Sports Guy: Amazing Grace

Your scribe wrote about a special group a while ago including an amazing guy, JB Hall. He’s co-leader of the CU Buffs Fellowship of Christian Athletes huddle. Well, this same clan of zealot Buff fans was doing its usual Thursday morning stuff recently when the conversation focused on a song most are familiar with, Amazing Grace.

One of the fellas, CU grad and real active alum, had mentioned something unknown about the song considered, spiritually, one of the most popular songs. Holy smokes, what a story behind its birth back in 1772 when a preacher, John Newton, included the remarks in a New York City sermon.

Newton’s background growing up in England offered no indication he would someday make history. Childhood was rough. Father was merchant marine and never around. Mom died of tuberculosis. Young man grew up fast and faulty. Forced into the Royal Navy, kicked out for being insufficient and wandering through life. Out on the open seas, gets traded for another man from a slave vessel and enters the world of slave trading.

Along the way, Newton had many “near-death” experiences. Here’s just a few from some research: On one occasion, he was thrown from a horse, narrowly missing impalement on a row of sharp stakes. Another time, he arrived too late to board a tender that was carrying his companions to tour a warship; as he watched from the shore, the vessel overturned, drowning all its passengers. Years later, on a hunting expedition in Africa on a moonless night, he and his companions got lost in a swamp. Just when they had resigned themselves to death, the moon appeared and they were able to return to safety. Such near-death moments were commonplace in Newton's life.

Newton would write about all this craziness later describing it as, “Dangers, toils and snares.” Amen. Finally after almost four decades in trading slaves the convicted man was transformed by the renewing of mind and ended up writing one of the most recognized songs in the history of mankind. God’s grace. We can all relate in some way, shape or form.

You wonder, what does this have to do with a bunch of guys who gather, via Zoom, each Thursday to challenge one another to grow spiritually while also digging deep into the fortunes and fiascos of CU athletics? These dudes are shoulder to shoulder, Buffs to the bone. We’re talking about Newton’s life-changing epiphany and for whatever reason this cranium of your scribe zipped straight to the state of college athletics today given the craziness in football and basketball.

Who inside the NCAA, leaders of the powerful conferences or some unforeseen czar might be the person, much like Newton, to realize the errors of their ways have reached critical mass and something must change? Who is going to be willing to fall on the sword and “save” college athletics from the wretches of NIL, unlimited transfer options and illogical conference alignments?

The current transactional climate also seriously threatens another critical part of what was considered the “Student/Athlete” experience. College is where young developing minds are expanded, relationships forged and bonds through athletics, academics and experiences built that will last a lifetime. Incredible memories. With unlimited transfer options, more and more athletes will become vagabonds and lose the bonds we know are good for them.

Amazing Grace was written by a dude, granted it took awhile, who ultimately realized the path he was trekking was so far out of whack that only God’s grace could prevent a wretch like Newton to see another day. Not to sound like the “Boy always crying wolf” about the dangers lying down the track for this runaway freight train that is big-time college athletics these days, but I joked to the other guys on the call, “This is what college athletics needs. Transformation!”

Transactional tendencies will destroy one of college athletics most treasured gifts. Emerging and maturing young men and women develop life-long skills helping them lead successful lives long after unique athletic skills diminish. There’s a spirit of “We” and not “Me.” It’s gone now and only amazing grace will bring it back.