This week on Culture Brief, we’re looking at the deployment of federal troops in U.S. cities and what it means for crime, local authority, and national precedent. We’ll also dig into the rapid rise of sports betting across the country, how it’s reshaping culture, and its dangerous possibilities.
Plus, a roundup of politics, world news, college football updates, some NFL predictions, and our favorite NFL theme songs.
It’s the week’s top stories in culture, sports, and faith—all with a Christian perspective to help you think clearly and respond faithfully.
Topics
- (00:40): Troops in American cities: Background & legal debate
- (13:09): Spiritual application: Navigating gray areas
- (14:49): Sports betting epidemic in America
- (20:45): Dangers & consequences of sports betting
- (26:46): Christian perspective on gambling
- (29:27): Weekly check-in: World & U.S. headlines
- (33:24): College football recap & upsets
- (36:01): NFL returns: Trades, predictions & rivalries
- (40:22): How to connect & closing thoughts
Resources
- Send us your thoughts, questions, and topic ideas: [email protected]
- Culture Brief Instagram
- Sign-up for Denison Forum’s daily newsletter: DenisonForum.org/subscribe
Links mentioned in this episode:
- The dangerous rise of sports gambling- Denison Forum
- Following Christ in a sports-obsessed world – Denison Forum
Other articles on this week’s top headlines:
- Reuters: US judge blocks Trump from using troops to fight crime in California
- Crime in Washington, DC: What You Need to Know – Council on Criminal Justice
- D.C. mayor praises federal surge, angering residents and pleasing Trump – The Washington Post
- What Americans think about Trump’s handling of crime, according to a new poll
- Why March Madness can be both a joy and a danger – Denison Forum
- Young gamblers place sports bets while showering, wager away student loan money, addiction therapist warns
- For a new generation of kids, sports and gambling now go hand in glove
- Sports Betting Activities Survey April 2023 Key Findings
- MLB gambling investigation raises game integrity concerns
- Jontay Porter pleads guilty in case tied to NBA betting scandal – ESPN
About Conner Jones
Conner Jones is the Director of Performance Marketing at Denison Ministries and Co-Hosts Denison Forum’s “Culture Brief” podcast. He graduated from Dallas Baptist University in 2019 with a degree in Business Management. Conner passionately follows politics, sports, pop-culture, entertainment, and current events. He enjoys fishing, movie-going, and traveling the world with his wife and son.
About Micah Tomasella
Micah Tomasella is the Senior Advancement Officer at Denison Ministries and co-hosts Denison Forum’s “Culture Brief” podcast. A graduate of Dallas Baptist University, Micah is married to Emily, and together they are the proud parents of two daughters. With an extensive background in nonprofit work, finance, and real estate, Micah also brings experience from his years in pastoral church ministry.
About Denison Forum
Denison Forum exists to thoughtfully engage the issues of the day from a biblical perspective through The Daily Article email newsletter and podcast, the Faith & Clarity podcast, as well as many books and additional resources.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
NOTE: This transcript was AI-generated and has not been fully edited.
Conner Jones: [00:00:00] Hi, I am Conner Jones.
Micah Tomasella: My name is Micah Tomasella
Conner Jones: and this is Culture Brief, a Denison Forum podcast where we are navigating the constant stream of top stories and news, politics, sports, pop culture, and so much more. And we’re doing it all from a Christian perspective. And Micah, man, it’s been a crazy week.
It was a long Labor Day weekend, so we got a lot to catch up on. What are, what are we gonna hit on today?
Micah Tomasella: Yeah, man, we, we got a lot going on. So we’ve got troops in American cities, the dangerous rise of sports betting, the return of the NFL and so much more. So let’s jump into the brief. The brief. Alright, Conner Jones, let’s talk about troops in American cities.
I mean, I think this story has been big. I think we’ve kind of had a couple news cycles here where there’s just been several somewhat big news stories. But this has been kind of dwelling in the background. We have talked about what happened in California when Trump sent in the National Guard there with the riots that were taking place, or just the different protests that were happening.
But this [00:01:00] is kind of a continuation with what’s happened in dc. But DC’s a federal city, but now we’re talking about Trump sending in troops to. Completely different states, completely different cities. So you start getting into states’ rights and you start getting into all of these different legal implications of this when there is crime and there is crime issues, and so we have to kind of navigate this.
So let’s talk about what’s going on. So this summer America watched something, what I would call is unusual. President Trump deployed over 800 National Guard troops and federal officers into Washington DC arguing it was necessary to get crime under control. So I’m just kind of painting a picture. He’s also threatened to send similar forces into other cities, including Chicago, Baltimore, New York, and San Francisco, places with higher crime rates, specifically violent crime rates, but also places that do have, for the most part, liberal state governments and city governments.
Okay, so there is some partisan play in this as well. Definitely. Lemme give some historical context real quick. I won’t try to bore you. The United States [00:02:00] long separated military and civilian policing the. Conner, the Posse Comas Act. Is that right? I don’t know. I don’t know. You tell me. Okay. Anyway, that second word kind of confuses me, but that was passed in 1878.
It prohibits domestic military enforcement with rare exceptions under what’s called the Insurrection Act. That law has been used in moments of crisis like. Desegregation in Arkansas under President Eisenhower. Mm-hmm. And then it was used again in 1992 in the Los Angeles riots under President George HW Bush.
So we haven’t seen something like that since. Earlier this year, Trump ordered troops into LA during protest against ice. California’s governor objected. Governor Newsom and a federal judge recently actually ruled that that deployment violated this same act that was passed in 1878. That ruling does go into effect in September 12th.
As of now, they’re giving the Trump team Trump’s administration time to [00:03:00] appeal that. So you, you know, we’ll see what happens there. This continues to happen alone or kind of rogue, I’m not gonna call it rogue, but it’s a federal judge. There’s a lot of federal judges and the majority of these federal judges do have political leanings, and so it’s really hard.
To kind of comb through this. And so if a federal judge brings something up and then the Trump administration fights back, then it eventually makes its way to the Supreme Court and then a final decision is made. Those things take time though, so you know, we’ll see how that plays out in Washington dc The situation’s more complex.
Scholarly data shows that as of June, 2025, the homicide rate had dropped 65% from its 2023. Peak homicides fell 32% from 2023 to 2024, so they were higher in 2023. They dropped from 2023 to 2024, so they were already dropping, and then they have dropped another 12% so far in 2025 from those numbers. Violent crime overall in 2024 was down 35%, [00:04:00] the lowest it’s been in 30 years.
Other categories show dramatic declines too. Aggravated assaults have dropped 65%, gun assaults dropped 61%. Sexual assaults dropped 80%, robberies dropped 74% carjacking, 75% motor vehicle theft has dropped 50% this year, and larceny has dropped 43%. So just giving numbers of. There has been some real numbers that have come out since Trump sent some troops into DC to patrol the streets.
Crime has dropped now. You know, actually what was interesting, I’m gonna get into the pros and cons of this. I was just reading the Wall Street Journal editorial board this morning, and it was this really interesting article. I don’t remember the name of it, but it was basically, Hey, there’s clearly a crime problem in DC and in some of these other cities, but.
There’s also an issue of government overreach, and there’s only so much that the law will allow Trump to do. So crime is an issue, but we also have to balance that with what the president and what the administration actually has the legal capability [00:05:00] to do. So that’s the balance that we’re trying to strike.
I
Conner Jones: think that’s what a lot of people are calling out. To be honest, this has been like a complete win for Trump and his team because it’s just visually very powerful to see troops on the ground in a federal district. This DC just its own case. Yes. It’s so different than all these other cities and states and the mayor of DC has actually had to just basically accept it.
And she says, we’re working with the federal government. She’s been on board
Micah Tomasella: for the most part. She’s been board ’cause she knows her cities. At first she wasn’t.
Conner Jones: But yeah, she, she’s a democrat, so she had to save face a little bit and kind of push back. But now she’s okay, hey, actually this is making our city a lot safer, a lot cleaner.
All those crime rate drops you just mentioned. She’s recognized and a lot of people have recognized, and it’s really hard for Democrats to fight back on this because the numbers have dropped down, but they do have their own point, which is where does it go too far a, can he do this in dc but. Not other cities because yeah, DC is a federal district.
It’s just a weird, it’s a weird thing. It is, but visually it’s, and crime rate wise, it’s a big win for Republicans because Yeah, it’s just like, why wouldn’t you want [00:06:00] your city to be safer? You feel s. Even if the troops aren’t doing anything, just the presence of soldiers on corners of streets prevents criminals from wanting to do anything.
’cause they’re just gonna get tackled and arrested.
Micah Tomasella: Yeah. So I actually have some national polling data on this issue. Ooh. That I’m going to get to, but yes, Conner, that, that’s, that’s a great point. So that a couple more data points even. So the federal involvement appears to have accelerated the decline For sure.
I mean, that’s happening at least in the short term while this is happening. Reports show violent crime fell by nearly half and carjackings fell by more than 80% in just weeks. Just exactly what you were alluding to, even the Democratic mayor. Muriel Bowser acknowledged the progress and credited the federal presence for helping drive the numbers down.
So Trump has also threatened to go into other cities. So let’s touch on that for a minute. What’s happening in Washington DC may not be the end. Trump has repeatedly threatened to send troops into Chicago, pointing to what he calls a crime emergency there. Local leaders, including Governor JB Pritzker, who [00:07:00] we’ve talked about him before, he’s positioning himself to run in 2028.
So there’s just a lot of political theater taking place in all of this. Yes. With Trump too. There’s a lot of political theater taking Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, it’s on both sides. And then, and then the mayor of Chicago, mayor Brandon Johnson, strongly opposes the idea and argues that violent crime is already down more than 20% this year.
And I just saw video of him if he was basically like rallying the citizens. Are you ready to defend your land, Chicago? Which is just kind of confusing and it’s hard to wade through because you know, on one hand I think that there is a failure of leadership there. In Chicago and just even the governor with all of the crime issues, whether if it’s a red or blue state, but the legality of this is where things start to kind of, it can kind of teeter
Conner Jones: Yeah.
Real, real fast. On Chicago they don’t have a ton to stand on because the, the numbers came out from this Labor Day weekend. I don’t know if you saw this. Yes. 54 people. 54 people in the city of Chicago alone were shot over Labor Day weekend. Eight of them fatally. Eight died. Yeah. And this is an every [00:08:00] weekend thing.
There’s, there’s like a, a tracker that tracks these people shot and killed in Chicago every weekend in Gangland violence, all of that. There’s so many different Yep. Dangerous sections of the city. They don’t have a lot to stand on. I don’t think. There are people in Chicago who want federal troops to come in.
Micah Tomasella: So the debate is not about just Washington DC now though. It’s about whether this approach becomes a model for other cities and what that means for local authority and national precedent. So right now, like what happened in DC is happening currently, and there have been pros and cons to it, but the numbers are speaking for themselves.
But we have yet to see, I mean, Trump was literally posting on truth social yesterday, even up until this morning of, Hey, we’re gonna go into Chicago. Y, you know, not exactly sure when basically. And so everybody’s kind of gearing up for what this is gonna look like and just the optics. I mean, and this is gonna be an issue that Republicans are gonna jump on one side, Democrats are gonna jump on one side, and then the polling data’s gonna show the same thing.
So let me lay [00:09:00] out some quick pros and cons on this. So pros of what Trump is doing, sharp crime, drop with violent crime down almost 50% in DC and carjackings down more than 80% after the deployment. So it’s a pro if this can be replicated in different places, if this is really gonna drop crime now, you know, you could make the argument of.
How long will it last because they’re not gonna stay there forever. But at the same time, there, there are some real numbers coming out to show that it’s a positive in that way. And then families and businesses report that they do feel safer. There’s rapid federal support adding resources where local police were stretched in places like DC homicide and violent crime rates were already falling sharply.
And then this is showing progress in public safety. Overall, the cons. Crime was already declining before the surge, which raises questions about how much credit the deployment will deserve later. So it’s mm-hmm. Will Trump be able to take credit for this? Because violent crime just across the country has been dropping.
And so in these larger cities, there have been some drops. And so how much credit doing this? You know, will he actually get. Another con, many DC residents [00:10:00] reported feeling less safe. So I think I saw a poll. It was like 80% of DC residents themselves feel less safe. However, what I would say is, is that the majority of the DC population is democratic.
And so when you read something like that, it’s really difficult. So I actually included a poll that I’m about to get to that’s just kind of a national poll. Because it’s really difficult to wade through these different things. And then another con, if this does expand deployments to other cities, it will inflame political divides and it will appear partisan.
This is kind of an issue too, is there are many, many cities that for example, let’s just, we live here in Texas, there’s a crime problem in Dallas. There’s a crime problem in Houston. There’s a crime problem in Austin. Is Trump willing to send troops in to places with red governors or even. Red mayors is he willing to do that?
Yeah. And so if he’s just gonna send it to the liberal places, it is going to appear partisan. And I, I do think that that’s a con. Okay. Let’s talk about what’s at stake real quick. The facts are clear. [00:11:00] Crime has dropped some residents and leaders credit the deployment, yet the deeper issue I, I think is precedent in this case.
If a president can deploy troops into cities without local consent, whenever he sees fit, what does that mean for state authority? What does it mean for just the democratic norms? You know, there’s been a lot of norm breaking in Trump’s presidency. Not necessarily law breaking, but norm breaking and then, you know, what does that look like for community trust?
So there was an AP. NORC poll that found that while handling crime remains one of Trump’s relative strengths, one of his greatest strengths is kind of being a law and order president. So he’s at a 53% approval rating for just, you know, his, his handling of crime so far, but 55%. In the same poll, Americans say full federal control of local police is unacceptable.
So it’s, again, it’s like a balancing act. They don’t want full federal control. 55% don’t of local policing, but 53% [00:12:00] do approve of his handling and being a law and order type president. So beneath the politics are real people, families who feel safer walking to the store, but then also there’s residents who feel uneasy about it too with troops outside their homes.
I mean, imagine that as well. Like you live in a large city and then there’s just troops everywhere. That definitely feels weird, you know, like at the same time experienced, I guess I would just hope experienced this would be for a short period of time.
Conner Jones: You know, I think I, you and I probably both have experienced that in other countries.
I’ve experienced that in Brazil where there’s just troops on the streets. Definitely in Israel where there were experienced that in Israel, for sure, Israel feels like a different ball game, but yeah, that it’s a, it’s a thing that does happen to other countries where they have militarized police almost, and you’re just like, whoa.
Feel like I’m in a, a movie or something.
Micah Tomasella: Yeah. So it’s, you know, I, I definitely think it gives a feeling of uneasiness, and I do hope that this yields a result that will drop the crime rates and that there can be something put in place to bring about something more lasting. You know, at the same time, I, I [00:13:00] do hope that the Trump administration pulls back when it’s the right time, you know?
Anyway, let me give a spiritual application to this, this moment feels like a gray area. So there’s not like a clear answer for this. It seems like with every pro there’s a con. So on one hand the numbers don’t lie. Violent crime and carjackings are down. For example, like in DC, families feel safer. Even leaders who often disagree, like the DC Mayor admits the results are real.
But on the other hand, the legal and constitutional concerns are serious. Too many residents do feel less safe with troops in their neighborhoods, and the idea of federal control over local police makes people feel. Uneasy gray areas like this are where faith matters most. Proverbs three five says this, trust in the Lord with all your heart.
And don’t lean on your own understanding. And then James one five reminds us, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach? The challenge is not to pick a side based only on fear or [00:14:00] only on politics, but to seek God’s wisdom in this for how we live as his people in uncertain times like we’re living in now.
So here’s the call when the issues feel complicated and the lines are blurry. Don’t rush to just easy answers. Jumping into this is my political affiliation. This is how I’m gonna feel about it. What’s done is done. Oh, hey, it’s in, it’s in another city that’s affecting other people. Son is done. I would encourage you.
We would encourage you. What we’re trying to do is pray first about the issue, then ask God for wisdom. Be quick to listen, slow to speak in your dialogue and discussion with others, and then be slow to anger when you’re met with some disagreements, and then live as a witness to the deeper peace that only Christ can give, because in the gray areas of life.
Our faith does become tested ’cause we like having those solid concrete answers and our faith has also proved genuine in those times. That feel great too.
Conner Jones: Hmm. Good stuff. Yeah. We’ll just have to keep tabs on this. Thanks for the spiritual application there too. It helps bring [00:15:00] some peace to just what’s going on and we’ll see.
I mean, I, I think by the end of the week there’s a potential there could be. Federal, if not troops, definitely federal agencies, FBI, ice, all of that. Yeah. And more cities. So yeah, keep tabs on that right now though, Micah, I wanna talk about something that I, I would honestly consider basically an epidemic in American culture.
Oh. So that it’s just risen up. Yeah. I’m, I’m gonna drop the e word on US epidemic, you know, and it’s, it’s sports betting, which has become very, very. Prevalent in our culture. It’s really permeated a lot of stuff. It’s not even just sports betting. That’s what I’m gonna focus on, but you’ve probably seen all these other betting markets, poly market call sheet, all of that where you can bet on the weather, you can bet on politics, you can bet on a whole bunch of stuff.
Micah Tomasella: Anything these days,
Conner Jones: really anything. A lot of that is, those are European companies and so you’re kind of going through a European market able to just bet on. Quite literally anything. Will somebody be fired from their job before the end of the year? Will somebody resign? [00:16:00] Crazy stuff. So that’s all there.
But sports betting in particular is extremely popular in the US Now, a lot of that is because in 2018, the Supreme Court basically handed ability to decide if they’re going to legalize it. Since 2018, when the Supreme Court said, states can make this decision, 39 of those states have said yes. Now, here in Texas, we do not have it legalized.
That being said, there are so many workarounds, so many underground.
Micah Tomasella: Not yet. It’s gonna eventually happen though, probably. It’ll probably
Conner Jones: happen in Texas at some point. Most states will do it, especially once they see the tax revenue that these other states are bringing in from gambling. But in Texas it’s not a thing.
There’s a few other states that it’s not, but the majority of the US does have the ability to do legal sports betting on these big, basically gaming platforms such as FanDuel and DraftKings and all of that. So I, I wrote an article last month about this ’cause I was just like, I was so curious to see the rise.
I wanted to bring some of the research that I found on sports betting to this and explain because it is so culturally relevant to what is just happening [00:17:00] in the kind of the dangerous aspects of it. Also, the damage that it’s causing. So lemme just hit on a few of the numbers here. Since the Supreme Court decision in 2018, this is just six years, more than $330 billion has been wagered on sports, which is crazy.
That’s a massive number. 20, 24. Wow. There was a 24% increase over bets from 2023, which totaled $150 billion. That means it is growing year over year, significantly. 24% from 23 to 24, right? So we don’t know the full number yet for 2025, but I guarantee you it will be larger and then $3.1 billion just as a, a general, like one month thing, $3.1 billion.
Was bet on this past March Madness tournament. So that’s just one month of March to April, essentially one basketball tournament. And that is a betting just haven because there’s so many basketball games happening at that time. And now with football season coming in, I think this is the right time to address this because that is the yes center of sports betting is when college and NFL football really kicks [00:18:00] back off.
So honestly, you’ve probably noticed in past years if you’re listening to this, that you can’t really watch a game or listen to a podcast. The radio watch, ESPN, anything without just seeing all the betting stuff. You see ads from the betting platforms. You see betting lines and odds and over unders.
Everything is out there. Your host on these shows and on these podcasts are talking about how they’re betting or what they would do if they were in your shoes. They all have their own promo codes through these betting. Markets. So I was listening to college football podcast yesterday and he was saying, Hey, here’s what I’m doing.
If you want to make your bet on this game, use my promo code blank and you get to go get 300 do. It was literally $300 of free money to bet with. That is so enticing for people, right? Hey, mm-hmm. Use my code and you get all this house money to play with. Mm-hmm. That’s how they get you in the door, and that is extremely, extremely enticing.
That is just what draws all these people in. And then you’ve got all these platforms that are just integrating with the games. You can watch a live game [00:19:00] and you’re seeing the odds, and then you can make bets during the game all on your smartphone. So many people are getting into this because the, the ease of access is just right there on your phone.
You can sit on your couch and just play bets, and you play parlay bets. You play one hit bets. All of these different options, it’s all right there at your fingertips. And so it’s just made this so easy for people to get into, which. There’s, there’s the people who are like, oh, I’m just doing it for fun. But then there’s the people who are like, it’s addicting and that’s what they want.
They want you to be addicted. I mean, Micah, have you noticed this massive change in recent years?
Micah Tomasella: Yeah, of course I have. And I think, I think it’s one of those things that people can probably, like in Christian culture, somewhat like equate to drinking, you know? Mm-hmm. It’s like for some people you can have a drink or two and just enjoy it, and it doesn’t turn into.
Getting drunk consistently, or being addicted to it, or it turning into a vice. But I think this is one of those things where we’ve gotta really know thyself and understand how we’re being created and wired. And you know, I don’t think you’re gonna say today that you know [00:20:00] you’re completely in the wrong.
If you place a sports bet every once in a while, but you really gotta be careful with this. You really, really do. Because it can, it can suck you in. And I, I happen to have quite a few people in my life who I would say have been sucked in and I think. Regular sports watching turns into something much deeper.
Like for me, it’s so far it’s kind of easy for me to not do it. ’cause I’ve just kind of seen some bad examples of people who do it in my life and I just feel like it turns something that’s a bit more lighthearted and just your sports fandom into oh hey, like a part of my income is tied to this.
A part of my money is tied to this. It has to work out. I think it can just. Kind of zap the fun out of it. And then every once in a while I think they get to ride those highs of, oh, hey, I just made a whole lot of money just betting on sports and I already love sports. So yes, I have definitely seen it permeate in people that I know and also just in culture.
Conner Jones: Yeah, man, I have too. And it, it’s crazy because it did used to be something that you had to go to Las Vegas essentially to make sports bets and sit in their sports betting room. And so it was like maybe you did it over a weekend and [00:21:00] then you went back home. But now that it’s just so easy to do everywhere.
It’s everywhere. It’s just there. So you’re right. Yes. I’m not gonna say you cannot do this. The Bible does not say it doesn’t have a command against gambling. Now it’s got warnings. I’m gonna hit on that here in just a minute. It’s got a lot of warnings about stuff with gambling and money, so there’s a lot out there.
But I’m also gonna give you just some basic warnings that we’re seeing in culture now because of this. Some of the serious consequences, I’m gonna give you four of them real fast. One of the most disturbing trends, number one here, is that the, the normalization of gambling is really popular among teenagers and young adults, particularly men.
So this generation, this younger generation, gen Z and younger millennials are really picking this up because they, they’re the ones seeing it on, they’re being advertised to like crazy. They’re the ones listening. Mm-hmm. They’re the ones watching these games, all of that. A lot of the apps let you start betting right at 18 years old.
And so these teenagers in high school essentially are getting right into it. Then the age verification on the apps is really, honestly, pretty lax a lot of the time. [00:22:00] So even younger than 18 year olds are getting in there pretty easy and able to place bets. And so yeah, these, these kids are exposed very early on.
To essentially gambling it. It’s not like you wait until you’re 21 to go to Las Vegas to go on a trip. Now you’re on your phone, you’re maybe sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, and you’re, you’re placing bets on your couch at home, and, and the, the deals are just too good to pass up a lot of times for these people, you know that it’ll say download FanDuel or whatever, and you’ll get $100 of free bets.
That temptation is to play with that house money, so they get you with that. Then there’s the parlay bets. These are extremely popular and extremely. Convincing. Basically, it’s where you, let’s say for example, you, you put $10 down and you’re betting that three actions are going to happen. If all three of those actions happen, you’re gonna get a big return.
For instance, $10 that the cowboys are gonna win the game that the total combined score will be over 45 points, and that the quarterback on the cowboys will throw at least two touchdowns. If all three of those hit, yeah, you, you’re gonna get a big payday, but the chances of all three hitting are low, and that’s on purpose, right?[00:23:00]
The house wants you to lose that. And so then if you miss any of those three things, you lose your money. Mm-hmm. So that’s just one of the ways that they’re getting people in there, but it’s very enticing. ’cause you’re like, oh, I can do this. If they just do this. And you’re right Micah, it starts to bring emotion into the game.
You’re watching a game for a whole different purpose than just fandom. It’s also number two, problem here is it’s damaging financial futures and families. There’s a lot of destruction that comes from gambling. This is why even after the ads for all these gambling platforms, they say, do you have a gambling problem?
Call one 800, whatever the gambling hotline is in that state because they know they’re causing a problem. It’s kind of like, I think, I think
Micah Tomasella: they want us to have a gambling problem, right?
Conner Jones: They do. Yeah. In fact, there’s lawsuits out there against some of these platforms for encouraging you even though they know you’ve got a problem.
Yeah. Encouraging you to continue. Hey, if you just win one time, you’ll be out of all of your debt. That’s how they get you. It’s just lies on. Lies on lies, of course. It’s like the devil just dangling things right in front of you, tempting you. And then another thing is it’s having a negative impact on athletes themselves.
So the NCAA. [00:24:00] Has released a report detailing that one in three high profile athletes receive abusive messages from someone with a betting interest. So student athletes are being harassed by people who are betting and when they don’t do the right thing, it’s basically right in a game. Yeah. Yeah. Students, man, these grown adults are like lashing out at these students because they didn’t score the basket or they didn’t score the touchdown to help them win their bet.
They’re, they’re mad at the, the athlete for their bet, which is just ridiculous. And then number four is the games themselves are being impacted. We’ve seen athletes getting caught for gambling on the themselves and on their own games. So we’ve had several NBA players, several MLB players getting caught.
It’s damaging the integrity of the game. Some people have been completely suspended. JTA Porter specifically, he was on the NBA Toronto Raptors. He is also facing jail time, but he has a lifetime suspension. He will never play basketball again in the NBA crazy because he was betting on himself, which is ridiculous.
And that’s because he was in debt. So these guys are millionaires and they’re betting on themselves because they’re in debt from their own gambling addictions. It’s just [00:25:00] so bad. Okay, so Micah, if winning a bet is so hard, if losses build up and the integrity of sports are really kind of being negatively impacted, why?
I mean, why are people continuing to be drawn in? Like there’s, there’s clear dangers, obviously there’s the advertising we’ve mentioned, but honestly there’s a poll that kind of was trying to figure this out and they asked a bunch of online betters. What they do this for, and here were their answers. They say it’s fun.
It makes watching games more interesting. They think that they will win and they signed up because of a promotion. Kind of like what I’ve been hitting on. So just a lot there. And then the, of course, the powerful gambling partners, they’re all benefiting too. So if you think about it, the leagues, each of these professional leagues or college leagues or whatnot, they’re seeing increased fan engagement, which means more revenue.
The TV networks are seeing more viewership, which means more ad revenue. In states that are legalizing this, are getting insane numbers of tax dollars millions in additional tax revenue. So the people that are supposed to be protecting the integrity of sports and athletes are actually also bought into this [00:26:00] because they’re all getting mm-hmm.
Boosted revenues. Fantasy life founder Matthew Barry, he has noted that the rise of legal sports betting has provided more benefits to leagues than just new revenue streams, though they also see it as a way to cater to the most avid fans. And so if you play fantasy football or you do these bets or whatnot, you are twice as likely to buy tickets.
Watch more games and purchase merchandise, all of that. Okay. So like you said earlier, let’s just be clear, the Bible does not explicitly forbid gambling, and this is actually something you and I Micah discussed recently on a podcast, the Faith and Clarity Podcast with Dr. Mark Turman, Dr. Ryan Denison. When we had a sports specific podcast, we kind of discussed a lot of this.
I loved what Dr. Ryan Dennison said though, because he wisely pointed out like you did just a minute ago. The importance of self-awareness and spiritual discernment. Like that if you, if you’re prone to addiction or you get caught up in the emotional highs and lows of betting, even just a small wager, a $5 wager can open the door to spiritual and emotional ruin.
If that’s something that’s gonna be a temptation for you, just don’t touch it. [00:27:00] Yep. And you know, it’s not necessarily calling out like the annual, like you said, the annual buy-in for your fantasy football league. Okay. If you know, that’s gonna be just a quick one-off thing. It’s not gonna lead you into temptation.
Maybe you see that differently, but it’s really more of a warning towards these addictive nature of quick and easy bets and all of that. You know, if you’re watching live games and you’re struggling with this, think about deleting that app from your phone. And as sports betting grows and popularity, what should we as Christians do?
I, I think in a culture that’s idolizing wealth and risk and entertainment. The call of scripture, it’s, it’s pretty clear. One Corinthians six 12 says, all things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything. So be honest about your tendencies if gambling lures you into greed or emotional volatility.
Step away. Speak truth and love. Talk with friends and family about the risks of gambling. If it’s something that’s gonna be a struggle for you, and champion integrity in sports and in life. Call out systems that prioritize profit over [00:28:00] people. Pursue contentment in Christ over quick gains. And lemme just leave you with one quick verse from the Bible about, it’s basically a warning about greed, addiction, and the desire for quick wealth.
Proverbs 1311 says. Wealth gained. Hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. And one more, actually, Hebrews 13, five says, don’t love money. Be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, I will never fail you. I will never abandon you. Amen. Don’t just seek thrills and quick wealth.
Seek God. Seek things that are more fruitful, more righteous. Again, it’s up to you. You have to discern and determine what would be a temptation for you. So Mike, any last thoughts on that?
Micah Tomasella: No, it’s a great point Conner, and it’s something important to bring up just ’cause I think, you know, the Christian world, like especially in the West and like what we experience, you know, here in America, they’re very quick to call out things that are more black and white issues.
I do think that this is more of a great issue for a lot of people and I do [00:29:00] believe there’s a lot of awesome Christians, awesome believers who are dedicated to Christ too. Who gamble on sports, right? So this is, this is something that I think’s really worth talking about because I think this is something that’s under talked about in the church that isn’t talked about enough.
And so I am really glad that you touched on it. And if, if anything it just, if it encourages people to just think or if it encourages people who are listening. To actually pay attention to what the people in their life are doing and what they could be doing could actually be damaging to them and those around them, then it’s absolutely worth the time.
And I’m really glad that you broke that down for us, Conner. Thank you.
Conner Jones: Yeah, you’re, you’re exactly right on that. It just, just consider it, pray about it, you know, are you having fun? Okay, but is it gonna lead you into somewhere else? That’s where you really need to, you need to probably talk to an accountability partner or, or delete an app or whatever it is.
So pray about it. Check your heart on it, and yeah, that’s what we’ve got there. Micah, should we hop into our check-in section and check in on a few things that have happened in the last week?
Micah Tomasella: Let’s do it. Let’s hop into the check-in section. Russian President Vladimir Putin, [00:30:00] north Korean dictator, Kim Jong-Un.
They met their friend, president Q in China. They all stood side by side as he presided over a massive military parade in Beijing. It’s a symbolic and frightening show of solidarity as they were clearly trying to show off to the us, to Europe, and to specifically Donald Trump who has failed to build a meaningful relationship with them this term.
Now, I don’t think it’s his goal to build a meaningful relationship with him. He is trying to isolate them from the rest of the world. But you know, Trump posted on truth social. A message to Qi and he said, please give my warmest regards to Putin and Kim Jong-un as you conspire against the United States of America.
Also, the Indian Prime Minister, Modi has become very friendly with Putin and Qi as basically Trump has laid the hammer down on India telling them to stop buying oil from Russia. India, I, I don’t think they’ve kind of backed down and taken the direction that I think Trump’s wanted them to take.
They seem to be cuddling up more with. Q and with Putin instead of [00:31:00] kind of coming more to the US’ side. Yeah, all of this is very interesting. That was a very interesting video. I mean, I would encourage people to just kind of look it up and just kind of watch the video. It’s kind of very profound to see people who are kind of frenemies get together in that way.
Conner Jones: Yeah. They’re definitely trying to show force, right? And message to Trump and the US and Europe, all of them, that they’re in this together and they’re gonna be the access powers of this century. If you consider it kind of like World War II access. Yeah. Yeah. Like World War ii, the buildup. It was obviously Japan, Italy, and Germany.
Yeah. Where the access tower? I You
Micah Tomasella: said access. I was like, what Xi
Conner Jones: No. A like Access Hollywood. Like they’re gonna be Yeah. Access. Be the culture stars. A XIS.
Micah Tomasella: Yeah.
Conner Jones: And, and then India is just a weird player there because they’re kind of a, they’re like that gray area, country where Yeah, they’re free agent. I mean, we’ll see how
Micah Tomasella: that works out.
Free. Yeah.
Conner Jones: Free agent,
Micah Tomasella: dude. He’s gonna draft him. Yeah, dude. Yeah. They’re a free agent. I mean, we’ll see how that one works out. Yeah.
Conner Jones: Anyways, a few other things. We’ve got troops in DC of course, so that’s been at the top of the [00:32:00] news, but DC’s honestly been pretty quiet because Congress has been gone for the last month.
They were on recess, and so now they are back, right? They came back on Tuesday. Things have already started heating back up around Epstein files, so that’s back in the news. We’ve also got a government shutdown looming. I don’t think most people know that, but October 1st is when the government is set to shut down.
So 12:01 AM on October one, government’s gonna shut down, so Congress is gonna be having bitter battles over the next few weeks. As they try to come to a deal to keep the government open. I also just wanna mention real fast, ’cause I don’t think this has made really very many headlines, and I’m not sure many people are aware, but there were two natural disasters over the weekend that killed thousands of people.
It was an earthquake in Afghanistan and a landslide in Sudan that has left thousands upon thousands of people dead, which is really, really tragic. Yeah. And when it happens in countries like that, it does not typically make it into the news or top headlines. So if you guys did not know that, you now know.
And I would just encourage you to pray. Pray for these people in these countries who have lost so much. They’ve lost their homes, they’ve lost lives, they’ve lost loved ones, and it’s just really [00:33:00] sad. Another thing is there was a drone strike in the South Caribbean. That’s not something you often hear, but Trump did order one on a boat coming from Venezuela, they believe was headed towards the us.
It contained drugs and 11 members of the trend to a Iraq. Ar ua. I can’t ever say that. Trend. Ua. Thank you. That’s it. Yeah. The Venezuelan gang that has been labeled as a terrorist group, so just pointing that out because that’s a whole new thing. There’s, the Navy is down there off the coast of Venezuela and now they’re doing drone strikes on boats with drugs.
So keep tabs on that. And then of course we had college football over the weekend and we talked about that last week going into the weekend. And Micah, I know you were really, really excited to watch your team, the Texas Longhorns. Play Ohio State, you thought that they were going to win. You also predicted them to be the national champions This year, I’m gonna just go ahead and say they’re not on track for that.
And they did lose this past Saturday and Arch Manning didn’t look very good and maybe the [00:34:00] media hyped him up too much. There was too much pressure placed on him, but no,
Micah Tomasella: wasn’t a pretty show. He looked terrible. He looked terrible. He looked lost. Texas came in unprepared on that. Offensive sat on the ball, and I think that that really, the, the blame should be laid on the, on the head coach Steve Sarkisian, who’s the head coach and also calls the plays, just not getting the players ready and just some poor play calling and meaning.
This was arch’s first real start. He goes into the horseshoe. In Columbus against the, the defending national champions. And it was a difficult one. Yeah. In Texas loss. But thankfully, you know, with, with this college football playoff system, a team can take one or two losses and still make it to the championship.
I mean, Ohio State went into that playoff, I think is the ninth seed. They had two losses and then they ran the table and became. National champions. I think that’s just kinda what’s exciting Texas. Or like any other school, you can have a bad loss or two and potentially still make the playoff. You know, also, Alabama was upset by Florida State [00:35:00] University.
At Florida State Diocese is done. And you know, there was this, there was this crazy storming of the field afterwards. Florida State got fined $50,000. I don’t think they cared one bet. I think they loved being able to storm the field when they beat Alabama. Alabama’s a different team man with no more Nick Saban.
The culture seems to have shifted. There’s been some, some different reports coming out there. It definitely seems to be the end of a dynasty. And then I was gonna say, speaking
Conner Jones: of dynasties collapsing. Remember when the Patriots were the dynasty of the NFL, right? It was, it was Tom Brady and who else?
Bill Belichick. Yeah. And then that dynasty collapsed and now Bill is in the college ranks at University of North Carolina. And he got crushed. I mean, that gave crushed bad 48. It started off so hot. Yeah.
Micah Tomasella: One, one touchdown. And then, you know, there was I, I follow this, this account. It’s like freezing cold takes or whatever, and they just post people making these declarative statements who are completely wrong.
Yeah. So it was like. Man, I think Colin Cow heard and then [00:36:00] Skip Bail. I mean just kind of those national sports pundits. You know, after that first touchdown that UNC scored within the first five minutes of the game, they went up 7.0. It’s like Bill Belichick about to take over college football.
This game’s in the bag, bill Belichick’s about to run the table, turn UNC down, you know, around. I’m like, oh man, they
Conner Jones: lost 41 to seven, like it was 48 to
Micah Tomasella: 14. Oh four, eight to 14, that’s what it was. Yeah. Just it, yeah. It was unbelievably bad and so people kind of came out. I think they need to wait a little bit sooner before making those types of statements, but those types of statements are why they get clicks in the first place, that’s true. I mean, I get it.
Conner Jones: Yeah. Okay. Micah, even better news than college football coming back. Is that the, the, the NFL is back, right? And it starts, if you’re listening to this on Thursday, it starts tonight. The Dallas Cowboys versus the Philadelphia Eagles. We’ve got lots of thoughts on that, but we gotta, we gotta touch on real fast.
After we recorded last week, we later found out in the day that Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys Superstar, one of our best players, maybe the best defensive player in the league, was traded in a blockbuster trade [00:37:00] to one of our biggest nemesis. Green Bay Packers. Mm-hmm. We can’t stand the Packers down here in Dallas.
And we sent off our best offensive player. Now there could be a litany of reasons. A lot has come out in the last week about that. But our initial reactions, I know ’cause we’re in a Cowboys group, text was we were, we were just like, oh, come on. At least get something more in return if you’re gonna do it.
But also we were hoping they’d get him signed. So yeah, kind of a sad day.
Micah Tomasella: I definitely was on the train and Conner can attest to this. I’ve been kind of standing alone. As like in this kind of cowboys atmosphere that Conner and I roam in, I’ve been wanting to trade Micah for a while, so I, I wanted us to trade him.
Goodness gracious. I just thought we could have gotten more and could we have traded him to an a FC team and not to the Green Bay Packers who have been responsible for ending many playoff runs in the last 10 or 15 years. And that means that we’re basically gonna see him once a year. If you trade him to the A FC, you don’t have to see him very often, so he is gonna be chasing down Dak.
For years to come, [00:38:00] at least once a year, just for many reasons. I, I kind of just sit uneasy, but you know what? I still have some optimism for the season. Hoping the best Go cowboys, wheat ’em boys and goodness gracious, if you can’t get up as a Cowboys fan and you do not wanna beat the Eagles, something is wrong with you.
I really want to beat the Eagles on Thursday night. We’ll see what happens. They’re also the defending Super Bowl champions and they’re pretty good. So we’ll see what happens.
Conner Jones: Both your teams, both your teams had to go up against the Defending Champions first game. They’re starting the seasons out. A Against Defending Champions.
Micah Tomasella: Yeah,
Conner Jones: man, it’s tough out there these days. Crazy. Okay, as the FL starts, we gotta make our predictions. We did the same thing for college last week. We need to make our Super Bowl predictions of who we think will be in the Super Bowl, the A FC, and the NFC team, and then. Maybe who we think will win. Micah, what?
What are you thinking?
Micah Tomasella: Alright, this, I mean, this is kind of off the cuff, honestly. Like I intentionally didn’t really kind of prepare for this one just ’cause I wanted to kind of just go off what I was feeling. I know that I’m gonna be held accountable to this and Conner’s gonna do his job, especially if I’m wrong with my prediction to share with [00:39:00] everyone how I was wrong.
Let’s go with, I think the Kansas City Chiefs will be back in the Super Bowl. Let’s go. Oh my goodness. Let’s go Chiefs. Commanders. Whoa, dude, that’s crazy. Chiefs commanders, and then chiefs win it all.
Conner Jones: You’re like, man, they brought troops back into the District of Columbia, and all of a sudden the NFL team is ready to roll.
Micah Tomasella: I mean, look, man, I mean, I think, I think the commanders are really good, and I think Dan Quinn is a fantastic coach, and I think they’ve got a good defense. They got a good offense. I think Jayden Daniels is a revelation. They still have him on that rookie quarterback contract, so they’re able to sign whoever they want.
I think they’re a dangerous team, man. I mean, I, I’m just as scared of them in the NFC East as I am the Eagles. Maybe even a little bit more, honestly. Yeah. I’m gonna say Commander’s Chiefs. Chiefs win it all.
Conner Jones: Okay. I’m gonna go with the San Francisco 49 ERs. I believe that they will be back in the Super Bowl.
I know. Seems like a lousy pick right now. That’s crazy. I just believe in them. Not that I want to, I don’t like the 49 ERs, but I think that they’ll pull together [00:40:00] versus the Baltimore Ravens. And they’re just an, they’re a complete team and I think they’re, who wins all win the super who wins the Ravens.
Okay, good.
Micah Tomasella: I wouldn’t mind that at all. That wouldn’t bother me.
Conner Jones: You know, they’re not our team. I’d rather our team win the whole thing. No, of course. But I don’t,
Micah Tomasella: I don’t despise the Ravens like I do some other teams, you know what I mean? As a Cowboy Cowboy fan, there’s less of a rivalry there.
Conner Jones: Yeah. Micah, do you have a favorite NFL theme song? You know what I mean?
Micah Tomasella: Yeah, I do. It’s the Fox ones.
Nah. Yeah, that one. That’s my favorite one. That’s favorite one. That one just, mm-hmm. You
Conner Jones: feel good you’re, it’s post church, like Sunday afternoon Fox on Sunday. Mm-hmm. Man, I love that. Monday night football one to look. Ba. Donna. Donna. Man, that one’s so good. That’s so classic. That’s a good one. It’s from the seventies.
You just feel like you’re, it’s like just American culture. I don’t, I just love it. And it’s Monday Night Football. Guys, if you have thoughts, questions, concerns, shoot us an email or find us on Instagram. You can email us at culture [email protected]. Let us know who you think is gonna win the Super Bowl.
Maybe [00:41:00] we’ll mention your prediction or who do you think is just gonna be in it, or what team’s gonna be really bad this year? What are your NFL thoughts? What are your college football thoughts? What are your thoughts on all the political stuff we’ve talked about? Shoot us a message, shoot us an email.
You can also follow us on Culture Brief or on Instagram at Culture Brief Podcast. Do that and then just know we are loaded with football all weekend. We’ve got the, obviously the, the Cowboys versus Eagles. Thursday night on Peacock. That’s gonna be at 8:20 PM Eastern Friday night. There’s a game in Brazil.
The Chiefs versus the Chargers that’s crazy on YouTube, which is a first in Brazil. On Brazil. Sao Paulo. Don’t ask me why. Okay. The FL, see this? Not YouTube, tv. YouTube. YouTube. I believe maybe it’ll show on YouTube TV as well. I’m not sure they’re being really confusing about the whole thing. Okay.
Yeah. And then Sunday night, obviously big Sunday night football game. Every week it’s gonna be the Ravens versus the Bills. Two Super Bowl favorites. That’s gonna be good. It’s be a good one. It’s gonna be a great
Micah Tomasella: game. Two great quarterback. Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
Conner Jones: Monday night we got that NFC North matchup, the Vikings versus the Bears.
So just a [00:42:00] great weekend of football ahead. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. Enjoy the beautiful September weather and we will see you next week. But thank you for listening to this week’s episode of The Culture Reef Podcast, a Denison Forum podcast. As always, we are with Dennison Forum and we love to reference the articles.
We love to reference all the links there. All those that we mentioned in today’s episode will be linked in our show notes. You can find ’em there. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please subscribe, rate, review, whatever it is, leave stars, tap the bell, all of it, and share it with a friend, and we will see you next Thursday.
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