In this episode of On The Mark, Mark Immelman is joined by New York Times bestselling author Steve Eubanks to discuss his latest book, Godball — a powerful look at the growing movement of athletes speaking openly and boldly about their Christian faith.
Steve shares how the idea for Godball came from noticing a major shift in sports culture. What was once often limited to quick post-game “thank you” moments has become something much deeper: athletes using interviews, press conferences, social platforms, and public moments to share their faith stories with clarity, conviction, and courage.
Mark and Steve explore why this movement is happening now, how athletes are helping lead a renewed interest in faith, and why performance, trophies, wins, and careers can never fully define a person. From Scottie Scheffler and Bernhard Langer to Rose Zhang, Kirk Cousins, Dusty Baker, Dottie Pepper, and Betsy King, the conversation highlights athletes who understand that what they do is not who they are. This episode is a thoughtful conversation about faith, identity, peace, pressure, grace, revival, and the unique platform sports provides for sharing something eternal.
In This Episode, You’ll Discover:
- What inspired Steve Eubanks to write Godball
- Why athletes are becoming more outspoken about their faith
- How sports have become a platform for revival and spiritual conversation
- Why modern athletes are moving beyond surface-level faith comments
- How Scottie Scheffler models identity beyond performance
- Why trophies and wins cannot fill the deeper spiritual need
- How Gen Z and Gen Alpha are responding to authentic faith
- Why young men are helping drive a renewed interest in church and Scripture
- How COVID changed many athletes’ view of time, calling, and platform
- Why peace is essential for athletes performing under pressure
- How faith helps competitors handle failure, transition, and identity loss
- Why grace, redemption, and spiritual grounding matter in sports and life.
Key Takeaways:
- Athletes are using their platforms more intentionally to share their faith.
- Performance may define what an athlete does, but it should never define who they are.
- Sports reveal merit, pressure, failure, discipline, and resilience in a very public way.
- Many athletes are discovering that trophies do not provide lasting peace.
- True peace does not come from positive thinking alone, but from a deeper spiritual foundation.
- Younger generations are drawn to authenticity, and they can quickly recognize what is real.
- Faith gives athletes a way to process success, failure, pressure, and life after competition.
- The current faith movement in sports is not isolated — it is visible across golf, football, baseball, basketball, soccer, softball, and more.
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