ACSI Podcasts
PODCAST EPISODE
Grafted Together Ep 80: Kingdom Athletics Series: The Seven Enemies of Greatness
October 8, 2026
Billy Sparacio rejoins the Grafted Together Podcast for the third part of the Kingdom Athletics Series, discussing how coaches in both Christian and public schools can look beyond scoreboard wins to intentionally cultivate character, leadership, and faith in athletes.
See the 7 enemies of greatness (and how to defeat them) document here: https://www.acsi.org/docs/default-source/communication---engagement/podcasts/7-enemies
This is the third part of the Kingdom Athletics Series; Parts 1 and 2 are episodes 76 and 77 of the Grafted Together Podcast.
Guest bio: Billy Sparacio has served for 17 years as an Athletic Director which includes oversight of multiple sport programs at the Middle and High School levels. In 2008 he launched a High School Athletic Program from the ground up with less than 100 high school students. Billy not only led the Athletic Program but he was responsible for raising capital for multi-million dollar athletic facilities. Under his leadership and commitment to excellence some 14 years later this culminated into a Football State Championship victory and the school was awarded the Floyd E. Lay Sunshine Cup and the Carey E. McDonald Award in Class 3A given to the Overall Florida Athletic Program of the Year.
Subscribe on Your Favorite Platform!
![]()
Recent Episodes
Grafted Together Ep 80: Kingdom Athletics Series: The Seven Enemies of Greatness
Stronger Together Ep 21: Dr. Larry Taylor on Christian Education Advocacy at the PPA Summit
Grafted Together Ep 79: From Clean Water to the Living Water: Christian Education by Immersion
Grafted Together Ep 78: King Jesus' Children Deserve a Royal Education, with Chad Dirkse
Grafted Together
Grafted Together with ACSI Chief Ministry Officer Jerry Nelson examines how biblical worldview and spiritual formation should integrate in everyday Christian education. Jerry Nelson joined the ACSI family in 2020 as the Special Assistant to the President and currently serves as ACSI's Chief Ministry Officer. He previously spent 11 years as the Head of School at Northwest Christian Academy in Florida. While there, Nelson created a Teacher Development Program, a Student Leadership Development Program, and Parent Education Program, and wrote three books. He earned his master's degree in Educational Leadership from St. Thomas University.





