meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture

Can Basketball Save the World?

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture

Talbot School of Theology at Biola University / Sean McDowell & Scott Rae

Christian, Talbot, Church, Culture, Biola, Think Biblically, Christianity, Sean Mcdowell, Scott Rae, Religion & Spirituality

4.71.1K Ratings

🗓️ 1 June 2023

⏱️ 44 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Have we been looking in the wrong place–politics and religion–when we should be looking to a sport to save us? In this (fun) episode, Sean and Scott discuss a recent book called How Basketball Can Save the World, by NYU professor David Hollander. They discuss certain life principles that can be garnered from basketball and assess the idea of whether or not basketball can save us.This episode is also available as a video on Biola's YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/eF6TdBW_HusRead a transcript...

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Can basketball save the world? Have we been looking in the wrong place? Politics and

0:07.7

religion when we should be looking to a sport to save us? Today we're going to discuss

0:12.2

a fascinating book by a professor at

0:15.2

NYU named David Hollander and it's titled how basketball can save the world.

0:20.2

Now before we get to the book and some of the stories that we love, some principles we agree with, some things we might take issue with,

0:26.2

I want to know your general take on this book because I'll tell you Scott, he had me at hello.

0:37.0

I read this to my wife. He starts off and he says this. He says it's like this. I walk by a basketball court, any court, I stop, full stop.

0:43.0

If they're playing, I'll hang out for a while,

0:45.0

just to watch, to hear basketball sounds,

0:48.8

lose myself, forget time.

0:52.0

He says, I see it as an existential matter as if without it, I'm not really even here.

0:57.0

Now that might sound over dramatic to some of our viewers, but just think of something that you love.

1:02.0

Maybe some people love to

1:03.4

surf, maybe people love to read, work on a car, art. I've always felt that way about basketball.

1:10.4

So when COVID hit, I thought my days were done at 40 playing days and my son who's in high school

1:17.7

He goes dad let's play I got no one to play with and I laced up my shoes and for a year we played and I could compete with him in high school

1:24.1

players it was like I felt alive it was one of the hidden blessings in that time

1:28.9

so when he starts off here's somebody who loves the game of basketball and he's talking about big

1:34.4

theological cultural issues. I'm all in what was your take? Well I think full

1:40.1

disclosure for all of our viewers Sean and I are both basketball junkies.

1:44.9

We both played.

1:46.3

Sean played a little longer than I did competitively.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University / Sean McDowell & Scott Rae, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Talbot School of Theology at Biola University / Sean McDowell & Scott Rae and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.