Cray Allred is a wandering English major who works in technical writing by day. By night, Cray is a freelance writer and podcast producer for outlets covering sports, faith, and music. He co-founded Sunday Oldskool, a podcast dedicated to helping Christians better understand and engage the realm of hip hop. He spends the rest of his time feeling undeserving of his beautiful wife and daughters, being loved and fed at his church, and vicariously balling via an over-consumption of hoops and hip hop.
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Touchdown Jesus: Revenge of the Jocks

The sports world will be one of the last places where a nerd with confidence is tolerated.

Touchdown Jesus: The Human Cost of Amateur Sports

Should collegiate athletes be paid?

‘The Life of Pablo’ and the Messy, Scandalous Redemption of Kanye West

‘The Life of Pablo’ is a messy, but redemptive album from Kanye West

Touchdown Jesus: Are the Warriors Too Good to Be True?

The Warriors have been a light on the hill for the desperate diehard, proof that hope isn’t always futile.

Touchdown Jesus: Monty Williams and the Quiet Life of Faith

More than a Christian who has beaten the odds and taken the world by storm, I hope to aspire to the quiet, dignified example of a Monty Williams.

Sunday Oldskool Episode 84: A Long, Strange Yeezy Season

After catching up with some news from around hip hop, Sam and Cray cover Kanye West’s latest album-related antics.

Touchdown Jesus: Anatomy of a Coach Firing

Coaches are now being treated more like players, viewed as assets that can be moved around on a whim.

Touchdown Jesus: What Are the Odds that God Is a Seahawks Fan?

Sports are a perfect plane for working out our understanding of God’s transcendence and immanence with relatively low stakes.

Stations of Home Alone: The Enemy Is a Fake Gold Tooth

Station 2: “Just as Marv and Harry are hellbent on Kevin’s demise, so too do we have an adversary seeking our destruction”

Touchdown Jesus: Losing Is for Winners

A dreary few seasons of abundant losing could be more edifying for a young, newly rich pro than joining a good team.

Touchdown Jesus: Steph Curry’s Pride and Joy

If you haven’t noticed, Stephen Curry is really good. I think he’s just realizing this himself.

American Zoo: Looking at Black Culture According to Vince Staples

Vince Staples offers a striking commentary on black life in the U.S. and the invisible wall that continues to separate.

Touchdown Jesus: Every Mav Was Right In His Own Eyes

Losing makes you crazy, and the Christian fan is not exempt from being possessed by irrational fan demons.

Josh Niemyjski Is Putting the Hip Hop in “Christian” Hip Hop

Is hip hop and the Christian faith a tenable mixture?

Tig Notaro’s Comedy of Dying

Comedian Tig Notaro turns her cancer diagnosis into the heart of her stand-up routine, making death itself the joke.

Sunday Oldskool: Rap Trope Blasphemy, Jay Rock Prophecy