Hannah Conlisk, who is currently the Guest Services Coordinator at the Daytona International Speedway, was a valuable part of our Team 27 cohort that attended our Tampa, Florida USG Impact Weekend. Here is what she had to say about her experience: "The USG Weekend trip was an amazing time of community with other brothers and sisters in Christ who also share the same passions about working in sports. It was a weekend filled with encouraging testimony, spiritual and professional growth, and fun! In a short time, I met new friends from across the country who daily live out their mission for the Lord while also passionately working in sports. I left Tampa feeling on fire for the Lord, ignited by others to glorify God in my workplace. In an industry that can be spiritually absent, the USG weekend trip turned my focus from myself to glorifying God; and I saw others come to the same realization. I'm so thankful for my new USG family and excited to see what this network of believers can do for the Lord through the field of sports!” Thank you, Hannah! If you are interested in learning more about how Uncommon Sports Group can come alongside you in your faith and career, check out our Member Benefits page or Contact Us. We'd love to hear from you! Don't forget to check out our Uncommon Podcast. We have new episodes dropping every Thursday. Thanks for stopping by, we hope to hear from you soon!

The weekend of November 19th-21st the USG Team headed to Tampa, FL with the most recent training cohort! The focus of the weekend was learning to live out the core values of USG: Called, Committed, and Connected. We kicked off the weekend with a "Play to Your Strengths" training session, supporting our students as they explored their Strength Finder Profiles. We discussed the importance of learning how to work in a team with others who have different and complementary Strengths. We spent the rest of the evening at TopGolf where we enjoyed some friendly competition, a great meal, and quality bonding time. As the day came to a close we split into prayer groups which was a powerful time of prayer and vulnerability for some of the team's students. We had a packed schedule on Saturday! We started with a dive into one of USG's favorite passages of scripture, Acts 2:42-47. This study, "The Fellowship of Believers", covers the four qualities of believers in the Acts 2 church: relentless devotion, heartfelt affection, sacrificial giving, and contagious joy. The Bible study was followed by a tour of the University of South Florida Athletics facilities. Tara Arnold, the Executive Administrative Specialist at USF, gave us a great in-depth tour of the entire athletic complex and we wrapped up with a Q&A session. Our next session was at the Tampa Tarpons Baseball facility at Steinbrenner Field, the New York Yankees spring training facility. At the Tarpons, we learned from a panel of industry leaders: Doug Gilchrist, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Chaplin, David Adams, a former professional baseball player and the current Tampa Tarpons Manager, and Justin Watson, a current Wide Receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What a crew! Everyone left this session feeling on fire, with a renewed sense of purpose, passion, and confidence to be a light for Christ in the sports industry! After the panel, we made it back to the hotel for some downtime before jumping into our next session on outreach. We reviewed the SHARE Life and GOSPEL models for initiating spiritual conversation. Then, we headed into the city with a collection of Impact bags which we handed out to those in need. This provided us with the opportunity to pray for those we met. After the outreach, the team gathered at Harpoon Harry's for a great seafood dinner and lots of laughs. The day ended at the hotel. We walked through how to write and share your testimony in 15 seconds and discussed the writing of a life purpose statement. Sunday began with commissioning from Matthew 13:1-23, the parable of the sower: “But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.” Together we attended Radiant Church at their Heights location for the Sunday morning service. Being able to worship together as a team was a great way to wrap up a truly powerful weekend! If you'd like to experience our USG Academy and a USG Impact Weekend, please contact us. Uncommon Sports Group exists to provide faith-based training to future leaders of the sport industry. If you're interested, you can learn more about our member benefits here. We hope to hear from you soon! If you feel like you are ready to become a USG member, don't wait. Apply today!

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” - Isaiah 7:14 NKJV My focus this Christmas is simple: Behold Him. Behold the One who created heaven and earth. The One who divided time 2k+ years ago. The One who fulfilled over 300 prophecies. The One Who is fully God, yet became fully man and entered the world as an infant. Emmanuel. The God Almighty Who is with us. To behold something is to fix attention upon that thing. English poet William Blake observes that “What you behold, you become.” Science has proven by neuroplasticity that our brain is constantly being formed and shaped. It’s not a matter of IF our brain is being formed or shaped, but of WHAT is it being shaped into. What we are beholding is the answer to that question. For some of us the answer may be career aspirations, a spouse, or financial prosperity. When we behold these items too highly, we discover that it begins to change everything about us. We make great sacrifices for these things, fixate on them, and may find ourselves lying awake at night dwelling on them. I propose that, while all of those items I just mentioned can be great and important things, they were never intended to bear the weight as something worthy to Behold. God alone is the only One worthy of our worship. Psalm 96:4 reminds us “For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.” I’m continuously amazed at how strangely dim the challenges, trials, and pressures of this earthly life become during the times I am truly in awe of Who God is: I reflect on the reality that He alone is sovereign and in full control of all of creation. I am aware that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without Him knowing. I recognize that God Almighty is mindful of me. Corrie Ten Boom summarized it like this, “If you look at the world, you will be distressed. If you look within, you will be depressed. If you look at God, you will be at rest.” Not only do I find rest, I also find transformation; “What you behold, you become.” To illustrate this point, I’d like to share something Pastor Aaron Etheridge of Ethos Church in Nashville, TN recently shared in a sermon. As a guitar player, growing up, he became obsessed with a few rock guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix. He found himself constantly listening to their music, and watching videos about them. Before long he noticed that he was starting to not only strum his guitar like them, but began to dress like them, grow his hair like them, and model his behavior on them. He adds that his transformation into something similar to these rock stars he so admired was born not of an obligation to be like them, but instead out of his fascination with them. Our transformation into image-bearers of God is born not of obligation, but out of the fascination with God. Let us grow in our fascination with God this Christmas season. Meditate on the historical reality that 2k+ years ago God came to earth as a baby. Revisit the many prophecies that were fulfilled simply through His birth. Grow in awe of how grand God truly is. Reflect upon the beauty of His attributes and promises. As we do this, we will be amazed how it begins to change our peace, our ability to love others, and everything about us. I’ve included “Behold Him”, by Paul Baloche below as a reflection opportunity. I’d encourage you to take a moment to focus your mind’s eye on our Father, and the gift of his one and only Son, sent to earth to purchase our salvation on a cross. John 1:29 - “...“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

At only twenty-six years old, Tommy McClelland was given the opportunity to be the Athletic Director at McNeese State. Since then, he has been able to learn so much about athletic administration, and that is the topic of conversation in this episode of the Uncommon Podcast. A new episode of the Uncommon Podcast is released every two weeks. You can find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, right here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out this week's episode, and be sure to follow our podcast to get alerts when new episodes are released! Curious about Uncommon Sports Group and what our ministry has to offer? Contact us to learn more here! Do you want to join the largest community of future Christian leaders of the college and pro sport industry? Apply to join here!

In this episode of the Uncommon Podcast, Noah is joined by the former Athletic Director at the University of Minnesota, Joel Maturi, to hear his career journey from student manager to power-5 AD. Listen to Joel share about the successes and challenges that he has faced as a sport industry professional, as well as some advice that he gives young professionals within the college and pro sport industry. A new episode of the Uncommon Podcast is released every two weeks. You can find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, right here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out this week's episode, and be sure to follow our podcast to get alerts when new episodes are released! Curious about Uncommon Sports Group and what our ministry has to offer? Contact us to learn more here! Do you want to join the largest community of future Christian leaders of the college and pro sport industry? Apply to join here!

There are many ways to get ahead of the game as a young professional in the sport industry, but few are as effective as the handwritten note. In this episode of the Uncommon Podcast, USG's Senior Engagement Associate, Michael Carpenter, and former Director of Student-Athlete Development at the University of Minnesota, Anissa Lightner, talk about the importance of writing handwritten notes to your network within the sport industry and the impact of it! A new episode of the Uncommon Podcast is released every two weeks. You can find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, right here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out this week's episode, and be sure to follow our podcast to get alerts when new episodes are released! Curious about Uncommon Sports Group and what our ministry has to offer? Contact us to learn more here! Do you want to join the largest community of future Christian leaders of the college and pro sport industry? Apply to join here!

Managers On A Mission (MOAM) is excited to announce the addition of Seth Ralston to its Full Time staff starting in January, 2018. Seth will be serving as MOAMs 1st ever Director of Discipleship & Programs. Seth’s role will be focused on expanding the depth and reach of MOAMs Discipleship of Future Leaders of Sport, in addition to working with the collegiate and professional teams supporting MOAMs innovative Clean Out For A Cause program. Seth’s unique blend of experience in the sports industry and international sports ministry has greatly equipped him for this role. ​ Seth first started in the sports industry while spending four years at Western Kentucky University working 2 season each for both the Men’s & Women’s Basketball teams. Following graduation, Seth held positions in Basketball Operations, spending two seasons with Austin Peay Women’s Basketball and one season with Mercer Women’s Basketball. Throughout his career, Seth has been highly involved with global missions—participating in and leading sports camps in over 10 countries. Seth has been closely connected to MOAM throughout the past 2 years as he has led multiple MOAM teams on summer mission trips. Seth led his first MOAM team to Uganda in 2016, and then to Ghana this past summer. Seth has spent the previous 7 months in Istanbul, Turkey serving as Athletic Director for an international school. Managers On A Mission (MOAM) is a 501c3 non-profit committed to developing uncommon future leaders of sports who will utilize the platform of sport for God’s glory. MOAMs programs are focused on Student Managers, Interns, and other aspiring sports professionals. These individuals are engaged in MOAM’s annual mission trips, service projects, and scholarship programs. MOAM collects new and gently used sports apparel from collegiate and professional teams and coaches throughout the country. MOAM’s vision is to see the world positively impacted by the faith, talent, and resources of the sports industry.

“Being able to attend Passion exceeded all expectations I had for the event. I’ve never felt so connected and empowered spiritually among so many brothers and sisters in Christ and in MOAM”. Joseph Kuykendall - Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame & Minutemen Club - Intern “My experience at Passion 2019 was one that will impact my life far beyond the 3 days I spent at the conference. Passion challenged me to fully commit my life to Jesus Christ and never look back. I’m so grateful to MOAM for the opportunity to attend this incredible conference.” Mason Peeler, North Carolina State University Wolfpack - Football Student Manager “Passion was incredible for many reasons, but the ability to be in a large arena and worship God with 13,000 brothers and sisters in Christ is an experience I will never forget. I enjoyed hearing from the many speakers giving me new perspectives on how God works in our lives.” Kyle Ensor - IMG Ticket Solutions Intern/Webb School of Knoxville - Baseball Coach “When I hear the word Passion, the first thing that comes to my mind is an out-of-body, spiritual movement like no other. The speakers, singers/bands and the environment (surrounded by thousands of fellow believers) moved souls the three days it was held. Seeing individuals giving their lives to Jesus through speakers, songs or just in general was a life changing experience.” Brianne Adcock - University of Akron  Zips - Women’s Basketball, Women’s Tennis, Volleyball Administrative Assistant “My time at Passion Conference was filling, profound, growing, and it set me on fire for the new year set before me. Through each message spoke and song sung, God revealed to me so much of who He is and I truly believe that through witnessing these new revelations of God's character and His plan for my life, the year ahead of me will be shaped and molded, as well as myself in a new desire to pursue Him in a deeper way that was sparked whilst at Passion.” Maggie Bullard - Grand Canyon University Men’s Basketball Student-Manager

The faith-based ministry has updated its name and brand to better communicate its program’s focus on developing Christ-centered leaders of the sport industry. MINNEAPOLIS, MN: For the last 7 years Managers on a Mission has provided faith-based development programming for young professionals pursuing a career in the sport industry. Throughout that time, they have funded 159 Missions Trips, 23 Domestic Service Projects, 79 scholarships, and trained more than 200 up-and-coming professionals. Now, the mission and reach of the program has grown, encompassing a larger demographic and scope. Serving more than just student and equipment managers, the program aims to develop any collegiate or professional “Future Leader of the Sports Industry”. With a new goal comes a new curriculum that broadens the learning activities available to program participants. Now more than just missions, members have the ability to take part in online training, conferences, and coaching weekends in addition to Managers on a Mission’s traditional service projects and missions’ trips. In order to encompass its new direction and outreach, Managers on a Mission has chosen “Uncommon Sports Group®” (USG) as its new brand title. The new brand, including a fresh new look and logo, publicly launched on Tuesday October 13th, 2020. Along with its new look are new opportunities for participants seeking fellowship, development, and support in navigating the unique challenges and temptations that come with a career in the sport industry. “We couldn't be more excited about our rebrand to Uncommon Sports Group.” said Executive Director Drew Boe. “While our mission and support of both Student and Equipment Managers will of course, remain the same, we believe “Uncommon Sports Group®” is more inclusive of the entire demographic we serve. It is more representative of all that we seek to do as an organization. USG will continue to build on all that the Lord has created through Managers on a Mission as we continue to come alongside future leaders of the sport industry, both spiritually and professionally.” Uncommon Sports Group® (USG) looks to the Bible as its source of truth, citing Romans 12:2 as the core to its statement of faith and purpose: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” USG’s vision is to see the Sport Industry used for God’s glory. This goal has created relationships with others that are striving to pursue God’s purpose in their lives and that of all who work for and within professional and collegiate athletics. Retired NFL coach, Author, and National Spokesman for AllProDad, Tony Dungy has this to say about Uncommon Sports Group®: "Sports are one of the most influential platforms in the world. That's why Uncommon Sports Group is committed to developing the future leaders of the sports industry to use this platform for God's glory." By creating opportunities, relationships, and training with this in mind, USG is taking practical steps to ensure that the next generation of young professionals have the resources and support they need to succeed and thrive in their career and faith. Participants in USG’s program will focus on professional development; learning skills and tactics to better prepare them for work within the locker rooms and organizations of collegiate and professional athletics. Additionally, they will be equipped with practices, mentors, and resources to feed their spiritual needs, preparing their faith for the unique challenges presented by a life in sports. The USG program’s team will train a selection of applicants across four separate cohorts each year. Each cohort will complete a two-month training program, culminating in a group weekend, building authentic relationships and networks to provide support for their personal goals and spiritual health. The ministry is primarily funded by its Clean Out for a Cause® program. Donations from partner teams across the sport industry are monetized to ensure that the investment of program participants is minimal. This ensures that participation is available to any and all who are interested in applying. Uncommon Sports Group will launch its new training and curriculum in the fourth quarter of 2020, adding a new cohort of students to their program. To learn more about Uncommon Sports Group, visit their brand new website at www.uncommonsg.org

One of the most effective tools for sharing your faith with others is using a MyStory Tract! This combination of your personal testimony and an illustrated explanation of the Gospel provides you an easy way to share your faith, whether it be a quick interaction with a stranger or having a deep connection with a friend. Download the document below and fill in the blank with your 500-word testimony!

What is Play to Your Strengths? The CliftonStrengths Finder assessment is a respected business, spiritual and research based instrument to help individuals understand how to leverage their unique God-given strengths. When individuals use and know their strengths on a regular basis, they are more engaged and energized in their work, are more successful in their relationships and spiritual journeys, they benefit their personal professional development and are less likely to burn-out! We live in a remedial world in which we often focus on weaknesses. The premise of the CliftonStrengths Finder is that you will make your greatest contributions in life and feel most energized when you are working mostly in your areas of strength. Kaitlin's Testimony: Top 5 Strengths: 1. Achiever 2. Input 3. Deliberative 4. Learner 5. Arranger I felt my strengths were very accurate in explaining what I can bring to an organization. As the Play to Your Strengths experience went on through the summer, I began to understand how each individual strength is more or less prominent depending on the situation. The multi-week process helped me see the accuracy of my top 5! Knowing my strengths has helped me embrace my differences from others. I was at a discipleship project during the second half of my summer and spent all of my days building relationships with others as we grew in our faith. During that time, I was able to be secure in knowing that God created me differently than he created others. I started to become aware of how my strengths have helped me in athletics, school, and my walk with God in unique ways. Since returning to school, it has been super fun seeing how I can directly utilize my strengths as a follower of Christ, a teammate on the field, and a student in the classroom. Through this process, God has taught me most of all how I can use my strengths to be faithful to him. As I’ve grown over the last six months, these are some of the things I’ve learned about my strengths. In my pursuit of Jesus, I can use my strengths of input and learner to be constantly growing in knowledge of who God is and how to walk with him. My achiever strength keeps me disciplined in taking up my cross daily as well as being driven to share my faith. The strength of deliberative has aided me in seeking God consistently and prayerfully and allowing my actions and decisions to patiently follow his guidance. My strength of arranger has been helpful in the busyness of being back on campus, as well as the wrench that COVID-19 can throw in plans. I’m thankful that the Lord created me on purpose and in his image and that I get to use my strengths to ultimately glorify him.

Thank you to all of our Fall 2020 Clean Out For A Cause® supporters that helped us collect 22,119 pounds to fund our ministry! Watch the video below to see who donated!