When several of Boston’s prominent LDS athletes happen to be in your ward, what do you do? For Heather Walker Sandstrom (BA ’81), the answer was obvious: get them on local talk shows to discuss their beliefs. With her background in broadcasting, Sandstrom secured these athletes opportunities throughout the Boston area.
Sandstrom organized this outreach effort as part of her calling as the regional public affairs director for the LDS church in the Boston area. Mitt Romney (BA ’71), her stake president at the time, expressed concern that the people of Boston were unfamiliar with Mormon beliefs. With the Boston Celtics playing in the NBA finals and close ties to two LDS players on the team—Danny Ainge (BA ’92) and Greg Kite (BS ’84)—Sandstrom arranged for a local talk show to host these athletes. But the talk show producer had one condition: the Celtics had to win the championship first.
The Celtics did win the NBA championship that year, and the morning after their victory, Ainge and Kite—along with LDS athletes Bruce Hurst of the Boston Red Sox and Trevor Matich (’87) of the New England Patriots—appeared on People Are Talking, one of the top talk shows in the Boston area. The athletes spoke about topics ranging from their family life to the Word of Wisdom. READ MORE on the BYU ALUMNI WEBSITE >>>>>>