It does not take a particularly long viewing of ESPN’s Sportscenter to get more than one’s fill of Tim Tebow. Yet, it is simply not the sports media chattering about Tim Tebow; the entire pundit world is now ablaze over the athlete.
As football fans know, Tim Tebow is currently the starting quarterback of the Denver Broncos. Before his time in the National Football League, Tim Tebow played for the Florida Gators, winning two Southeastern Conference championships, two national championships, and the Heisman trophy. As a quarterback in college, he was highly lauded both for his on-field success and off-field personality. Tim Tebow is a devout Evangelical who was known for wearing Bible verses on his eye-black. As an NFL quarterback, Tebow hit the national stage this year, leading his team to multiple late comebacks and taking them well into the playoffs.
Tim Tebow, however, has become one of the most polarizing figures in sports. Simultaneously loved and hated, Tebow drives even those pundits most clueless about sports to argue about his religion, his political beliefs, and the manifestations of them. Then, there are those who have grown to hate not necessarily Tim Tebow but the incessant media attention given to him. It is important to note that these two narratives, while linked, are rooted in different aspects. While Tebow should not receive criticism over the expression of his Christian beliefs, the media certainly should be responsible in its portrayal of him.
In college, Tim Tebow certainly garnered a great deal of media attention, but it was more localized given college football’s regional appeal and based generally on his success as a football player. Certainly, his John 3:16 eyeblack generated some talk, but any non-football praise of him more generally reflected his good character. His debut on the political scene came after his senior season, when Focus on the Family ran an advertisement during the Super Bowl. Pro-choice groups exploded in outrage as word came that Tim Tebow would appear in the pro-life advertisement. Ultimately, the advertisement recalled the situation of his parents, who were approached by physicians advising an abortion of Tim Tebow due to health concerns. The commercial focused on the refusal of Tebow’s mother to undergo an abortion, and Tebow himself only makes a brief appearance.
The arguments continued to this year, where the act of “Tebowing” became hot topic. Tim Tebow, after a successful play, often gives a quick prayer on his knee during the game. While it is certainly not inconspicuous, it is nevertheless an expression of his religious belief. Tim Tebow is clearly not thanking God for completing that reception or getting a great block downfield. Rather, it is a note of thanks for the success overall that he has achieved. Yet, “Tebowing” soon became a point of derision, to the point where players sacking Tebow would give their own mock prayer. As the New York Times‘s sports blog notes, would the media not immediately attack any player mocking the public religious expression of a player of a different religion? Certainly no one would think to criticize a modern-day Sandy Koufax for skipping a pennant game because of High Holidays.
Rather, it seems today that people are simply unaccustomed to public displays of religious devotion in life. And it is certainly true that a number of other professional athletes, such as Albert Pujols, are quite public about their Christian faith. That said, in the ranks of the NFL, the most famous actions of athletes seem to be less than savory. Between Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Vick, and Donte Stallworth, a less publicized but horrific case of a current NFL player who killed a pedestrian while driving drunk, the public isn’t particularly used to cases of squeaky-clean athletes. The public in this case is so incredulous at a case such as Tebow’s that it almost “has to be” fake. Daniel Foster of National Review echoes this feeling and compares it to the major media attention given to preacher scandals. Perhaps there is some dark secret that Tebow is hiding, and the derision of him is based upon the hope of one’s existence. However, there is absolutely no indication to believe that Tebow is nothing more than a very fervent Christian who feels it is appropriate to attribute his success to God.
This is not to say that Tebow is beyond reproach. What was mentioned above covers the disdain for Tebow as a public evangelical, and the attacks on his religious expression are inappropriate. However, there is a more legitimate criticism that simply a disagreement with his religious expression: Tebow gets far more attention than he deserves. As a quarterback, he can have moments of brilliance, but fundamentally he has major flaws. His throwing motion looks like he’s throwing a shot-put, and while his victories are spectacular, his losses are equally embarrassing. Most frustrating for football fans is that he has received much greater love from the sports media than quarterbacks than he deserves. In comparing his stats and those of Cam Newton, another mobile quarterback, Newton, a rookie from Auburn, has much more passing yards, touchdowns, and completions than Tebow has had in his two seasons.
What is most frustrating is that the media has constructed an image of Tebow as a pitiable underdog. In a commercial for FRS Healthy Energy, Tebow uses lines by his detractors as motivation for his success, such as “They said I couldn’t get a D-1 scholarship,” “They said I couldn’t win a Heisman,” and “They said I couldn’t win a national championship”. The problem is that this hagiography as the “underdog” is simply false. According to the major recruiting services, Tim Tebow was a five-star recruit, the highest possible ranking. Both Alabama and Florida, two premier programs in college football, offered Tebow a scholarship. A brief flip through 2008 editions of football previews shows Florida as the clear favorite to win the national championship. Tim Tebow even won the Heisman trophy as a sophomore in 2007, which was previously unprecedented. To summarize, Tim Tebow was the starting quarterback of one of the best football teams in the best conference in college football. He is many things, but underdog is not one.
Tebow does not deserve scorn, but the media should cool off in its praise of him. This distinction in the criticism of the media treatment, not Tebow himself, must be maintained It is laudable that there is a good role model for young football fans. Clearly, he should not be criticized for his public expressions of faith. That said, his defenders who want to build him as some eternally persecuted hero against all odds should remember that Tebow was the crusher of underdogs in college. Tebow has gone through a great deal of criticism for his religious beliefs, and clearly that is wrong. However, the media has greatly overreached in trying to build him up as a football underdog struggling against the system.