By Isaac Cox, May 13, 2025
From locker rooms to getting drafted to postgame interviews, athletes’ faith in God is trending upward in the world of sports as these players have been giving thanks to the man above.
While sports serve as entertainment for fans worldwide, many athletes see it as an opportunity to use their platform to publicly honor their faith.
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has been one of the more vocal athletes when it comes to publicizing his Christian faith since entering the NFL in 2023.
Stroud said in a post-game interview, “There’s nothing I can do to ever repay what the Lord has done in my life, and I don’t want to,” Following that, he stated that he just wants to act in what God is calling him to do in his profession.
Stroud and several other NFL players, like Tua Tagovailoa, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, have come out more about their faith in God and view their career as a platform to spread the word of God to everyone around them, even on live TV.
“First and foremost, I’d just like to give all the glory to my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ,” Tagovailoa said on CBS after his week 1 performance during the 2023 NFL season. “Without him, nothing is possible for me.”
This growing trend of faith isn’t just being seen in professional football. College athletics, as well as the Olympic stage, are witnessing similar acts of athletes’ faith.
One of the most recent viral moments displaying faith was when Ohio State’s football team was baptized before the start of last season. But it didn’t stop there. Students on campus got baptized as well, leaving a powerful mark on the Ohio State community.
The Buckeyes went on to become the 2024 National Champions in the College Football Playoff National Championship game. After that moment, the team publicly thanked God for the opportunity given to them.
Faith has touched so many lives as of late in the sports industry, and it’s been graciously impacting fans who’ve witnessed this.
“It’s really cool,” said Dezmen Watkins, a kinesiology student at Cal Poly Pomona. “A lot of people think that when it comes to sports, it’s just all about being the best, all about being great. And it’s all about how you can uplift yourself. But to see people uplifting God in sports, it’s very creative and very inspiring. God can be in everything, and he is in everything.”
Faith isn’t just being limited to football. In track and field, four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin has consistently used her platform to express her devotion to God.
After winning her second Olympic gold medal during the 2024 Paris Olympics, she took her celebration to Instagram, posting an image of herself with a caption that read: “The face of a woman who is in awe of God.”
Seeing God in sports is something wonderful to see, and while TV stations might try to cut it off, athletes still will do all they can to let people know how powerful their faith in God is.
During the 2023 NFL season, Stroud publicly thanked God for the team’s playoff win over the Cleveland Browns and NBC decided to cut out his national praise. After that moment, it didn’t stop Stroud as he still continuously thanks God leading up to now.
“God is great,” said former NBA player Kobe Bryant in a 2006 interview with sports analyst Stephen A. Smith. “You can know it all you want, but until you pick up that cross that you can’t carry and he picks it up for you and carries you and the cross, then you know.”
As athletes continue to use their skills and talents for fans to see, they also use their platform to share their faith and testimonies. Fans are reminded that, for many, the games aren’t all about getting championships or accolades; it’s about athletes getting the chance to tell the world about their unwavering faith as they continue to spread love and positivity.
Feature image courtesy of Connor Lālea Hampton
