Steph Curry and the Complicated Nature of Christian Sports Fandom

Quick to Listen

Christianity Today

Religion & Spirituality, Religion, Christianity

4.3 • 622 Ratings

🗓️ 23 June 2016

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On Sunday, Lebron James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 at home in Oakland. At one time, the Warriors had led the series 3-1, before they lost three in a row for the first time since 2013. During the Warriors’ Game 6 loss to the Cavaliers, Steph Curry fouled out for the first time all year before throwing his mouth guard into the stands. He was then suspended after swearing at the referees. Later, his wife Ayesha Curry tweeted that the game was “absolutely rigged for money” before she later deleted it. Not everyone was happy with the reaction of either Curry, a couple known for their Christian faith. (Some called for the NBA to suspend Steph, while Ayesha deleted her tweet following criticism on Twitter.) While Steph is open about his faith, he has largely communicated this through his actions, rather than bold proclamations of faith, says columnist Marcus Thompson, who has covered the Warriors for nearly two decades. “In the absence of words, you should probably look at how people live,” said Thompson. “Steph’s not going to be the one out there touting himself because in moments like Game 6, when he is human, it will get held against them, whereas if anybody did the exact same thing, there would be no discussion about it. Thompson joined Morgan and Katelyn on Quick to Listen this week to talk about the mentality of Christians athletes, why fans should cut Steph a break, and what Lebron teaches us about what redemption looks like in the world of sports. (9:45) What are most media missing about this story? (14:53) How does Steph deal with the tensions of being a Christian superstar? (25:45) What does redemption mean in sports? What can be redeemed on the court and what can’t? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you in part by The Apologetics Guy Show, the podcast that helps you find clear answers to tough questions about Christianity.
0:11.0	Learn to explain your faith with courage and compassion.
0:14.5	Join Moody Bible Institute professor Dr. Mikhail del Rosario at Apologeticsky.com.
0:26.5	Music Michael Del Rosario at Apologeticsguy.com. Hey, this is Morgan Lee, and you are listening to Quick to Listen.
0:30.2	Each week, we go beyond hashtags and hot takes and set aside time to explore the reality
0:35.1	behind a major cultural event.
0:38.8	I'm an assistant editor here,
0:44.6	and today I am joined by my co-host, Caitlin Beatty. Hey, Caitlin. Hey, Morgan. How's it going?
0:51.2	It's going all right. I know you're crushed. I am crushed, devastated. I'm smiling right now, but I cried earlier this week because the Golden State Warriors collapsed on Sunday, and I am still recovering.
1:00.1	Well, we have someone who's actually perfect to walk us both through the highs and lows of sports drama.
1:08.6	We are joined today by Marcus Thompson.
1:13.1	Hey, Marcus. You should not be crushed or depressed. You should be rejoicing. Oh, my Lord. Because of all people, you
1:20.1	Warriors fans should remember that there was a time when they didn't even make the playoffs,
1:24.0	and now they're losing in the finals. That's that's that's great. You should be
1:28.8	joyful, Morgan. I'm glad you're not in the studio so you can't see my eyes rolling.
1:34.3	Yeah. So Marcus is joining us from the Bay Area. He is a sports columnist for the Bay Area
1:41.2	News Group where he is reported on Bay Area Sports for the past 16 years,
1:45.7	including, of course, the aforementioned rise of the Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry.
1:51.5	Marcus is an Oakland, California native.
1:53.8	He is a husband, father, a self-described Christian hip-hop fan, a self-described lover of ties. Dope ties only though. Not like any
2:03.7	tie. It's got to be a dope tie. What meets the requirement of a dope tie? It can't look like
2:09.9	my daughter borrowed it for me. That's number one. I'm really not a fan of skinny ties because I'm not
	...

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