Seven-year Major League Baseball veteran Luke Weaver was acquired by the Kansas City Royals last week after being traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks for third baseman Emmanuel Rivera.
Weaver, known for his nearly 100 mph fastball, co-designed a faith inspired Bible glove released by Absolutely Ridiculous Innovation for Athletes (also known as The Aria Collective).
The glove has the words “His Glory” stamped in gold lettering on the index finger and displays an image of a crown of thorns in the palm.
Three Bible verses that are very personal to Weaver line the insides of the fingers: Matthew 19:26, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible;” Philippians 4:13, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength;” and 1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”
Weaver shared that he desired to put Christian imagery on his glove, and with the help of co-designer X, his dream became a reality.
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“The Bible glove takes it to another level,” Weaver said. “I’m out there wearing it with me. I can feel His presence. There is Scripture in it, but it just feels like a whole other level. It feels like I’m out there ready to defend against any type of thoughts that come to try to destroy me out there—like my weapon is the Bible. It’s not going to back down.”
The glove’s design was inspired by the look of the spine of many Bibles. It was purposely designed to tell a story that impacts those who see it.
“We get to shine light on who we are, and people don’t even have to ask the questions…Any time you look in and understand what the glove symbolizes, it opens up that tension and it releases, and you understand why you play this game and the fun that it can bring,” Weaver said.
The first round draft pick explained that he likes to push the envelope when it comes to being creative and fun, but that this design is also reserved, “where people notice but don’t really need to talk about it.”
In an interview with Sports Spectrum, Weaver said the glove is “just a way where I want to be able to show the world that in the midst of that battle and the competition and the personality and expression, this is what I choose to do. In doing this, I hope more kids can wear a glove like I’m wearing and to wear it in their travel ball and their Little Leagues and their high schools and their colleges, to one day just be like, ‘Hey, I’m using a glove that helps me play this game, but I’m also expressing who I am and I love every second of it.’ If someone wants to ask about it, guess what: Now we get to talk about it.”
