Today’s Athletes Are Bolder than Ever about their Faith in Jesus, Says Benjamin Watson
Michael Foust
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By Michael Foust, Crosswalk.com
Today’s athletes are more outspoken than past generations about their faith in Christ, thanks to a social media landscape that has amplified their voices and past athletes who have helped normalize public expressions of belief, says a former NFL player who has watched the cultural shift unfold.
Benjamin Watson played 15 years with the New England Patriots and three other teams before retiring and transitioning into media and faith-based advocacy. Today, he wears multiple hats, including serving as a college football analyst with the SEC Network and as editor-in-chief of Sports Spectrum, a media company that covers the intersection of faith and sports. During Super Bowl week, Sports Spectrum will partner with Compassion International to spotlight global advocacy efforts on behalf of children.
The landscape of faith in sports has transformed dramatically since the days of Tim Tebow, when he was the most high-profile of only a handful of athletes who regularly declared their faith in postgame interviews. Today, such proclamations are a regular occurrence, with players such as C.J. Stroud (Houston), TreVeyon Henderson (New England), and Brock Purdy (San Francisco) openly referencing their faith after games – and the trend stretching into other sports and down to the college level.
Watson was drafted out of Georgia in 2004 and played in the NFL through 2019. He won a Super Bowl with the Patriots.
“Social media is a huge part of it,” Watson told Crosswalk Headlines. It is common for today’s athletes to post Bible verses in their bios and to speak about their faith on their own platforms.
“There's more acceptance now,” he added.
A 2025 Pinkston survey found that a majority of Americans (56 percent) are supportive of athletes using their platforms to discuss faith.
Watson said that when he played, “there was an acceptance of that to some respect, but I think that it's escalated over the last several years.”
“It's also a reminder that when one person or two people or three people step out and say certain things, it gives other people confidence to say it as well, and it breaks down the fear factor – so to speak – of speaking about something that's not the norm to hear in a postgame interview,” Watson told Crosswalk Headlines.
Watson said he remembers reading his Fellowship of Christian Athletes Bible while in college and drawing inspiration from the testimonies of players such as Reggie White and Kurt Warner, adding that “we just didn't have all the avenues to share [faith] that we have now.”
The constant pressure of sports, Watson added, often pushes athletes to search beyond themselves for strength and purpose.
“I think people are looking for something outside themselves in pressure situations,” Watson said, adding that “when we are in situations that are beyond ourselves and beyond our personal capabilities, it is where God specifically has us to hear from Him the most.”
Today’s athletes, Watson said, are using modern platforms to make their faith visible to a wide audience.
“We're living in an age where we can exchange so much information. We can make Christ's name known in so many different ways. … It’s an encouragement to anybody who's a believer.”
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Photo Credit: ©Getty Images / Perry Knotts / Contributor
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
