••TREAT EVERY IVIOIVIENT
PREC.OUS'' Barry Sanders is a standout NFL player, b ut faith and family are what is behind this back. By Tom Felten
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-<4 " Anything I ever do is because of my family ," declares the Detroit Lions·· all-time top rush er and one of the NFL' s most exciting players.
T'S JUST A SNAPS HOT . Kind of gray and grainy. But look a little closer. Read bet wee n the shadows. There's some symbolism in this photograph- a reflection of a young man's spirit. The photo? Oh , you've likely seen it in a magazine or 1wo- it ' s part of a sportswear company's advertising campaign. Just a simple black and white of Barry Sanders, the Detroit Lions' brill iant running back, lifting more weight th an should be humanly possible onto his shoulders. The adperhaps without trying- shows a lot of what this 5' 8" giant of the gridiron is made of. Consider: • His face is in the shadows. The only facial feature that stands out is his biting of his lower lip as he strains to lifi his heavy load . Thi s is quintessential Sanders. He's not into self-promotion or ge lling hi s face on every billboard across the country. He's a hard worker whose job just happens to be football.
• Lack of color in th e photograph produces some interesting contrasts. There are obvious patterns of solid black and striking wh ite. Patterns that Sanders understands. He lives his life for Jesus Christ-accepting the complete and clear differences between what his faith tells him is right and wrong. • Then there's the belt. He's got one of those big-buckled weight-lifting belts strapped on. This football wonder from Wi chita, Kansas, is famili ar with the Bible verse th at tells followers of Christ to "stand finn then, with the belt of truth buckled around your wa ist" (Ephesians 6: 14). This truth is somethi ng he was exposed to while growing up in a home filled wit h lots of kids and lots of love. "I came from a pretty large familyeleven kids," Sanders says. "My mother was a real strong believer [i n Jesus Chri st]. She use d to tak e us to church every Sunday. And my father also had strong, strong beliefsalong with believing in hard work."
R•CK S TEWAA TI ALLSPORT
SPORTS SPECTRUM • S UP ER BOWL 1993
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