Are Sports Hurting Our Spiritual Growth? Posted: Jul 14, 2009 Like many other Americans, I grew up playing sports from a young age. Baseball, football, basketball, golf, track—you name it, and there is a good chance I’ve given it a try. After becoming a Christian, I had the privilege of playing basketball and baseball for a private Bible College while I was working towards my Bachelor’s degree. But recently I have noticed a disturbing trend among Christians playing sports, whether it is ping-pong, basketball, or even video games. The trend is that, for many Christians, it seems their Christ-like mindset is checked at the door of their sporting event.