DBU Report Summer 2021 - Page 30

DBU REPORT 30 DBU alumnus Matt Ritter returned to his alma mater last February with an opportunity to give back and pour into the next generation of student-athletes much like he received during his undergraduate years as a Patriots baseball player. Using his local connections in the DFW sports market, Matt helped organize the first annual Patriots Prepared conference, which hosted a Q&A panel discussion with top executives in the field that included Matt alongside CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, Cynthia Marshall; Rob Matwick, Executive Vice President of the Texas Rangers; and several others. “I love the work DBU does to help prepare their athletes after sports,” says Matt, whose own journey of leadership preparation began in Arlington, Texas. As a young boy, Matt came to know the Lord under the godly influence of his parents and through the gift of a Gideon’s International Bible randomly handed to him one day after school in the third grade. “It often reminds me of how God can use people in different ways to impact His Kingdom. Somebody took the time to hand out Bibles one day to kids they didn’t even know, and it changed my life forever.” Little did those Gideons know the seeds they were planting would sprout into a future leader DBU Alumnus Matt Ritter An Ambassador for Christ in the Sports Marketplace