Tony Dungy, former head coach of the Super Bowl XLI Champion Indianapolis Colts, NBC Sunday Night Football commentator, and author of the best-selling books Quiet Strength, Uncommon, and The Mentor Leader, points out that football is the most popular sport in America today, and its players are publicized, and often idolized, to an unbelievable level. And we view football as the ultimate team sport.
Football builds character, doesn’t it? If football really builds character, then the longer you play and the higher up the football ladder you go, the more it should benefit you. However, when you look behind the scenes, it appears that the higher up you go in the game, the more problems you have. In a January 28, 2006 article titled “Life after the NFL: Typically a struggle,” the USA Today reported that 78 percent of all NFL players are divorced, bankrupt, or unemployed two years after leaving the game. And NFL players are six times more likely to commit suicide.
Our character is shaped by the people we are around, by our experiences, and by our beliefs about why God put us here on earth. And depending on how it is taught, football can be either a positive enhancement or a destructive force in that development.
In his foreword to Hunter Smith and Darrin Gray’s The Jersey Effect, Coach Dungy said, “This book has the potential to strengthen your faith, redefine your worldview, and help you recognize the negative and positive effects that a jersey can have.”
Take a behind-the-scenes look at Colts football—a personal and intimate tale told to help you gain perspective about the truths and lies of this world.
Click here for a summary of The Jersey Effect