 thumb|athletes in action logo athletes in action (aia) is an organization that was founded in 1966 by dave hannah. it is an offshoot of cru ministries (formerly known as campus crusade for christ) thatâs purpose is to, â[use] sports as a platform to help people answer questions of faith and to point them to jesus.âhttp://athletesinaction.org/discover/about athletes in action has grown from its humble beginnings in tandem with its mother ministry, cru. it now has evolved to have three main components; international, collegiate, and professional. it is present in over 90 countries, 150 university campuses, has a direct influence on 11 nfl teams, and has a strong presence in the wnba and the national and international soccer world. == history == athletes in action was started in 1966 by dave hannah, who saw the need for a ministry to specifically target the student-athlete population that campus crusade for christ wasn't reaching. the initial vision hannah had was to create aia teams that competed in different sports against college teams. they would play the game against willing universities and then share their faith and experiences with the crowd at halftime. the first three sports that implemented this between 1966-1967 were wrestling, track and field, and basketball. the most popular and successful of these was basketball. the height of the basketball ministry occurred in the 1976-77 and 1977-78 seasons. during this time they beat the university of san francisco and unlv,http://www.chattanoogan.com/2012/3/15/221601/march-madness-for-unlv-runnin--rebels.aspx both of whom were ranked in the top 5 in the country. the chargers also played the soviet union national basketball team multiple times, winning in 1986.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auyfpsiystm the basketball form of this ministry declined as years went on, and effectively died when the ncaa cracked down on division 1 teams playing non-amateur teams in 2004. other sports, like women's basketball and wrestling continue on, though to a lesser degree.http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2004/12/crossed_off.2.html athletes in action has since begun to focus on their summer opportunities for college students as well as encouraging team bible studies. there is full-time staff located on approximately 150 college campuses. aia has also expanded to emphasize international ministries to students and sports professionals, as well as providing chaplains to nfl teams, wnba teams, and many different soccer teams. == international == athletes in action is already present in 90 countries around the world, and hopes to make themselves known in more. they use the language of sports to overcome cultural barriers like different customs, languages, and traditions. they believe the gospel can be taught through sport, and spread by the athletes who have been given a platform to use intentio
Christian_sports_organizations Evangelical_parachurch_organisations Evangelicalism