The Politics of Professional Sports with Jon Root #DMW200

Exploring theology, doctrine, and all of the fascinating subjects in between, broadcasting from an undisclosed location, Dead Men Walking starts now. Well, hello everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Dead Men Walking podcast.

I'm your host, Greg Moore. Thanks for coming along on the ride, guys. Thanks for checking out dmwpodcast .com where you can support the show. We've got some snarky merch over there. You can still get it in time for Christmas if you want to order it.

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But now that the shameless self-promotion is out of the way, we want to get right into it because we got a special guest. And I know we say that every week, but this is a special guest. He's worked in the broadcast broadcasting industry for quite a while.

I think he did some stuff with San Jose Sharks. I know he contributed at Turning Point for a little bit. All those different things. It's John Root. John, how are you, sir?

I'm great. Thanks a lot for having me. This is fun. We talked about this when we went at the Fight Laugh Feast conference together. And I'm sure we could cover a little bit of that. That fun little debacle that led to some of these connections and everything.

But it's good to be here. And like you said, I worked in sports media for a long time before I got canceled. So cancel culture hit me. It found me. Jesus found me and cancel culture found me. That's what I tell people.

And it was great working in sports media. Absolute blessing. I played D2 football, so I'll never pretend like I was some major stud. But God blessed me to play D2 football at Azusa Pacific. And I always knew I wanted to go pro in something other than sports.

Kind of like those old Enterprise commercials people saw watching sports growing up. And I love the Stuart Scott's growing up. So he was just booyah anytime someone watched SportsCenter. And that was just like the epitome of sports was I want to know the highlights.

I want to know what's going on. And I want to have some fun and get away from the craziness of the world by watching SportsCenter or just be involved in sports in general. So for me, I want to be involved in sports media.

And then I was lucky enough to work for the Sharks, the Golden State Warriors organization, specifically working with their G League team. And I did some stuff with NBC Sports, the major sports broadcaster out there in the Bay Area.

That's where I was born. And a lot of people are probably like, how did this Northern California Bay Area kid turn out? Okay, like not only conservative and Christian. I'm sure we can go over that. Yeah, that's all God for sure.

And being born in a fantastic family. But pandemic hit, everything shut down. And then, you know, God was really pushing me towards a place of like, there's a lot of things that I haven't been able to speak out about.

Because I always tell people, you can't just go guns blazing and be like, oh, I can't believe all the people just don't like me. It's like, as Christians, first and foremost, we're countercultural. So I can talk about the LGBTQ stuff, the way that Pride Nights have been hijacked, and all the social justice nonsense.

But I'd have to know that I'm going to lose my job. So I was kind of a little bit more like even keel about that stuff. I'd have good conversations behind the scenes. But if I shared that stuff publicly, everything I worked for would be done.

But God ended up, you know, kind of ripping sports media away from me in a sense. When I worked for a company called Fanatics, I went to the gym out here in Phoenix, Arizona, where I live now. And I moved out here during the pandemic.

And I went to the gym without a mask the day that our governor said, go ahead and decide for yourself what a concept. And you would have thought that I murdered 55 people in that gym and took a gym mirror selfie of it.

But that led me to working for Turning Point USA, being a contributor with them, not just getting a peek behind the curtain, but fully being behind the curtain of conservatism and finding out how really godless that is.

There's some amazing people doing some incredible work, but also, too, it's a place where people start idolizing politicians, political parties, and how, you know, more than anything, I still love sharing sports, the non-woke side of sports, stories that you probably wouldn't see with mainstream sports media.

And for some reason, God's provided me a platform. I don't think it's really anything massive, but it's big enough to be able to, you know, have great connections like I do with you now and the guys at CrossPolitik, G3, so many people in these reform circles.

Like, I'm learning a lot. And more than anything, too, I want to filter everything through scripture. That's my very long intro and bio. And hopefully that gives everybody a clear understanding of who Jon Root is.

Yeah, absolutely. OK, thank you for that. So there's so many things that we could touch on here that I want to talk about, not just sports related. And let's get into it, because you came across my radar.

Actually, I was watching some interview clips from G3. I went to the national conference in 21. I wasn't able to get down there this year. But I always keep up on that stuff. Josh has been on the program before.

The Let's Just Thinking guys, Daryl and Virgil, I love those guys, you know, have conversations with Owen back and forth. So I keep tabs on that and just wanted to see what was going on. James White's been on, and I know he spoke there.

So I wanted to see what was going on. And I saw you interviewing a couple of guys. I think it was Owen at the time. And I didn't really know who you were. And I watched the clip and didn't think anything of it, except, man, they got a good-looking guy, good-looking kid down there doing these interviews.

Like, you look sharp, you know, dress sharp, look good. And then, like, a day or two later, sweatshirt gate breaks open with my friend A .D. Robles, who said, what the heck is this guy? You know, basically made something to what you were wearing, which that's what A .D. does, whatever.

It is what it is. I don't know if it was necessarily a personal attack. I think it was, hey, you know, he's got some qualms with some of the G3 guys. I'm friends with CrossPolitik. I'm friends with G3.

I'm kind of caught in the middle of the dang thing. I would just want us all to advance the kingdom of God by preaching the gospel and want repentance and true Christ. But with that being said, I went, wait a minute, that's the guy that I just saw for the first time two days ago on an interview, you know, because you were doing, I think, some of the interviews down there.

And that kind of led me into following you on Twitter, seeing what you're posting, what you're talking about. And I went, man, this guy goes hard on Twitter. I mean, he doesn't, you know, from what it was kind of framed by some of the guys like, oh, he might be this kind of soft, kind of squishy, even jellyfish, you know, just down there appeasing G3.

And then I was looking at your social media and I was like, oh, this is one of my bros, dude. No, he takes some really hard stances. You know, you're not mean about it, but you're very upfront about what the word of God says.

And that's kind of where I started following you and kind of learning about you. So, you know, I've only known of you probably for the last four or five, six months, but it has blossomed into something.

I'm glad that we are at least online friends and I can see your content because I think it's great. And we talked a little bit at Fight Left Feast, but tell me about what you thought when that whole thing went down with just and to be clear for those listening, I don't know.

I think it was because something similar to what you're wearing today, right?

He didn't he didn't like the what was it?

The sweatshirt hoodie blazer combo, which in my younger days, I rock, dude. I love that. I think it's a great combo of classic and casual. Like, let's go, you know?

Yeah.

And that's the thing for me is like, I can't pretend I'm a tough guy. Like I'm a tall, blonde haired, very white, goofy looking guy. And right now I'm drinking a smoothie. So like, I'm not going to pretend like I'm some sort of alpha male over here.

And but I know, especially with a lot of the Christian nationalist conversation, I think it's led to, you know, quite frankly, and I'm not like throwing anybody specifically under the bus, but I think there's a lot of vitriol and there's a lot of, you know, I'm not saying that, you know, you know, everybody on this side is doing it well and everybody on that side is not doing it well.

Like, just like you said, we want to come together as Christians and no doubt everybody wants this to be a God honoring nation. Obviously the way that we go about that is can be drastically different.

And the way that we have discourse online sometimes just doesn't lead to fruitful conversation. But I was, I was blessed enough to get connected with Virgil Walker just a little over a year ago. And he's been a great mentor of mine, a great friend.

And he's just an awesome human being that loves the Lord so well. And I think he's been a great hire for G3. And he asked me to be the host of the live stream for their national conference. And I was super humbled and very thankful because I mean, I just got to continue to be open and honest.

Like I don't have a seminary degree and you know, I'm, I'm someone that is just really studying the word. I'm going through discipleship with my pastor. I got great mentors and I know I'm connected with the apology, a Gia guys out here.

I'm connected with Kosti Hinn out here in Phoenix. Like I'm learning a lot. So I'm never going to position myself as, Hey, John Root is the authority figure of, you know, some sort of heavy theological topic.

Sure. I have plenty of my thoughts, but what I saw here and what I've done continually throughout my career is first and foremost, before we got to hoodie blazer gate is Owen Strand said some stuff. That really irks some people.

And it's, and some people saw it as straw man arguments. Some people saw it as throwing shade without it being at somebody specifically. So I saw me in my position as a person that said, I am reading everything online.

And I know the questions that need to be asked and the answers that everybody is desperately searching for, because I know Owen's not going to sit down with people more on the Christian nationalist side, like AD.

I don't see, I don't see that happening. And is that necessarily because of AD? No, that might be more people like connected in his circle. I don't know. I can't speak for Owen. I can't speak for AD, but in general, I wanted it to be extremely helpful for everybody, no matter what side of the Christian nationalist conversation you're at.

And then make sure that we're not straw manning that like everybody that's post-meal is Christian nationalist and everybody that's pre-meal is, is not. It's like, no, specifically based off what you said, Owen, here's some questions I'm looking for some answers.

Yes. I'll agree with some stuff that Owen says. I believe Owen is a great friend of mine. He's been a good mentor of mine, but also at the same time, it doesn't mean that I go along with everything that Owen said or the way that he went about it was perfect.

But in general, it's like, I thought it was helpful, but what it turned into was, I mean, just plain and simple. I didn't like the way that AD went about it because I just saw like, Oh, this guy's connected with G3.

So all of a sudden this guy's soft. This guy must just fall in line with everything that we're thinking about this guy. Like, yeah, sure. We're all going to judge a book by his cover, whether we believe it or not.

Like we shouldn't be doing that as Christians, but we all, we all do it. So I don't doubt that people look at me and they're like, wait a minute. Like this guy isn't like, he's not super buttoned up, but he also looks too casual to me.

And then when I saw the comment from, from AD and again, too, it's like AD and I had a great little meeting at a fight laugh feast and it's like water under the, under the bridge. But it's like, come on, I don't need to hear that.

Like Owen's telling me what to wear and that like the white guilt kind of thing. It's like, people can call me soft and be like, Oh, well that's what AD does. But like in general, I was like, just how does this add to fruitful conversation?

And how does this make me personally want to listen to what you have to say from here on out? Uh, because it's like, it's not really good to lead me down a path to be like, Oh yeah, well, thanks for kind of like those subtle insults.

I'm not really going to go crying to mama about something like that, but I'm more just kind of like, shoot, man, if we're having Christian discourse, I just personally am not really going to want to listen to anything else you have to say.

But got to meet up with, with AD and Joel when we're at fight left feast. And then like 80 was wearing a hoodie under his blazer. And that's kind of my fit. That's what I've always worn for a long time.

Ever since I was working with the sharks, like I'd wear a hoodie under my blazer. I think it's just a different kind of look. I think it keeps me a little bit young and a little bit more hip because I just don't feel comfortable when I'm putting on a, um, a button up underneath my blazer and like maybe like a, just a suit and tie full thing.

It's like, I don't know. It just doesn't feel relatable to me. I don't feel comfortable in it. And I think it allows like people to feel like let's have theological conversations about feeling like you either have to be incredibly casual or you have to be way too buttoned up.

I like it. No, like I said, I like the look. And I had no issue with it. I here's, here's, here's my issue is, and I think this is a broader issue to what you're speaking to and tell me what you think about this is I've found, cause I worked in politics a long time too.

I'm a locally elected official, but I'm also, uh, you know, I do stuff on campaigns and some national campaigns and stuff. And I found when, and when you're in legislative bodies as well, tuning of caucuses in the political sense, when you have denominations, when you have any type of group and you get down to a certain type of tribalism where you kind of circle the wagons around your guys.

And if things are going really good, then infighting starts. I've seen that in both politics, churches, um, you know, any type of group sports. Um, but I, I'm seeing right now two things in, in, in the Christian movement, especially in the reform movement as well is we're really, it's almost like, uh, you know, the outside world's on fire.

So let's start nitpicking secondary and third issues within our own community. Uh, because why be, I mean, I don't know, but, but I'm seeing the tribalism too, which I don't like, which is like, okay, the, uh, you know, the, I don't know, the, the post mill guys are over here, the theonomy guys and post over here.

And Oh, the G three. And they're a little more Baptist and they're over here. And it's like, okay, I get that. That's why we're in different denominations and we have different creeds and confessions and, uh, that's fine.

But man, I feel like in the world we're living in right now, um, I'll Joel webbing and an Owen strand should be linking arms and going, okay, what can we fight together? Uh, you know, in this culture right now, or, you know, a, a Doug Wilson and, uh, you know, Josh Bice should be going, let's sit down and talk through our issues here, uh, that are non-orthodox that are secondary issues.

And, um, you know, let's move forward. Now it might be happening at leadership level, and I'm just not privy to it. So some of it, I am, but I T I'll tell you what, all the kind of the followers and Hey, that guy's my guy type attitude.

And then there's no, there's, there's no quarter for any type of, uh, grace or give at all, because I have to be right or I have to look good or you have to look bad. So I look good. It's a, it's just weird thing where we fall into this secular non-Christian kind of tribalism that really bothers me because maybe, you know, I think I'm a little, maybe we're a little more like to where, look at man, I'm hanging out with my reformed Baptist brothers.

I'm hanging out with the G three guys. I'm hanging heck. I'm not in the fight lab feast network right now. I, you know, cross politic guys. Absolutely. All day long. I am reformed Presbyterian, uh, in my, um, you know, in my theology.

But at the same time, it's like, man, the stuff that separates some of us is so razor blade thin and not, not necessarily, uh, that important in reference to salvation and who Christ is and those orthodox things that it's like, man, it's not worth my time.

I'd read, let's go argue. You know, let's go make fun of an atheist or a secularist or a pagan, or one of these guys that want to, you know, uh, allow children to have sex change. Like we have other things going on here.

And that's what, you know, that's what I don't like. That's why like when I talk to you, I kind of get that same feeling of, yeah, I have my own thoughts. And I know as a broadcaster, we'll get into this.

Sometimes it's not your job to have an opinion on something when you're a professional interviewer, broadcaster, trying to bring minds together, put out a production, which I think, man, it feels like there's no grace for that either of look at whatever happened to someone being in the room and allowing two or three or four people to talk.

And the person who is controlling or moderating that or that interview or debate or whatever, doesn't necessarily have to have a hard take. That's not their position or lane. Their position or lane is to make sure that whole production, that discussion goes where it should go.

The questions that need to be asked are asked. And that's kind of what I was feeling with you when I saw some of your work and I appreciated that. Um, I don't know. That's a lot to bite on there, but do you have any comments on kind of that tribalism and then also letting people play their roles when it comes to broadcast?

Yeah. A couple of different things there. I mean, first and foremost, a lot of people believe that Twitter is almost real life, that if we have some sort of discussion about this, it needs to be almost debate like, and it needs to be lively.

And there needs to be bombs dropped. And for me, as you said, like, yeah, as a broadcaster, I'm representing G3. So also too, like, I'm not saying that I'm muzzled, but I have enough respect for G3 to know that, Hey, I'm going to position myself, you know, whether I'm working for G3 or I was in the same position, uh, for like fight, laugh, feast or anybody else.

Like I'm in the position to ask questions. This is not the soapbox moment for John root or trying to just make some sort of clickbait. And I'm not saying that everybody does that, but what happens within this tribalism is it's a, like you said, it's a terrible witness to people that aren't Christian.

So they're like, what the heck? Like, I already like wasn't really much of a fan of Christians. They might, you know, we have the atheist out there or the secularist or whatever it may be. And they're kind of like, Oh, like I already saw these people as kind of like angry, um, hardheaded.

And it doesn't even seem like they get along within seemingly their own family because a lot of people, they don't know the nominationalism. Like they don't, they don't understand the difference between a Baptist and a Presbyterian.

And then they're like, well, what are they even talking about here and why are they fighting? And I don't understand these words, like some of these secondary issues. Sure. We can debate them until Jesus comes back and that's fine.

But that comes down to agreeing to disagree. We just don't see that in society much anymore anymore. And we're not really seeing it within, within these Christian circles. So, and then I'm also seeing hints of almost like we see in the word, like, you know, Jesus, who is the greatest?

Like you're, we're almost putting ourselves in these positions to be like, no, like I almost want to prove a point, um, about my eschatology or about some of these like secondary issues. Um, and I don't know an aspect of like baptism or something like that.

Like I really want to prove that I am right. Or the person that I follow very heavily theologically is right. And sure. You can have some fun with like Moscow mood and no quarter and those kinds of things like, yeah, have, have some fun with that stuff because like I love, uh, my brothers and sisters up there and they've done incredible work.

I know my buddy Gabe too. Like we'll disagree on some stuff. Um, and that's beautiful. He has the ability to shoot me a text, but that guy and chocolate knocks and, uh, Sumter, like everybody, like they put in so much work to like have me out,.

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And if we start just having a little bit more fruitful conversation, I think there is times where like the ship is sailed with some of these conversations. Hopefully, you know, God doesn't work in, in everybody's hearts.

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