The PFB Sports Survey is a feature here at Prayers For Blowouts where we throw a few sports related questions at some of the most notable voices among Christian authors, pastors, musicians, and taxi drivers to see if they like sports as much as we do.

Today’s spotlight is on Dillon Burroughs, who has seen what his own jawbone looks like thanks to High School football .

Dillon Burroughs is a bestselling writer on issues of faith and culture, including the book What Can Be Found in LOST? He also serves as an advocate for Compassion International. He lives with his wife, Deborah, and three kids in Tennessee where he spends the time he used to enjoy playing sports building Legos and playing My Little Pony with my kids. His website is readdB.com.
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1. What number best describes the role sports play in your life on a scale of 1 to 10?

DB: 5. I played lots of sports growing up, especially baseball, football, and basketball (a requirement for growing up in Indiana). I still enjoy watching and participating, but life and young kids have removed me from competitive action unless you include races with my kids in the back yard (and they always win).

2. Rank your 3 overall favorite sports, college or pro.

DB: NFL football, college football, and college basketball. I’ve tried to cheer for teams in the cities where I have lived (This is a very good work and ministry move, by the way). This was easy when I was living in Indianapolis and they won the Super Bowl (Go, Colts!) and for the Titans now that I’m in Tennessee, but was rough during my years in Dallas between Aikman and Romo. Though not listed, I’m also a closet X-Games fan and always stop the remote when I see flying skateboarders or snowboarders, probably because they are sports I could never pull off myself.

3. What is the one team that you root for more passionately than any other, and is there a team that you hate, maybe a little too much?

DB: I love both the Colts and Titans in football and absolutely hate the New England Patriots (in good Christian love, of course).

4. Do you play fantasy sports?

DB: I define fantasy sports as playing baseball with my son and pretending I’m a major league all-star. I can’t keep up with real-life sports even with ESPN on my phone. How am I supposed to build my own fantasy team? But I’m still a sucker for Madden football on any game system, a side effect from nearly a decade of youth ministry.

5. What is the most memorable sporting event you have ever attended in person?

DB: The most memorable was a Spring Training baseball game I attended in college while in Fort Myers, Florida. Reggie Jackson was hanging out only a few feet away as the first base coach that day. I also watched Roger Clemens pitch and thought it was cool since I had kept his rookie card on display in my bedroom as a kid.

6. What is the best highlight and/or worst lowlight of your sports playing career as a child or as an adult?

DB: In sixth grade, I entered a punt, pass, and kick contest. On my first kickoff, I ripped the seam of my pants on the backside. The rest of contest, I had to keep pulling my jersey down to keep my underwear from showing!

On the positive side, I made varsity football as a sophomore, only to crack my chin open in my first half of action. You could see my jawbone sticking out and blood spraying—it was great! I got taped up and finished the game before going to the hospital for stitches. I still have the scar today.

7. If you could change one thing about sports, what would it be?

DB: Baseball definitely needs a pitching clock similar to the NBA shot clock. Maybe 15 seconds between pitches to speed up the game. Baseball is so slow I have to DVR it and then watch it on fast forward to stay awake.

8. Do you have an opinion on Christian athletes who, without being prompted, talk about their faith in post-game interviews?

DB: I’m all for athletes talking about their faith. But you have to wonder when a guy thanks Jesus for letting him give a quarterback a concussion…

9. High school gym class…your favorite 45 minutes of the day or the source of countless nightmares and embarrassments?

DB: I grew up in Indiana, so 90 percent of gym class was basketball. I loved it so much I sometimes skipped study hall to go to the gym and shoot hoops, too.

10. Sports are often the whipping boy of pastors and clergy because so much passion, money, time, and energy is poured into them. Do you think this criticism is valid, or are sports okay as a diversion from the stresses of life.

DB: Sports are great; the people who play sports are the problem. It can become an addiction or “god” just like anything else. My biggest concern is all the trash talk on the field among people who claim to follow Christ. I once broke up a fight during a church-league basketball game that involved one of my teenagers. I later found out the guy from the other team was the other church’s youth pastor! If you can’t keep your faith on the court, you need to switch to fantasy sports.

11. If you had to compete against other authors, in which of these 5 competitions would you have the best chance of winning? 5-mile run, 18 holes of golf, free throw shooting contest, arm wrestling match, or a game of bowling.

DB: Free throw shooting contest, definitely. In junior high, I hit 23 of 25 in a free throw contest. Unfortunately, I grew up in Indiana (Did I mention that already?) where that was only good enough to place second. I also won a 9th grade slam dunk contest (Too bad the goal was only 8 1/2 feet tall!).

12. What is your favorite sports movie of all-time?

DB: Star Wars, followed by Hoosiers and Rudy (both set in Indiana).

What? Star Wars includes pod racing. That’s a sport, isn’t it? (Okay, so I’m also a big-time Star Wars junkie.)

Thanks for playing along, Dillon!

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You can click here for an exhaustive (but not exhausting) list of everyone who’s been featured as a PFB Sports Survey participant.

If you’d like to be considered for the PFB Sports Survey, or know someone who should be, send along a name and email address to prayersforblowouts(at)gmail(dot)com.

The PFB Sports Survey is a feature here at Prayers For Blowouts where we throw a few sports related questions at some of the most notable voices among Christian authors, pastors, musicians, and roofers to see if they like sports as much as we do.

Today’s spotlight is on Jon Acuff, who would have you believe that a respect for all Frisbee-related sports should be a tenet of salvation.

Jon is the creator and sole writer of Stuff Christians Like, the extremely popular and always amusing blog that pokes harmless fun at the nuances and idiosyncrasies of the Christian subculture (although Jon does like to throw some “serious” curveballs in there from time to time as well). Jon also blogs at 97 Seconds with God.

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1. What number best describes the role sports play in your life on a scale of 1 to 10?

JA: I would say a 6. That number went up to an 8 when the Celtics won the championship last year and then dropped significantly when Tom Brady got hurt this year. Up until that point I was pretty sure God was a Patriots fan.

2. Rank your 3 overall favorite sports, college or pro.

JA: College basketball, NBA, NFL Football

3. What is the one team that you root for more passionately than any other, and is there a team that you hate, maybe a little too much?

JA: Love: University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Hate: The Yankees

4. Do you play fantasy sports?

JA: I used to play fantasy basketball and actually won a season. I remember that year as “championship year.” My wife remembers that year as “fantasy basketball widow year.” I stayed up until 3AM switching out players against our one friend that is a highly competitive auditor. He always wins every league he’s in and I knew that he was out there competing against me. I won the entire season by three rebounds or something that small. I kind of retired at that point.

5. What is the most memorable sporting event you have ever attended in person?

JA: Triple overtime game between UNC and Wake Forest. ESPN called it the best college basketball game of the year. Chris Paul was playing for Wake then. Sean May, Rashad McCants and Raymond Felton were playing for the Heels. Carolina lost but it was still an amazing game.

6. What is the best highlight and/or worst lowlight of your sports playing career as a child or as an adult?

JA: My worst? Everyone on the other team laughed at me when I stepped up on the scale in my tighty-whitey’s for the weigh in before a wrestling meet in the eighth grade. My best? Beating the kid I wrestled that day.

7. If you could change one thing about sports, what would it be?

JA: I would retire the phrase, “that’s just Manny being Manny.”

8. Do you have an opinion on Christian athletes who, without being prompted, talk about their faith in post-game interviews?

JA: I guess I look at that like I look at how Bono uses his celebrity equity to do what he feels is important. They’ve got the microphone for a minute and if they can honestly answer the question and give God a shout out, I’m cool with that. If the question is “who do you think is the toughest player to throw a curveball against” and they answer “sweet baby Jesus” I’m not sure I’m down with that.

9. High school gym class…your favorite 45 minutes of the day or the source of countless nightmares and embarrassments?

JA: Dodgeball? Favorite. Square dancing in the eighth grade? Nightmare.

10. Sports are often the whipping boy of pastors and clergy because so much passion, money, time, and energy is poured into them. Do you think this criticism is valid, or are sports okay as a diversion from the stresses of life.

JA: I think sports are like a lot of other things in life, they aren’t evil or pure. What we bring to them shapes them. Sports can be a great vehicle of worship. Sports can be a great hiding place for people that want to escape the responsibilities of life. It depends on the situation.

11. If you had to compete against other bloggers, in which of these 5 competitions would you have the best chance of winning? 5-mile run, 18 holes of golf, free throw shooting contest, arm wrestling match, or a game of bowling.

JA: Maybe the 5 mile run but when I saw that you left off both Frisbee golf and ultimate Frisbee from your list I got a little worried about your spiritual walk.

12. What is your favorite sports movie of all-time?

JA: I feel like I should say “Hoosiers” or “Chariots of Fire” but that’s not true. I’m going to have to say the 6 minute clip of the special needs high school kid hitting six three pointers. I know that’s not a movie, but I have watched that clip on youtube roughly 18 million times. I love it.

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You can click here for an exhaustive (but not exhausting) list of everyone who’s been featured as a PFB Sports Survey participant.

If you’d like to be considered for the PFB Sports Survey, or know someone who should be, send along a name and email address to prayersforblowouts(at)gmail(dot)com.

The PFB Sports Survey is a feature here at Prayers For Blowouts where we throw a few sports related questions at some of the most notable voices among Christian authors, pastors, musicians, and high school custodians to see if they like sports as much as we do.

Today’s spotlight is on Shaun Groves, who openly opines for the inclusion of competitive yoga into our sports landscape.

Shaun is a musician of fine music and a blogger of fine words. You can check out his discography here, and you can check out his blogging prowess at the Shlog or at CompassionBloggers.com. And get this: if you allow him to speak about Compassion International for a few minutes, you can book him to speak or sing (or bowl) for FREE. (email booking[at]shaungroves[dot]com for more info)

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1. What number best describes the role sports play in your life on a scale of 1 to 10?

SG: Does it have to be a positive integer?  Alright, if one is as low as you’ll let me go, then one it is.

2. Rank your 3 overall favorite sports, college or pro.

SG: Like all guys who aren’t athletic but must appear to be so in order to not be given swirlies on a daily basis, I feigned athleticism by playing Soccer.  So it’s a favorite because I can identify its ball in a line-up at least and can name the positions.  Um, and then there’s…uh…I like Soccer.

3. What is the one team that you root for more passionately than any other, and is there a team that you hate, maybe a little too much?

SG: I grew up in Texas and when I was a kid Roger Staubach played for the Cowboys and I had this coat with his picture on it and I’d wear it, sit on the couch on Sunday’s after church and sweat through the games with my Dad.  So I’d have to go with the cowboys.  If there’s a Super bowl I’d actually watch it would have to involve the Cowboys.  But even then, I’d mostly eat during the game and watch during the commercials and half-time.

4. Do you play fantasy sports?

SG: What happens in my fantasy life is really none of your business, man.  Let’s just say most of the time it has nothing to do with sports unless my wife’s wearing that cheerleader outfit.  I’m not sure I understand the question.

5. What is the most memorable sporting event you have ever attended in person?

SG: My dad’s a Texas Aggie and I’ll never forget being about twelve and going to the Cotton Bowl with my Dad to see the Aggies play.  Jackie something was the coach and some guy named Murray was the quarterback and I’m sure they were big deals but the big deal to me was having to stand throughout the entire game.  ”We don’t sit when the Aggies fight,” my dad said. And he gave me a little white towel to wave and we sang and yelled stuff for hours.  It was pretty intense but honestly the most fun I’ve ever had at a sporting event.

6. What is the best highlight and/or worst lowlight of your sports playing career as a child or as an adult?

SG: The highlight would be scoring my first goal in soccer.  I was playing forward and I remember feeling the panic of knowing I had a clear shot to make – just me and the goalie.  And I remember being amazed that I made it.  I couldn’t believe it.  And we had McDonald’s afterward to celebrate.  And the lowlight would be the dozen or so church basketball games I played in just because everyone thought I ought to.  I was very skinny and tall, still am, so I played post.  Problem was nobody told me what that meant exactly so I just spent thirty minutes standing under a net with my arms up, running to the other net and doing the same thing and then back again.  Not a good time.

7. If you could change one thing about sports, what would it be?

SG: I’d take away the money.  I’ve never understood why athletes, as hard as I know they train, get paid so much more than my sister the teacher does.  More than policemen and firefighters.  More than the president.  Seriously?  Makes no sense and seems to go to their heads before it goes to their bank accounts.

8. Do you have an opinion on Christian athletes who, without being prompted, talk about their faith in post-game interviews?

SG: Since I don’t watch sports I haven’t that so I don’t really have an opinion.  I do know of a couple baseball players who’ve had my music played when they go up to bat.  And  one was asked about why he chose that song and he shot straight with the interviewer about his need to remember Christ in order to stay humble in front of the crowds.  He wasn’t asked for that kind of detail but it seemed appropriate and I for one thought it made him very human and admirable.

9. High school gym class…your favorite 45 minutes of the day or the source of countless nightmares and embarrassments?

SG: I need to go take my meds.

10. Sports are often the whipping boy of pastors and clergy because so much passion, money, time, and energy is poured into them. Do you think this criticism is valid, or are sports okay as a diversion from the stresses of life.

SG: Yes.  Too many families revolve around junior’s touring softball team and too many adults let their disposition (and treatment of others) be determined by whether or not their favorite team won.

Like anything else, you know, in the hands of an immature person almost anything can be used against us…by us.

11. If you had to compete against other musicians, in which of these 5 competitions would you have the best chance of winning? 5-mile run, 18 holes of golf, free throw shooting contest, arm wrestling match, or a game of bowling.

SG: That one’s close.  I used to run distance.  I wasn’t fast but I could run forever without dying and that, I learned, passes as athleticism in some circles.  But I think I would have the best chance of beating them in bowling.  Bowling and Yoga were my P.E. credits in college.  Yes, I said bowling and Yoga.  I got credits for lying down on a mat and breathing deeply. Yes, I did.  If only there was such a thing as competitive Yoga.

12. What is your favorite sports movie of all-time?

SG: Rudy.  Aside from trading his sports car in for a minivan, that movie is the surest way to make a grown man cry.

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You can click here for an exhaustive (but not exhausting) list of everyone who’s been featured as a PFB Sports Survey participant.

If you’d like to be considered for the PFB Sports Survey, or know someone who should be, send along a name and email address to prayersforblowouts(at)gmail(dot)com.