ESPN Enterprise Journalism – October 8, 2015
Arian Foster: Openly Secular
Outside the Lines (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, ESPN2)
Challenge is nothing new for Arian Foster. The Houston Texans running back has been recovering from a groin injury he suffered in training camp. Off the field, he occasionally faces a more philosophical challenge: being an openly secular player in a league with a strong religious culture. But, as T.J. Quinn discovered, Foster would be the first to say he doesn’t have all the answers. What he has for himself, his peers and friends with deep religious convictions are questions.
“I just think it’s highly unlikely that there’s a god. But I’m still open to the possibility. Like, that’s the main reason why I don’t want to say I’m an atheist, like I know. I don’t know. I have no idea. If there were some kind of evidence or some kind of proof, I would gladly follow and walk that path.” – Arian Foster, Houston Texans running back
“He forced me to ask the tough questions and to really know why I believe what I believe. The way he is — I think it’s pretty unusual. But we got a lot of different people with a lot of different backgrounds in an NFL locker room.” – Justin Forsett, Baltimore Ravens running back on Arian Foster’s views on religion
Voices of the Future: Mo’ne Davis
At 14, Mo’ne Davis has already had quite a run, but with a pro basketball dream on the horizon, she’s always looking to improve on her game. In the fifth installment of espnW’s Voices of the Future powered by New Balance video series, host Julie Foudy interviews the former Little League World Series pitching sensation.
Jason Garrett’s Football Camp
Sunday NFL Countdown (ESPN, Sunday, 11 a.m.)
Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett found inspiration in the tale of a starfish, which he first heard more than 20 years ago, to give opportunities to those who may not receive one otherwise. Since 2003, Garrett has turned this philosophy into action, hosting an annual football camp at Princeton University for hundreds of local high school student athletes. Stephania Bell shares the story of how Garrett’s mission to make a difference comes full circle when the Cowboys face the Patriots this Sunday.
“This really isn’t about football camp. Football is the medium we use. We bring a lot of kids down here every year. We’re really trying to reach one of them. I tell them the story, I challenge them to be that guy, sitting in the audience to say, ‘yeah, I want to do this.’” – Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett
“One of their main messages was don’t let somebody tell you what you can’t do and what you can’t complete in life. Just really never give up and that’s something that I stuck with my whole life.” –Dominique Easley, New England Patriots defensive tackle, on how Garrett’s football camp has impacted him
The Courage Game Revisited
SportsCenter Featured (Sunday, 7 a.m., ESPNEWS)
October’s SportsCenter Featured special will revisit “The Courage Game,” an SC Featured segment from August that told the story of Braeden Lange, a 12-year-old lacrosse player who was bullied after coming out as gay but found solace in an ESPN feature produced 10 years earlier. The 2005 feature was about Andrew Goldstein, a Dartmouth lacrosse player, who came out while in college and later became the first openly gay athlete to play in an American pro sports league (Major League Lacrosse). Braeden’s father connected his son with Goldstein, a friendship blossomed, and Goldstein helped lift Braeden’s spirits. The update includes a new interview with Braeden and his father, who discuss how Braeden’s life has changed for the positive since the story aired.
The Sports Reporters
Sunday, 9:30 a.m., ESPN2; 10:30 a.m. ESPNEWS
This week’s Panel*
John Saunders (host)
Mike Lupica
Jemele Hill
Bob Ryan
(subject to change)
As Seen on ESPN Front Row:
Mendoza’s Wild Card debut has deeper meaning for female colleagues:
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