{"id":1299,"date":"2009-12-17T18:43:26","date_gmt":"2009-12-17T18:43:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/?p=1299"},"modified":"2010-12-22T12:47:15","modified_gmt":"2010-12-22T17:47:15","slug":"7451","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2009\/12\/17\/7451\/","title":{"rendered":"He Has the Job Sports Fans Would Love to Have"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Stan Friedman<\/p>\n

PROVIDENCE, RI (December 17, 2009) \u2013 A multitude of people would love to have Ken Bell\u2019s job.
\n
\nAs sports director of ABC6-TV (WPVI-TV), he routinely covers events that most fans only dream of attending. He was present when the Boston Red Sox captured their World Series titles. He watched Tom Brady and the Patriots win three Super Bowls and reported on the Boston Celtics\u2019 successful pursuit of an NBA Championship. Then there is the chance to interview some of the most famous athletes in the world.<\/p>\n

Bell certainly is grateful for those opportunities, but there is another reason he feels privileged to have his position.<\/p>\n

\"Bell\"\u201cI\u2019ve appreciated this job because it has been a wonderful platform to go into schools and civic groups to use whatever influence I have, not only to promote good sportsmanship, but to promote character,\u201d says Bell, one of the founding members of Christ Covenant Church<\/a> in Greenwich, Rhode Island, and the chair of its Deacon Board.<\/p>\n

He recently received the Silver Circle Award, given to elite New England journalists by the Boston\/New England Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, for their contributions to the craft. He concluded his acceptance speech by quoting Proverbs 22:1 \u2013 \u201cA good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The Tiger Woods soap opera has provided the latest illustration of what can happen when the priorities are reversed. Bell says, \u201cPeople say this just shows that Tiger is human, but this is a character issue. This goes to the heart of a person \u2013 what does your name mean?<\/p>\n

\u201cTiger was a media machine,\u201d he adds. \u201cThat\u2019s why this is so astounding. We were sold one image, and we learned that the image reflects very little of who the person is. I think that if something positive comes of this, it will put athletes on notice that character counts.\u201d<\/p>\n

He adds, \u201cThere are others who step up to the plate,\u201d and he cites people like former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling and former Colts Coach Tony Dungy, who \u201chas put a whole new focus on the idea that it\u2019s okay to be a Christian in football.\u201d He notes that the strength coach for the Patriots is also the team chaplain.<\/p>\n

Bell believes athletes are role models, explaining that people who put themselves in the public eye automatically assume that responsibility, including himself.<\/p>\n

Bell grew up attending church a lot. His father was a Seventh Day Adventist and his mother a Methodist. \u201cSo I got a double dose,\u201d he says, laughing, which he also does frequently. (A news segment<\/a> highlighting his career reflects his vibrant sense of humor.)<\/p>\n

” . . . I was a nervous wreck to stand up in front of people. I never raised my hand in school.\u201d<\/h5>\n

Bell probably never would have entered journalism had it not been for a required high school class, he says. \u201cUp until eighth grade, I was a nervous wreck to stand up in front of people. I never raised my hand in school.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the school district required that he take a speech class, and the day came when he had to give his first speech. \u201cI thought, \u2018Oh no, this is it. I\u2019m going to die in front of all my friends. I remember it like it was yesterday.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t die, of course, but he did return to his seat with a new attitude about his life. \u201cAbout a minute later, I thought, \u2018you dummy.\u2019 First of all, it wasn\u2019t as bad as I thought it was going to be. I also began to think about what other ways am I letting fear interrupt my life. How is fear preventing me from living my life to its fullness?\u201d<\/p>\n

A physical ailment prevented him from playing sports, but he began working as a trainer for the high school teams and doing radio broadcasts of their games. His TV career kicked off during his senior year at Colorado University in 1973 when he landed a weekend reporting job at a Denver station. He has since worked at other stations, but has been at his current position for 25 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever I moved to new city, one of the first things I did was find a church,\u201d Bell says. \u201cThey care about you, about more than just your job.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMore people are trying to fill the emptiness in their lives with sports.\u201d<\/h6>\n

Bell has served as a youth leader in multiple churches. He was attending a Bible study in Providence that eventually grew and affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church.<\/p>\n

Bell has participated in eight mission trips with the church, which he says helps him keep perspective on what is important. \u201cWhen you go on a mission trip, you understand what God is doing in the world, and you get a better understanding on the needs of the world. I come home with a greater responsibility to use my God-given resources in my own life, in my own backyard, and the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve taken sports out of the realm of entertainment, and we\u2019ve tried to make it something much deeper,\u201d Bell says. Sports have even taken on a religious dimension.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore people are trying to fill the emptiness in their lives with sports,\u201d Bell says. \u201cOne of the problems we have in America is we\u2019re living for the next high at the sporting events.\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughs, and adds, \u201cThis is coming from a guy who makes his living in sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, he loves talking athletics. \u201cIt\u2019s a great conversation starter,\u201d Bell says. \u201cWherever I go and whoever I meet, sports is a common language. Everybody has an opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Report This Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PROVIDENCE, RI (December 17, 2009) \u2013 A multitude of people would love to have Ken Bell\u2019s job.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nHe Has the Job Sports Fans Would Love to Have - Covenant Newswire Archives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2009\/12\/17\/7451\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"He Has the Job Sports Fans Would Love to Have - Covenant Newswire Archives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"PROVIDENCE, RI (December 17, 2009) \u2013 A multitude of people would love to have Ken Bell\u2019s job.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2009\/12\/17\/7451\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Covenant Newswire Archives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2009-12-17T18:43:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2010-12-22T17:47:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.covchurch.org\/uploads\/OS\/JV\/OSJVkv6d_H8LfWpkN6TsQw\/Bell.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/newswire\\\/2009\\\/12\\\/17\\\/7451\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/newswire\\\/2009\\\/12\\\/17\\\/7451\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/newswire\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2a26f1b1df304098ad9cbae0bbf2c6e8\"},\"headline\":\"He Has the Job Sports Fans Would Love to Have\",\"datePublished\":\"2009-12-17T18:43:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2010-12-22T17:47:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/newswire\\\/2009\\\/12\\\/17\\\/7451\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":964,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/newswire\\\/2009\\\/12\\\/17\\\/7451\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.covchurch.org\\\/uploads\\\/OS\\\/JV\\\/OSJVkv6d_H8LfWpkN6TsQw\\\/Bell.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/newswire\\\/2009\\\/12\\\/17\\\/7451\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/newswire\\\/2009\\\/12\\\/17\\\/7451\\\/\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/newswire\\\/2009\\\/12\\\/17\\\/7451\\\/\",\"name\":\"He Has the Job Sports Fans Would Love to Have - 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