Maria Taylor (Photo Courtesy/Maria Taylor/Facebook)
THIS IS EPISODE 132 OF THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST
Maria Taylor is becoming a household name on sports broadcasts. In 2018, the ESPN host and reporter has covered college football’s National Championship game, college basketball, the NFL Draft, the NBA Combine, the NBA Draft and the ESPYS — and it’s only July.
A graduate of the University of Georgia in 2009, Taylor played basketball as well as making All-SEC honors in volleyball for the Lady Bulldogs.
It was also during her time in college that she began to investigate her faith. After joining FCA, Taylor began a journey that culminated in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Her passion to serve the Lord and give back culminated in 2014 with her co-founding the Winning Edge Leadership Academy. The Academy provides a place where college student and young professionals, particularly women and minority leaders, can get professional development to prepare them for the sports business world.
On this episode of the podcast, Taylor shares about her journey to faith, covering her first NBA Draft, what it was like working college football’s National Championship as a Georgia alum, why she wanted to start a leadership academy, and why prayer is the first thing she would do if someone asked her about her faith in Jesus.
New York Giants QB Jameis Winston greets U.S. fans, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Maddy Grassy)
Thousands of soccer fans from around the world have descended upon North America over the past month to cheer on their teams, experience some of the novelties of American culture, and celebrate the absolute best that “the beautiful game” has to offer.
Yet perhaps no one has had more fun than NFL quarterback Jameis Winston. The New York Giants veteran has been serving as Fox Sports’ World Cup correspondent, stepping into some of the unique traditions of other nations and inviting a captivated American audience along for the wild ride.
The 2013 Heisman Trophy winner, 2013 national champion with Florida State, and No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Winston seemed destined for a lengthy NFL career. What may not have been as expected is that he’s morphed into one of the most engaging personalities in the league.
And as can be seen in his World Cup coverage, Fox Sports is taking full advantage. Winston has also covered the 2025 Super Bowl with Fox Sports and the 2026 MLB opener with Netflix.
“Can’t wait to be back with @FOXSports team,” he wrote on X after announcing he’d be a World Cup correspondent, “and be part of the biggest global sporting event in the World!”
What makes Winston’s extended foray into television this summer more remarkable is that he’s still an active NFL player. The 32-year-old is entering the second season of a two-year deal with New York, last year backing up rookie Jaxson Dart. The Giants held their offseason organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamp just before the start of the World Cup on June 11, and their training camp begins a few days after the World Cup final on July 19.
But even with his sights set on a possible second career in television once his time in the NFL comes to a close, Winston isn’t coasting to the finish line. In fact, many believe the 2015 Pro Bowler is still a top-five backup quarterback in the league. He talked about his NFL future, and his deep desire to win a Super Bowl before it’s all over, in his most recent appearance on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in April.
“I believe in the team that’s around me, and I believe in a God that’s providing me with these opportunities,” he said on the podcast about his still yet-to-be-achieved NFL aspirations.
Throughout his career, Winston has also emerged as one of the most recognizable followers of Christ in the NFL. He said on the podcast that he’s learned over the years to rest in God’s sovereignty rather than chase the approval of other people.
“I was so consumed with being liked by my coaches, you know what I’m saying? Being sought in the eyes of my fellow players as a great player,” he said about his early days in the NFL, “that I missed the fact of, ‘God already called me to do this! Why am I trying to go above and beyond to impress somebody that didn’t write this and who didn’t finish it for me?'”
The combination of his gregarious personality, his expressive and candid demeanor, and his Bible-saturated wisdom makes Winston an effective motivator. As a result, he often breaks down Giants huddles, and when it comes to the things of faith, he seeks to inspire others so that they too might come to know the saving grace of his Heavenly Father.
“[God] has given me the responsibility to create disciples in His Name and spread His Word and be bold about Him,” he said on the podcast. “I’m so happy and grateful that God sent His only begotten Son on this earth to die and rise again for not just me but for all of us.”
Winston and his teammates will begin preparing for the 2026-27 season when the Giants report for training camp at the end of this month. New York hopes to improve on a 4-13 record a season ago and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2022-23.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST HOSTED BY JASON ROMANO, FEATURING BEN ZOBRIST
Ben Zobrist played 14 seasons in the big leagues with the Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs. He played in three All-Star Games and three World Series with three different teams, winning in 2015 with Kansas City and 2016 with the Cubs. He was the 2016 World Series MVP.
Today on the podcast, Ben Zobrist reflects 10 years later on the Cubs’ World Series championship, his new book “Prepare for the Pressure” (available July 7), the role his faith in Jesus has played in his life, and how he was able to overcome anxiety and depression after the Cubs won the World Series.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST HOSTED BY MATT FORTE, FEATURING MILES MCPHERSON
Miles McPherson was selected in the 10th round of the 1982 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. After being released, he was picked up by the San Diego Chargers, where he would play four seasons as a defensive back.
During his time as a player, McPherson became a follower of Jesus Christ, a decision that would eventually lead him to becoming a pastor. For the past 26 years, he has been the senior pastor and founder of Rock Church in San Diego.
Today on the podcast, Miles shares about the state of the young Christian athlete, his NFL journey, transitioning away from football, the importance of sharing the Gospel, and the importance of “Just 1.”
Nate Ament greets NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Virtually every college basketball program in the country wanted Nate Ament out of Highland School in Virginia. He was ranked No. 4 in his high school class according to 247Sports, and was already projected as a likely lottery pick for the 2026 NBA Draft.
That dream became a reality on Tuesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, when the former Tennessee Volunteer was selected No. 13 overall by the Miami Heat. Miami was making the selection for the Milwaukee Bucks as part of Monday’s blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
The 19-year-old’s selection made him the highest-drafted Volunteer since Marcus Haislip in 2002.
When asked by ESPN when his dream of becoming an NBA draft pick materialized, Ament thought back to his childhood.
“When I first started playing basketball with my brothers at the park,” he answered. “Just realizing how much the game means to me, but how much it brought us closer together.”
Ament started all 35 games he appeared in for the Volunteers, missing two due to a leg injury. He averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and helped lead Tennessee to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight, where the Vols lost to eventual national-champion Michigan. Ament was named to the All-SEC second team as well as the SEC All-Freshman team, and his 584 points were third-most ever by a Tennessee freshman.
Along with Arizona star Brayden Burries, whom Milwaukee drafted at No. 10 overall, Ament joins an overhauled Bucks team looking to bounce back after a 2025-26 season that ended without a playoff appearance for the first time in 10 years.
Ament could’ve played his one year of college ball anywhere, but the 6-foot-10 small forward chose Tennessee partly because he shared a common faith with head coach Rick Barnes, who was in attendance for his player’s big moment. In doing so, Ament became the highest-ranked high school player to ever commit to the Volunteers.
During Barnes’ recruiting pitch to Ament, he referenced the Bible verse Matthew 17:20, which says in part, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.”
Barnes then gave him a mustard seed, something Ament plans to keep forever.
“It meant a lot to know that my head coach is super strong in the faith and someone I can turn to when I’m not necessarily feeling well or I have questions,” he told Knoxville’s WVLT News in March.
In a way, it can be said that Ament literally carries the Bible with him on the court; he wore No. 10 as a nod to one of his favorite verses, Isaiah 41:10.
“Earlier in my career, I was always super nervous before games,” he told a group of reporters in March. “I still am now, to be honest. But that verse always calms me down, knowing that God is my strength and He will raise me up with His victorious right hand.
“To be able to lean on your faith in times of trouble and knowing that — win or lose, good performance or bad performance — Jesus is always going to be here with me kind of just allows me to play more free, more confident. Just trusting in God and not leaning on my own understanding.”
No matter the praise or the scrutiny that comes his way in Milwaukee, Ament said that in all things hopes he reflects Jesus, and His words in Matthew 23:12.
“I kind of come back to the Bible verse a lot, ‘Whoever is humble will be exalted, whoever exalts themselves will be humbled,'” he told WVLT. “So for me, I just want to stay humble as much as possible. And I know that in the end, I’ll be exalted.”
Ament’s first chance to don a Bucks uniform will come next month in the NBA Summer League.
