"And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” John 12:32'' The Word says that every knee should bow at the name of Jesus. Sports are no exception. From athletic administrators to stadium custodial staff members, EVERY knee will bow. Regardless of the nation, tribe, sports team, or tongue, Jesus Christ is Lord. The gospel was preached, and Jesus' name was exalted at the 2025 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Convention in Orlando, Florida. The Lord moved as believers gathered to worship, fellowship, and be encouraged. On Monday evening of the conference, 50-plus people came together in one room after a day packed with meetings to enjoy the Lord's presence. We started the evening by introducing, praying, and delivering the gospel message. Then, thanks to the leadership of Jesus Films' Seth Irby, we sang songs unto the Lord. This time was filled with sweet refreshment (we even had desserts on deck). Following worship, Orlando Magic's head athletic trainer, Ernest Eugene, gave an inspiring message on work-life balance, with his wife Jackie and three children in attendance. That opened the conversation for Q&A and round-table discussions about prioritizing spending time with God first daily. After the discussions, Angela Marin, Director of Athletics at UT Dallas, and Paul Conner, Associate Director of Development at Florida State, shared testimony of how the Lord is moving in their lives and through Uncommon Sports Group. This was powerful. Revelation 12:11 says, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony." This holds true! To wrap up the evening, we closed in prayer, commissioning, and plenty of socialization. We're so grateful to the World Center Marriott Resort staff for extending our stay and giving us space for added fellowship. It was a quick turnaround, as alarms went off early Tuesday morning for the ADs4Christ devotional. Once again, over fifty believers gathered before conference meetings to hear an encouraging message from Curtis Janz, Director of Athletics at Arkansas-Fort Smith. He spoke on the necessity of boldness in our Christian walk and freeing our minds from the noise. "What are we doing to make ourselves available to hear the whisper of God..." - Curtis Janz Following the devotional, many gathered in the hallways and conference rooms to carry a heart awakened to Jesus to the sports realm, one handshake at a time. I'm leaving Orlando believing that princess castles and Mickey ears cannot compete with a small gathering of believers who live surrendered to the Holy Spirit, advancing His Kingdom on the earth. Thank you for reading and learning more about USG, the NBA Chaplaincy, and our outreach. If you'd like to know more about Uncommon Sports Group , Clean Out for a Cause , or our programs, please contact us . We'd love to hear from you.

The first week of April, Uncommon Sports Group sponsored a group of industry professionals to attend the 2025 WBCA Convention in Tampa, Florida. WBCA is the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's annual event. It's an excellent opportunity to connect with peers, grow as a coach or mentor, and learn from those who have paved the way in women's basketball. While the convention opens doors for plenty of career growth, the primary intent is for attendees to shine the light of Christ and encounter Him in a deeper way at the convention. While in Tampa, USG Member and Assistant Women's Basketball Coach at Chattanooga, Mallory Odell, led an open Bible study for conference attendees. Enjoy Mallory's testimony from the event! "I was honored to have the opportunity to attend this year’s WBCA Convention in Tampa, Florida, with the assistance of both my institution and USG. It is never lost on me what amazing experiences I am being presented with, so I want to start with pouring out gratitude and continuing with an ever-thankful heart. This year’s convention was heavy on community, which I believe we all need more than ever. I know I do! It was great to be able to connect with colleagues and other coaches in similar situations and listen, share, and learn on all different levels and topics. Similarly, the USG community was welcoming and warm as we reconnected and shared about this past year’s experiences and explored what is to come. I also had the most special experience leading the USG Bible Study. We had an intimate group and dug into John 1. We studied the word, shared about how Jesus moves both in our lives and workplaces, and reflected on how we can all be as faithful and obedient as John and share of Jesus boldly within our professions. This group provided time for honest conversation and discussion as well as genuine fellowship. Also, I had so many special opportunities to share about USG with other believers both while in Tampa and since returning home. I am already looking forward to more fellowship time next year & to continue growing spiritually and professionally with the support and guidance of USG and my fellow coaches and sports professionals in Christ. Let us all follow John’s example and share about Jesus as we draw nearer to him each day!" It was amazing to see how God moved at the WBCA Convention. We are grateful to Mallory for her testimony and bold "yes" to loving and serving Jesus. If you're interested in learning more about Uncommon Sports Group and how we can come alongside you as a Christian in the sport industry, click here  to see how you can get involved.

are often an integral part of the marketing of university and professional sports teams, the positive impact Digital Content Strategy and handler of Butler University's live mascot, Evan Krauss, discusses the impact

It can be difficult to put into words a concise reflection of our most recent USG Impact Trip to the My hope is that we can continue to provide these high-impact experience opportunities for our USG members It was encouraging to see the impact that the two-week trip had on this group of Christ-centered leaders Learn more about USG's Impact Trip to Israel with the link here.

opportunity to gather alongside thousands of their peers to worship through music and grow through an impactful It is encouraging to see that Nate was impacted in his walk with Christ at Passion.

To the USG staff - “Uncommon” does not do your impact justice. Seeing the impact that the Lord brought about from this trip, both in Caitlyn's life and in the individuals

Sports Group, I knew that it sounded like an amazing organization, but I had no idea how much of an impact The weekend was truly a gift from The Lord, and I am incredibly thankful to USG and the people who work

year, Uncommon Sports Group sent a group of thirteen, eleven members and two staff, to Israel for an Impact For this year’s international trip to Israel, we hope that the group will be impacted in this way and We look forward to sharing more about this year's trip to Israel and the impact that the Lord made on

of people are acquainted with the Orlando Magic Power Forward, Jonathan Isaac, but very few know the impact In this episode of the Uncommon Podcast, Jonathan and Amanda talk about Amanda's lasting impact on Jonathan

Below is Therese's testimony on her experience at the Women Leaders in Sports Convention: "This past weekend It was encouraging to see how Therese was impacted both professionally and spiritually by attending the

from and meet other coaches in women's basketball is a major opportunity to take what I learned and impact Keiderling, Graduate Assistant at Grand View University It is encouraging to see the many ways that God is impacting

Uncommon Sports Group seeks to develop Christ-centered future leaders of the college and pro sport industry. A large part of how USG develops future leaders of sport is by funding its members to attend international mission trips that help develop them in their walks with Christ. In June of 2024, USG traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, with a group of nine of its members and two staff for an eleven-day short-term trip. While in Kenya, USG served alongside local ministry partners in a variety of ways, as well as experiencing the local culture and scenery in Kenya. If you want to learn more about the trip to Kenya, you can read a detailed summary here . Jacob Neu was one of the attendees on this summer's trip to Kenya. Jacob is a part of the USG community and currently works at Taylor University. Below is a testimony from Jacob reflecting on his experience in Kenya: "The Uncommon Sports Group Kenya trip was so fruitful for me in my faith. The opportunity to serve a different culture on the other side of the world does not come around very often. This is why I am grateful for my experience last summer when we helped out at a local school in Nairobi and ran sports camps. It was such a joy to see the smiles on the kids' faces when they were handed a football or playing volleyball. The first few days of the week were spent at the school, we spent another day working with a local church to evangelize in the surrounding community. It was great to be able to see the similarities in the approach to evangelism despite being a 15-hour plane trip away. The coaching clinic was so much fun to be able to worship and discuss the best ways to coach in a God-honoring manner. The discussions were worthwhile and eye-opening. Where some of the difficulties in coaching at home involve a lack of turf or a subpar weight room some of the issues we discussed were finding cleats for a player and making sure we had a ball. One of the best things about the trip and experience was the team building along the way. The relationships built as we served alongside each other were very life-giving despite the physically tiring work. As a team, we studied the book of Galatians with a nightly Bible study. The study was nice way to rest in the evening and debrief the day. While our primary purpose was to serve we also were able to take in the sights of Amboseli National Park where we took a safari guided by our drivers who had provided transportation for us all week long. We saw lions on the prowl, elephants spraying water, and even a glimpse of a cheetah. Our drivers were great all week long, and we got to know them very well. To anyone considering going on this trip, I would highly recommend you consider applying as God is certainly at work at Huduma School, and there is no better way to partner with them than taking time to help serve." Does Jacob’s testimony inspire you? USG is excited to announce another mission trip to Kenya in 2025! This year’s trip will take place from June 19 to July 2. Interested in joining? Apply here by February 8th. If you’d like to learn more before applying, we’re hosting an informative Q&A webinar on Tuesday, January 28th, at 7:00 pm CST.  Register today to join the conversation and have your questions answered!