership at Baylor University: @baylorcsl   Jon Eckert: All right, so we've got Paul Putz here in the podcast studio and we get to talk about a new book. We get to talk about coaching, we get to talk about teaching. So Paul, it's a huge blessing to have you here today. Can you just give us a little bit of your background about how you got to this office today, where you came through as a student and professionally? Paul Putz: Yeah. Well, I started, we'll start with I'm a teacher at heart and was a teacher, a high school teacher. So I grew up in small town Nebraska and playing all the sports thinking that I'm going to become a coach. So I went off and played small college basketball and then wanted to hang around sports. And so I got my secondary ed degree, was a social studies teacher. And as I started teaching in Omaha, Nebraska, I had a sense of how important sports were to me in terms of forming me. I was a pretty good student too, but sports mattered to me on a deeper level. And so I was really intrigued about learning more about sports. As I'm teaching social studies classes, I'm thinking about, man, how historically did we get to a place where sports are part of a school curriculum where sports are actually seen as educational or sports are seen as formative? I was just so curious about that. So instead of becoming a coach as a high school teacher, I get my master's in history and I start exploring these questions about the history of sports and as connections with Christianity. So those sort of questions I was wrestling with as a high school teacher lead me to applying to Baylor, coming to Baylor to get a PhD teaching at Messiah University for a year, and then coming back to Truett Seminary where I lead the Faith & Sports Institute and have been involved with FSI for the past five years. Jon Eckert: So love the work you do. I also understand from guys who still are able to play basketball with you, I have not been able to, as my knee no longer allows it, but you have a nice mid-range game still. Paul Putz: Old school. We keep it old school. Yeah. Jon Eckert: That's great. That makes Nebraska and Indiana boys proud. So love that. And I love the journey that you took. You go into education thinking you're going to coach and you're going to teach, and then you go down this history path, which then leads you to leading a Faith & Sports Institute. So it's kind of funny the way the Lord weaves us through these paths. And then to this book that's been published by Oxford University Press, really nice book by the way. Paul Putz: Thank you. Jon Eckert: Much nicer production than I typically get in the books that I write. So I'm impressed with what Oxford's done with it. The Spirit of the Game: American Christianity and Big-Time Sports. It says it's this fascinating look at the overlap and the way Christianity and major college sports and professional sports have been woven together starting in the 1920s. So tell us how you got to this book from that journey you just described. Paul Putz: Yeah, I think so many authors say their book is in some sense autobiographical. You have a question that you want to think about and in the process of exploring your own questions, you kind of realize, hey, other people might be asking these questions too. So that's how it started for me. I mentioned I'm growing up in Nebraska, I was a pastor's kid, I was also loving sports. And so this idea of being a Christian and being an athlete were so central to how I saw myself. And so when I did pursue the PhD and became a historian exploring sports in Christianity, it was my desire to figure out where did I come from? How was my high school basketball coach, Joel Heeser, who's a friend of mine now still coaching high school basketball? How did he learn what it means to be a Christian athlete, a Christian coach? And so out of that kind of sense of curiosity and a sense of where's my own place in this story, I went and do what historians do. So we go back to the archives and we try to look at the origins and we look at the cultural context and we try to figure out cause and change over time and how did this happen and how did it influence culture and how did culture influence what was going on? And so that's what I got to spend five years doing. It started as a PhD doctoral project. I'm going to archives across the US and I'm looking at memos and documents, and going to the libraries and just trying to tease out how this space to bring together sports and faith developed and then how it evolved and advanced to the place where it shaped my life and shaped the lives of so many others in America. Jon Eckert: That's well said and a great setup to the book. And one of the things that kind of blew my mind, and it's just in the introduction to your book, you have this comment here, "Compared with 100 years ago, there are far more athletes and coaches today willing to publicly champion Christianity as a formative influence in their lives." So I think sometimes in the US we feel like we're in this post-Christian world. And in some ways it's a very different world, especially when you hear athletes as soon as they're interviewed after a game, immediately giving credit to God and giving glory to God and the Steph Currys of the world and any number of football players. And you see this over and over and over again. And that wasn't the case a hundred years ago, probably because sports weren't as, they didn't have the platform that they do now. But as you've written the book, what do you attribute that to the most? I know that's the point of the whole book, but can you distill that down to two or three points for the people listening and why you think that's the case? Paul Putz: Yeah, what I try to suggest in the book is the blending of sports and Christianity kind of happens in two phases. And so I start in the 1920s, but there's this era before the 1920s, we'll say goes from after the Civil War until the 1920s. And it's during this era there's a movement called, muscular Christianity. And what muscular Christianity does is it helps Christians see the value of the body, the value of physical activity to moral formation. And it's out of muscular Christianity, which is a movement that starts in England and then it comes to the United States. It's out of muscular Christianity that a lot of these ideas about character formation in sports are developed. And it's why sports become connected to schools and education because people and school leaders are trying to figure out how do we channel this interest that our students have in athletic activity into productive ways so we can use it to form and shape them as good citizens. So muscular Christianity is kind of the first stage, which again connects sports to Christian mission with this character building way. And it has a profound effect. I mean, some of the sports we play today are products of muscular Christianity. And the classic example is basketball, 1891, James Naismith enrolls at a Christian college in Springfield, part of the YMCA. And when he enrolls at the school, he said his desire was to win men for the master through the gym. So he has a Christian purpose, a Christian mission at a Christian school, and he creates basketball to advance these muscular Christian ideas. Jon Eckert: And I didn't realize this, but in the book you highlight, Naismith is the only coach in Kansas history that has a losing record. Paul Putz: Only coach with a losing record. Jon Eckert: Because he didn't care. Paul Putz: He didn't... And this is such an important point because in that first era there were some real idealistic people like Naysmith who thought sport legitimately as first and foremost for moral formation, it's about developing people. Win or lose doesn't matter. So that's the first era. 1920s comes along and it's pretty clear that sports has developed into something else. Sports is connected to commercialization, winning comes first. Even at colleges it was supposed to be educational, but it's clear that at the college level, if you're a coach, you might be a great molder of young men, but if you don't win games, you're getting fired. Jon Eckert: Right. Paul Putz: So there's this sense in the 1920s, this reality sets in that sport is now commercialized. It's big time. And even though it's still connected to say college, at the big time level, that muscular Christian mission isn't there. So what my book tries to do is say, okay, when muscular Christianity is sort of on the back burner because we now have this big time sports structure in the 1920s where it's all commercialized, it's all celebrity, how do Christians still engage in that? How do they wrestle with that tension of a, when at all cost atmosphere, a space where Christians don't determine the culture of sports they're guests in this culture and how do they create a space to still cultivate and nurture Christian athletes and coaches there? And that's where we see in the 1920s, very few Christians able to navigate that. There's just a handful of them who can be in major league baseball or can be in big time college athletics and still feel strong about their Christian commitments. But a hundred years later, we now see all sorts of Christian athletes and coaches who are comfortable in those spaces. And you kind of asked what drove that. What I would say drives that is the formation of a community that was embedded within sports institutions, that creates a sense of shared mission, shared purpose, and that over generations continue to invite more people in, continue to develop and just kind of under the radar, ministry of presence was just there and available to help athletes and coaches identify as Christians in that space. So it really comes down to the creation of these networks and organizations like the Fellowship of Christian athletes, like athletes in action, like Pro Athletes Outreach, like Baseball Chapel, people starting something new and then sustaining it over time and seeing the ripple effects years later. Jon Eckert: The beautiful example and what I had just finished this summer, this, Path Lit by Lightning, it's the Jim Thorpe book. Have you read this? Paul Putz: Yes, I have. Fantastic book. Jon Eckert: Such a fascinating read, because it's in this, leading up to the 1920s, his career is this amateur versus professional, which he gets caught and just treated so poorly and Pop Warner, the king of amateur child sports that we have Pop Warner leagues all over, kind of a horrific human being in the way they exploited people and they did it through sports. But he started his career at the Carlisle Indian School, which was one of the horrific experiments in US history when we took students off from their families off of reservations to try to quote, unquote civilize them into these things. And sports were a major part of it. So in our conversation, I'd love to pivot a little bit, well maybe not even pivot, but integrate sports into what K-12 education has been because still most places other than maybe Friday night lights in Texas football, most K-12 sports are not big time sports yet that most of the athletes playing sports there. You would make the case that the extracurricular there is to support the moral development. It's not a huge money sport until you get into the AAU stuff and some of those things where you have revenue, but K-12 systems, it's still more about that and it's been used for a lot of good things. And then in some cases, in Jim Thorpe's example, it was good kind of. So could you integrate those a little bit and how you see K-12 sports still having an influence and where Christian coaches and Christian athletes have a spot in that? Paul Putz: Yeah, yeah, you're right. There is a difference. And that muscular Christian ideal still continues in some ways, certainly even at the big time sports level. There's elements of it, but especially I think when we get into K-12 or if we get into division three small colleges. Jon Eckert: Yes. Paul Putz: There's a better chance to I think fully integrate the sports experience with the mission of the school. And at the same time, I would say the trends that we see at the highest levels of sports, your professional leagues, those do filter down because kids are looking to athletes as celebrities and heroes. So they're emulating them in some ways. So even though at the K-12 level and the small college level, there's a difference structurally and financially, you still have people who are formed and shaped by what they're seeing in these images in this culture. Now at the same time, I do think in terms of the growth of sports in what we've seen, I think we saw really a century from the 1920s until the last 10 years of continual development of sports as a central part of education in the United States. And this was done intentionally through organizations and networks like coaches associations, high school athletic associations. These develop in the 1920s and after the 1940s and 1950s, they sort of take on this professional identity. There was a period in time where to be a coach at a high school, you were seen as like, well, you're not really part of what's going on at the school. And so it took time for coaches to establish a professional identity linking it with education. And that evolved over the course of, again, a hundred years from the 1920s into the present. But these coaches and athletic directors, I have a quote in my book where I mentioned this, they intentionally had this vision for cultivating in young people a love of sports, because they thought through sports we can instill good values for American citizens or if you're at a Christian school you can instill Christian values. And so at the K-12 level, sports were always connected with some sort of vision beyond just the game. It was more than a game. It was about who you're becoming as a person. It was about learning life lessons and it sounds like a platitude. We've all heard this and we've also, I'm sure seen hypocrisy where we know of a coach who says this, but it doesn't seem like it plays out that way. But there's also some deep truth to that. I think anyone listening to this, if you've played a sport at the high school level that formed and shaped you, maybe in some bad ways, but in some good ways too. And so I think there is a power to sports that continues to have relevance and resonance today. I will say in more recent years we're seeing some really big shifts with K-12 school. With club sports, with travel sports. And there's some ways that that sense of community identity that was tied into the school level, it doesn't exist everywhere. There's pockets where it does. But in some places, some of the best athletes are now not connected to their school. And so for the future, I worry about what will it look like in 40, 50, 60 years where sports could be such an important part of a community and neighborhood identity at a school level. Will that go away as more and more athletes maybe turn to different models to pursue their dreams and goals? Some people in education might say that's healthy. They might say we need to separate education from sports. For me, and maybe I'm naive, but I think there's something important and beautiful about linking sports to education. But we do have to have guard rails and we do have to have people fighting to do it the right way. Jon Eckert: I completely agree. I want to see sports, I want to see all extracurriculars integrated well into what's going on in the classroom. I think that provides more holistic place for kids to learn is where kids can be more engaged and kids can flourish in areas where they may not flourish in one classroom, but they might flourish with an instrument they might flourish in a club or with sports. And I think sports are a powerful place for that. I do know with some states moving to NIL deals for high school athletes, that completely changes the dynamic and is really disconcerting for me because in that case, unlike colleges where that athlete is generating revenue for the school, it's hard to argue that the gate attendance at the high school game is really that much impacted by an individual athlete. But that's coming and that is the world we're living in. And that's some of that trickle-down effect that you described. I never want to be the sky is falling person. I'm thrilled that we have a 12 team playoff system in college football. I'm also not ignorant of the fact that, that completely changes the dynamics of the economics of the sport. So what I'd like to say is Christian leaders, because our set in the Interfaith Sports Institute and the Center, we overlap in some really good ways. What I'd like to see is what you described about the athletes in the twenties and thirties, creating these associations and these communities that fly under the radar of just inviting people in because I think that's what as Christians we should be doing in whatever we're called to. So do you see overlap for Christian administrators and teachers for how we can represent Christ well in the platforms big or small that we have? Do you see any lessons that we can take away as educators from what you found from your athletes in the book? Paul Putz: I think so. I think probably one of the most important, or I guess if I were to highlight two things. One is I would say there's lots of different ways to do it. Jon Eckert: Yes. Paul Putz: I think sometimes a certain person or a certain organization, they come up with a way that works really well for them and then they hold fast to that as if this is the way, this is the biblical way, this is the Christian way. And what I would want to say is it's a part of a conversation. Different contexts need different resources, different methods. And the way God made us as a community talks about the diversity of strengths we have in giftings and callings. And so I think one thing to learn is you can learn from other people who have methods and approaches when it comes to integrating faith in sports. And you probably also have something to offer to that conversation too. So if we can hold what we do loosely, but also not in a way that shies away from the calling to step up as Christian leaders and to say there is a way to engage in sports that reflects my convictions, but then also in a way where there's a sense of humility that I can learn from others. I don't have it all figured out. A bunch of Christians before me have messed up as they're trying to do this, but they've also done some good stuff along the way. And I think that can give us freedom to try, probably to fail, but to maybe advance the conversation forward. So that's one piece. And the other piece is I think it's simply expect tension, expect that there's not an easy overlap between the culture of sports and Christianity. I think there are certain elements to sports that I'm really drawn to. I'm competitive. I love the competitiveness of sports. I want to have the winner. For me, there's a drive for all of that. Jon Eckert: You're not James Naismith, is that what you're saying? Paul Putz: I'm not. I love James Naismith, but for me, boy, I want to, I'm kind of like, I want to win. Jon Eckert: You can be John Wooden. He wanted win too. Paul Putz: There you go. That's right. He did it. The quiet winner. But biblically, there are all sorts of messages, passages, commands from Jesus that tell us that his kingdom is upside down. It's different than the way the world works. And sports culture so often has a certain way where we prioritize the winner. We maybe give our attention to the star athlete. And that type of culture, it's really difficult to fully, fully integrate that into this full-fledged view of Christian faith. And especially because sports is also a pluralistic space where you're going to have people of all different faith, traditions, race, ethnicity, backgrounds, which is beautiful. But it also means let's just have some realistic expectations for what we can accomplish in sports, realizing tension's going to exist. It's the already not yet tension. We live after Jesus's life, death and resurrection before he comes to make it fully complete. And so in the midst of that, we can witness to Christ's way right now and point to glimpses of his coming kingdom. But let's not have this sense of maybe an idealistic perfectionist bent that insists or expects that we're going to round out all the sharp edges of sports. There's going to be tension there. Jon Eckert: And so as educators, the beautiful thing, I got to teach coach for years and what I loved about it was I love basketball, but it wasn't going over the same play for the fourth year in a row. And the 50th practice that I've done it was seeing how individuals came to that and what skills you had and how you could put them in place to be successful. And so when I taught a science lab the 16th time I taught the science lab, I knew what was going to happen with the chemical reaction, but it was fun to see through the eyes of the kids that were there. So the more diverse and pluralistic the classroom of the team is, the more interesting it is to see that through all those different perspectives. And I think that's really how God sees us anyway. And so there's beauty in that and it's not a challenge to be overcome. It's the beauty of being in the world that every person is made in the image of God, whether they're the guy on the end of the bench or the best player on the team, or the kid that struggles in the science lab and flourishes in the art classroom. That kid is fascinating. And then you can't give up on that kid. And so the great coaches don't give up on players. It's why I'm super curious to see how Bill Belichick does at University of North Carolina, having been a pro coach for so many years where it is like, yeah, you've got to recruit well, but you also have to build a culture where your team, and that's harder to do now than ever because of what's going on in the transfer portal. And I don't like this, so I'm going to leave. And at least in the classroom, for the most part, we get a kid for the year and we get to be with them. We get to walk alongside them for a time and help them become more of who they're created to be and then pass them off to the next person. So I know in the Faith and Sports Institute, this is a lot of what you're trying to do through sports and how you integrate faith well. So talk a little bit about any events you have coming up or what you hope to do through that. Paul Putz: Yeah, well one thing we are excited about is the stuff we get to do with you, the Center for School Leadership. I think just over the past couple of years we've connected and collaborated. We've hung out and [inaudible 00:22:43] Jon Eckert: Board, you're on our advisory board board. Paul Putz: I often tell people, CSL think is one of the best things Baylor has going for it. And that's because I was a high school teacher and I see the sort of leaders that are developed through CSL. And so I immediately wanted to get connected and to see some overlap. I also knew sports is so central to education, and I know you have many coaches and athletic directors who come through your degree programs. And so it's been fun just to explore together some of the ways we can partner. So we do have, in June, we're actually going to be putting on at Baylor in conjunction with Baylor Athletics Center for School Leadership, faith and Sports Institute. We're going to have a little Christian Leadership Summit event. We're going to gather people together who are interested in these questions of faith and sport integration and how do you compete with excellence, but with Christian values and perspective. And so we're real excited about that. We have other events that we're doing in February, we're hosting a youth sports event, thinking about how the church navigates youth sports issues. And that's going to be February 7th and eighth here at Truett Seminary in Waco. And then in next summer, July, late July, we're hosting the Global Congress on Sport and Christianity. This is more of an academic gathering. We're bringing in scholars who do research on sports and Christianity, but we're also bringing in some thoughtful practitioners, some chaplains, some coaches, some athletic directors, people who have thought deeply about sports and faith. And it's a shared conversation. So a lot of what we try to do with the Faith and Sports Institute, convene people, have conversations, collaborate, bring people together. And we do have some grad programs and online certificate programs. So we have some educational pieces that are foundational to what we do, but also we have these just public facing programs and collaboration opportunities that I'm real excited about. Jon Eckert: Love that. And I love being at a place like Baylor where there's so many good things going on. As a center, we get to partner with you, we get to partner with Baylor Athletics. Anything Coach Drew does, I will happily support. Paul Putz: 100%. Jon Eckert: So we have so many great people like that. So that's a blessing. And I know we're almost out of time, so I'm going to do our lightning round because we really need to do the lightning round. But I want to start with this. What's the biggest challenge you see facing Christian coaches and educators right now? Paul Putz: I think it's margin and time, and the demands of the job. It seems there's more and more responsibility, and for good reasons. It's because there's these issues. It's mental health. We want to care for the kids. And there's all these challenges kids face now you need to figure that out, because if you're going to teach the kid, you better know what you're doing. And it just seems like I was last a high school teacher 11 years ago. I don't know that that world exists now 10 years later. It's totally different when I hear what educators are going through. I think for coaches as well, you've talked about it with NIL, it feels so new. I would just say some margin, some grace, some space, some sense of community. And then through that, maybe we can figure out some healthier rhythms because it's unsustainable with the way it is now. So that's one thing I see just with the people I've been around, and I know we've talked a little bit about this too, it's something... We need each other. At the end of the day, we need each other for this. Jon Eckert: Yeah. Best advice you've ever received? Paul Putz: I would say, I'm going to, boy, here's what I'll go with. John Wilson said this, "Let a thousand flowers bloom," was what he said. And he was talking about in the context of academics who kind of try to claim their territory, their space, and kind of own it. And his perspective was, let's encourage it all. Let's let it all grow. Don't try to cultivate your little space, a little thousand flowers bloom. It's going to look more beautiful and let's encourage one another along the way. And so that's the first thing that to mind. If I were to think more, I might have something else, but that's something I've been continually reminded of is how much we need each other and how much we need to encourage one another. And how much there is when we look out from ourselves and see the other work that's being accomplished. There's so much to support and encourage. Jon Eckert: That's good. I always like what comes to mind first. So that's good. Worst advice you've ever received? Paul Putz: Worst advice... Jon Eckert: Or given? Paul Putz: Or given? I've probably given some bad advice. I cannot think of... There's nothing specific that's coming to mind. That's for worst advice probably because sort of just went in one ear and out the other. Jon Eckert: That's good. Paul Putz: Gosh, I've run a total blank. You stumped me. [inaudible 00:27:39] Yeah. I'll circle back. I'm going to email you, if I can think of one after. Jon Eckert: You have to have gotten bad advice from a coach or from about coaching. That's where some of the worst advice I've ever received about coaching. Paul Putz: Well, I'll tell you. So this isn't necessarily advice, but I have heard a coach say, and this is about being a Christian, basically it was, "Hey, when you're a Christian, when you step onto that field, you're someone else. You're totally someone else. You can become whatever you want to be there." So there you go. That's some bad advice. Jon Eckert: Yeah. That's good. Paul Putz: As Christians, sports are part of life. So we don't separate who we are as Christians, we don't compartmentalize. So there you go. Worst advice is that you can separate who you are in the field to play. Jon Eckert: So if you had to distill down into a sentence your one takeaway piece of advice for somebody who wants to write a book, I talk to a lot of educators who run to write a book, you've now written a book. Any nugget that as an encouragement or as a discouragement, like, "Hey, think about this." What would you say? Paul Putz: I would say you got to write it for yourself. You got to care about it. And it's got to be important for you that you put this out because there's a ton of great books out there. You're not going to get rich off writing books. It's got to be because you're passionate about it. For yourself, not in the sense of to glorify yourself, for yourself in the sense that I have these words that I think could be helpful if I get it out. And the other thing is resilience. You got to be willing to sit down in that chair and write when you don't feel like it. Get that draft out, edit, revise. So it's resilience. And it's also a real calling that these words need to be out there. Jon Eckert: Yeah. Well, you said you were not going to make money on this. I've heard you refer to yourself as the John Grisham of sports historians. Paul Putz: There's only... Yeah, of sports and Christianity in America. Historians. There's like two of us. Jon Eckert: That's good. No, no, that's good. It's so true about the books and not getting rich, and you do have to have something that you feel so deeply that you need to get out there that it's going to drive you on those days you don't want to do it. So that's good advice. Last question, what makes you most hopeful as you look ahead, as an educator, as somebody who's interested in sports, what makes you most encouraged? Paul Putz: I think it's being around people who we're in this with, it's about the people we're in it with. There's a lot that I can get discouraged about when I see the news and it feels like there's so much that's changing. But then I'm around people who are saying, "You know what? This is a time we lived in. We didn't choose this time, but here we are, and what are we going to give up? We're going to say, oh, it's hopeless." No, it's the people. It's looking for people who want to find solutions and who realize young people are growing up. They're being shaped and formed right now. And if we're not in that work, what are we doing to shape the future? So that's more than anything. It's just being around people who are willing to put in the work, even in the face of the struggles. Jon Eckert: Well, until wrap up, I'm grateful that you decided not to take your talents to the NBA, but you brought them into academia and you brought those loves together. So I really appreciate your partnership and you being here today. Paul Putz: Thanks so much. Really appreciate you and the work you do.

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