THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST
WITH JASON ROMANO, FEATURING MADISON HOCK
Madison Hock is a host and reporter for Bally Sports Southwest. In college, she played basketball at Division I Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. After graduating, she turned her passion of playing sports into covering sports and began her broadcasting career at WBIR in Knoxville, Tennessee, covering the SEC. She joined Bally Sports Southwest in November 2022 and now covers the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans and MLB’s Texas Rangers.
Today on the podcast, we talk to Madison Hock about her broadcasting journey, marrying a pro baseball player, staying rooted in Christ, living out her faith in her job, and her excitement to become a mom to twins this spring.
"Knowing that there is a greater purpose than just playing a baseball game… when you go out into the world, working to be like Jesus." @josh6jung is a frontrunner for Rookie of the Year & tells me he never takes the game too serious, he's built on something much greater. 💙 pic.twitter.com/dnbERupmvz
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING EDDIE GEORGE
Eddie George played nine seasons in the NFL with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans (1996-2003) and Dallas Cowboys (2004). He was selected 14th overall in the 1996 NFL Draft by the Oilers after a stellar collegiate career at Ohio State, where he won the 1995 Heisman Trophy.
In 2011, George was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, and in 2019 his number 27 was retired by the Titans.
Currently, George is in his first season as the head coach at Bowling Green State University, after spending four years as Tennessee State’s head coach (2021-24).
Today on the podcast, fellow Pro Bowl running backs Matt Forte and Eddie George discuss George’s strong faith in Jesus Christ, rededicating his life to the Lord, why ballet is something that helped him as a running back, and lessons he learned in college at Ohio State.
Multiple blowout wins, a rivalry loss, an unforgettable trek to the college football national championship, and a God who orchestrated it all for His glory. The story of the 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes is one for the ages.
Now, executive producers Marlee and Matthew Benson (alongside fellow producers Chris Ritchie and two-time national champion and 2007 Heisman Trophy-winner Tim Tebow) have set out to tell the story with the release of “Redemption,” a three-part documentary on Ohio State’s title-winning football team that magnified the name of Jesus Christ at every step.
Neither Marlee nor Matthew are filmmakers by trade, but they are followers of Christ. And living in Columbus, Ohio, in close proximity to Ohio State, they had a front-row seat to how God was moving on the Buckeye football team. In the summer of 2024, the Lord led them in a most providential way to document the team’s spiritual revival.
“My wife and I go to church here in Columbus, and [former Buckeyes tight end Gee Scott Jr.] actually ended up preaching at our church one Sunday prior to the start of the season,” Matthew Benson recently told Sports Spectrum. “And after hearing Gee preach, we came home and were like, ‘Man, this is so cool to hear what God’s doing in the locker room. This team’s supposed to be amazing this year.’
“We prayed on it and felt called to capture it.”
The Bensons knew Ohio State was among the national title contenders entering the season, but little did they know that — as they told the story of God setting the hearts of young men on fire for Him — they were also telling the story of a national championship team in the making. The original intent was to showcase God at work in the lives of big-time college athletes on one particular team; what that team accomplished just happened to be one of the greatest runs to a national championship in college football history.
“The season ebbed and flowed and ended up obviously winning the national championship,” Matthew said, “and I think just made a bigger microphone for really what the main point of the story is: the radical change that these guys have seen in their lives, and what we’ve seen in Columbus, by people getting exposed to the Gospel.”
“Redemption” is broken into three parts in chronological order, from the start of fall practice and Ohio State’s first game to the team’s title-winning 34-23 victory over Notre Dame at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Jan. 20. Scott was the starting tight end for the Buckeyes that night.
“I was one of the players that had radically encountered the Gospel message of Jesus Christ and was transformed from the inside out,” Scott recently told Sports Spectrum. “I believe the man who entered college at Ohio State and enrolled to play some football left a completely different man. Not because of a football game per se, or anything of human effort, but of the life-changing transformation that only the Lord Jesus could give.”
Scott signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent following the draft and was with the team’s practice squad until last month. Newly married, Scott and his wife, Olivia, have a heart for sharing the Gospel with young, aspiring athletes.
Full of zeal for the Lord, Scott was led to launch an Ohio State team Bible study in 2023, and many trace Columbus’ spiritual awakening to what God did in the hearts of those in that group. A group of college students blossomed into a group of people defined by their relationship with Jesus. Winning on the field — and they did a lot of that — was in service to their greater purpose as children of God.
“In their biggest moments, and even in their lowest moments, they’re pointing to the Lord,” Matthew said.
Scott agreed.
“The whole entire story (of “Redemption”) kind of just encapsulates this pursuit of young men in a world where we could glorify a lot of things. We want to glorify the One who created us,” he said. “It just kind of encapsulates that message while also capturing, ‘This is the very team that goes on and wins a national championship.'”
On Thursday, Matthew’s and Marlee’s church, One Church, will be hosting a film showcase featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes shots from “Redemption” and insights from some of the film’s creators. Scott will be there, as will Tebow and his college coach at Florida, Urban Meyer, both of whom also speak in the film.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING GEORGE HILL
George Hill played 15 seasons in the NBA from 2008-2023 with the San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers. He was drafted by San Antonio in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft (26th overall). During his long career, Hill was teammates with Tim Duncan, LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Today on the podcast, Matt Forte talks to George Hill about his welcome-to-the-NBA moment, guarding Kobe Bryant, the culture of faith in the NBA, giving his life to Christ, and being baptized this past summer.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING KELVIN BEACHUM
Kelvin Beachum is a 14-year NFL offensive lineman with the Arizona Cardinals. He was originally selected in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2016) and New York Jets (2017-19) before joining Arizona in 2020.
Today on the podcast, Kelvin Beachum joins his former Jets teammate Matt Forte for a conversation on his remarkable journey in the league, his faith, and the lessons learned from his upbringing. Beachum reflects on his career, life beyond football, his infamous 1996 Green Monster Tahoe, lessons from playing with Matt, and the role of Jesus in his life.
