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According to Benjamin Watson, the era of keeping faith aside is over, replaced by a new cultural climate where athletes are at the forefront of their beliefs and are “free” to speak.
“There was a perception that there were certain things that were limited because they might be controversial, people might think differently,” Watson told Fox News Digital. “So I think you generally see young people talking more about beliefs, passions than ever before, especially about faith.”
Watson, a 16-year NFL veteran and Super Bowl champion, now serves as the NFL’s chief executive. Sports Spectrum also hosts the podcast “The Just Life with Benjamin Watson.”
Watson, an outspoken Christian and pro-life advocate, also serves as vice president of strategic relations at the Human Coalition.
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Atlanta Falcons players pray after their NFL preseason game was suspended after Detroit Lions tight end Morice Norris was injured Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
“We are partnering with Compassion International and Adoption Is An Option. They are partnering with us this week at the Super Bowl, and we are raising awareness of the work of Compassion International and Adoption Is An Option, and we are grateful that these two organizations have seen fit to partner with us as we try to encourage Sports Spect fans to become Jesus Sports fans.
Watson believes that players grow more comfortable sharing their faith.
“We see many players saying that,” he said. Watson believes this started a “forest fire” among the players and this is encouraging many players throughout the league to share their faith as well. “They set fire to everyone, so people are free to do it.”
He added that the new generation of coaches understand and accept players who speak about their faith on and off the field.
At Sports Spectrum, Watson said research shows that athletes are supported in speaking about their interests.
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Christian Wilkins #94 of the Miami Dolphins and Ben Watson #84 of the New England Patriots pray following a game at Gillette Stadium on Dec. 29, 2019, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
According to a survey by the media company Pinkston – which surveyed 1,540 adults on a wide range of issues among religious and non-religious adults in America who watch sports at least a few times a month – 74% support athletes who use their platforms to promote non-profit causes important to them.
Additionally, 78% of respondents said that an athlete’s character has an impact on how they are perceived. 56% expressed support for athletes who shared their faith.
Watson said NFL players have a partner in him when it comes to their faith.
“I love it when I hear guys speak boldly about their faith,” he told Fox News Digital. “I like to hear guys talk about their failures with courage. You know, these guys are 25, 26, 30-year-old players who are going through the process of maturing, not only physically and emotionally, but also spiritually.”
Watson said “My Cause My Cleats” was started during his last five years in the NFL, where players were able to promote causes important to them – some faith-based.
He shared an example of this, “Hunter Henry, he’s a tight end for the New England Patriots. And he painted his name with Compassion International, an organization that helps lift children out of poverty.”
Watson said this “humanizes the players” and “highlights the fact that the men of the NFL continue to do good wherever they go.”
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NFL players openly display their faith on the field (Justin K. Aller/Wesley Hitt//Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
“It is important that we support sports ministries and use all channels to spread the Gospel,” said Watson, and emphasized that God can use sports as a means.
“There are real generations of children and adults and grandparents who will hear, they can only hear the gospel through the mouth of an athlete,” he continued. “Because they don’t go to church.”
Although Watson acknowledges that God uses the church to reach people, he said that God can reach all of us in many ways.
“God can use anything,” he said. “He can use pastors in churches speaking on Sundays – yes, he does that all the time. My father is a pastor and I learned a lot from him. But he can also use runners in a different way than maybe someone who preaches. Everyone has a role. I mean, the scripture talks a lot about that. It doesn’t matter who planted the seed, who challenged you to harvest, God brought it in.”
Watson shared that his heroes in the NFL include men who speak up for their faith, citing Aeneas Williams, Kurt Warner, Reggie White, and Darrell Green.
Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown has also been open about his faith. In 2020, when he managed the Tennessee Titans, he told The Tennessean, “I’m a Christian first, before anything else … When I walk off the field, I want to be thankful for the blessing, for everything, because I don’t have to do this. I get to do this. So I always wear a cross.”
Texas quarterback CJ Stroud previously told Fox News Digital that it’s great to have a large community of Christian athletes in the NFL.
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“So, I think we have a really good community of believers in the league and around the world of sports,” Watson told Fox News Digital. “I think the more we can do with our platform, the better we can do for this country and, hopefully, really help people if they’re looking for help to find Christ and really understand that God loves you no matter what. That’s really the light I feel like we’re trying to shine.”
