***News Release***

NEW BOOK! ‘The Biggest Win’ by Joshua Cooley Launches Today!

Sharing the Faith Stories of Six Christ-Following Super Bowl Champions

PHILADELPHIA—More than a year in the works, the new book by author and premier sports writer Joshua Cooley called “The Biggest Win: Pro Football Players Tackle Faith” is being released today, and it shares the inspirational faith stories of six Super Bowl champions of the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles team.

Cooley first met Zach Ertz, Nick Foles, Jordan Hicks, Chris Maragos, Carson Wentz and Trey Burton, who signed with the Chicago Bears this offseason, when he was writing a freelance magazine story about the strong faith and enduring bond of these professional athletes. Even after the article was written, Cooley knew there was a much bigger story to tell.

Released by New Growth Press today, “The Biggest Win” gives athletes and sports fans a unique, insider’s look into the lives and faith of these champion players. Through the ups and downs of the game of football, Cooley shows how these high-profile athletes remain committed to God’s Word, genuine Christian discipleship and sharing their faith.

    View the video trailer for “The Biggest Win” here.

“The Biggest Win” also combines biblical truths with practical direction on issues that every Christian faces, including dealing with adversity, competition, change, success, failure and how to thrive by faith in a pressurized world. Encouraging male and female athletes in any sport, “The Biggest Win” guides them in finding their ultimate identity in Christ, not their athletic achievements.

“Every athlete seeks what the 2017 Eagles experienced—final victory,” Cooley says. “NFL players long to win the Super Bowl. Major-league baseball players pine for a World Series victory. NHL players hope to etch their names into the Stanley Cup. Every college basketball player, all the way down to the 16th-seeded Cinderellas, wants to reach the NCAA’s Final Four for a shot at the championship. But final victories are elusive. The harsh reality is that only one team or athlete finishes with a championship; everyone else contemplates what might have been. When we remember great teams that didn’t win the championship, it’s almost always to eulogize them for falling short. Chris Maragos was well aware of this, and told me that even the Eagles’ Super Bowl win is still only a temporary victory. ‘As great as it is, it is so temporal,’ Chris said.

“God’s Word consistently differentiates between the temporal and the eternal,” Cooley continues. “In 1 Corinthians 9:25, the apostle Paul framed the temporary/eternal distinction in athletic terms: ‘Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we are imperishable.’ Paul’s metaphor was vivid and appropriate for his original audience. Corinth hosted the Isthmian Games, a popular biennial competition. Unlike today’s athletes, ancient victors didn’t receive cash prizes, lucrative sponsorship deals or their faces on a Wheaties box—they earned a pine wreath. While this might not sound appealing to the 21st century reader, this was a great honor. Of course, a wreath would quickly wither and fade. That was Paul’s point. Earthly glory—even that associated with supreme human accomplishment—is short-lived. Paul encouraged his readers to seek something infinitely greater.”

A percentage of the book sales from “The Biggest Win” will go to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the international sports ministry with a vision to see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes.

Cooley is also the co-author for Foles’ new book, “Believe It,” which became a New York Times best-seller in its first week. Cooley’s other works include “The One Year Devotions with Jesus: 365 Devotions to Help You Know and Love the Savior,” “Heroes of the Bible Devotional: 90 Devotions to Help You Become a Hero of God!” and “The One Year Sports Devotions for Kids.”

New Growth Press (NGP) publishes gospel-centered, Bible-based materials that provide churches, families, and individuals with resources for personal and spiritual growth and change. The growing Christian publisher produces a wide variety of gospel-centered resources for individuals, families and churches. NGP also publishes books, minibooks, small group and Gospel Story for Kids resources that provide churches, families and individuals with gospel-driven publications for all ages.

“The Biggest Win” is available now for preorder at Amazon.com or ChristianBook.com. View the media page for “The Biggest Win” here, or visit joshuacooleyauthor.com/the-biggest-win or the New Growth Press page at newgrowthpress.com/the-biggest-win.

###