I hope that you and your family had an excellent Labor Day weekend!

For the first time, my wife and I decided to host two foreign exchange students. Today is their first day of school in the United States. Since they've arrived, we've tried to show them many American pastimes by taking them to our church picnic, a county fair, a baseball game, and a Wisconsin Badgers football game. Attending the Badgers game proved to be one of their favorite experiences so far.

If you know me, you know I love football. I was a captain on my football team, I coached college football, I’m an owner of the Green Bay Packers, I’m a season ticket holder for the Green Bay Blizzard (Wisconsin’s indoor football team), and I’m a fourth-generation Packers season ticket holder.

With the start of the regular football season this Sunday, however, I’m reminded of the burden football season brings to many families around Wisconsin. You can’t watch a football game these days without being inundated with advertisements for sports gambling. Some reports suggest that these sports betting companies, also known as sportsbooks, are spending upwards of over a billion dollars per year just in advertising.

This advertising has been profitable for many sportsbooks, but their success in the gambling industry comes at a high cost for families. According to a 2024 study, sports betting causes significant financial strain on lower-income households. These companies pull in customers with promises of big returns, but winning is rare.

Sports gambling is unfortunately becoming extremely prevalent among youth. In 2023, the NCAA completed a study that found 58% of 18-22 year olds have bet on sports. Even at the Badger game this last week a nearby fan made an assumption and asked our exchange students how much money they were betting on the game. The assumption was that because they were young and at a sporting event, they must be gambling on the outcome.

At WFC and WFA, our team has been going through the book of Nehemiah during weekly devotions. We recently discussed Nehemiah 5 and were reminded that God, as well as godly leaders like Nehemiah, stood against those who would oppress the poor financially.

We can’t miss this similar parallel to our culture and to our nation today. I encourage you to join my family in cheering on the Green Bay Packers (or your favorite team), but please encourage those around you to just say no to sports betting.