TEBOW!!! is a Jet! (finally)

[Ted William's frozen head]

Anyone who wears their faith like a neon sign is not worthy of trust, or admiration....

[Nanker]

Jesus H. Christ people. Thirty eight pages. Really? That's some hate.

[timstep]

I've never said he's a great QB. Just a great person. (And, great at the game of football, but just not blessed with an NFL arm - Oh wait, I said blessed like a normal person would - insert your own secular term - I can't think of one right now). And, the run sure was fun!

 

I didn't see a lot of other people saying he was a great NFL QB, either.

 

This is the thing that bothers me. He's a great person - why? Do you know the number of NFL players, let alone professional athletes, that have for decades set up foundations, charity events and camps for underprivileged kids, etc. etc. etc.?

 

The only thing that seems to make Tim Tebow a "good person" is that he uses the words Jesus Christ, Lord or Savior in every sentence, talks in standard sports cliches and hasn't had sex. I mean, the guy was a National Championship winning QB and won the Heisman, then got drafted in the first round. Wow, really taking a chance and rooting on the underdog aren't we? Tom Brady was drafted in the 6th round and was nothing but an afterthought, and all the guy has done is play better than an QB in the last decade while ranking among the best of all time. But no, Tebow's the underdog, Brady's the devil.

 

And forget that, what about Alex Smith? The guy was dead and buried by not only the media and fans, but coaches. Did Jim Harbaugh sprinkle fairy dust on him and magically transform him into a respectable QB that can go toe-to-toe with Drew Brees? Well, I don't know, because ESPN, the NFL Network and every other news outlet was too busy talking about a guy who can't complete 50% of his passes

 

And what about the fact that TJ Yates made it just as far as Tebow, and yet how many TJ Yates stories were there?

 

This is media generated story, and the NFL is pushing it 100% because it's the anti-Michael Vick story, which the league had to suffer through for years.

 

Maybe John Elway can spend the offseason with the guy and teach him how to throw to his right, which he currently cannot do, and maybe he'll turn into a respectable QB, but referring him as anything more than a below-average QB, who in the games he started had more sacks and turnovers than any other QB in that same time frame, muddles the story and demeans all of the charitable work done by NFL players that is conveniently ignored.

[bbb]

Come on - Brady isn't the devil. Belichick is.

 

If you want to know why I can say that he's a great person, read the Rick Reilly article.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Tebow will be fine and is just starting a Hall of Fame career.

[timstep]

If you want to know why I can say that he's a great person, read the Rick Reilly article.

Awesome. So, what I gather from Reilly article, is that acts of charity and kindness are so incredibly rare, Tim Tebow's is the only one worth highlighting.

 

Or is it the fact that he's an "awe shucks" uber-Christian that plays well in middle America?

 

Again, it's not so much what they choose to highlight, but what they choose to omit.

[bbb]

Rick Reilly would love nothing more than to highlight some dirt on Tebow.

[HurlyBurly51]

This is the thing that bothers me. He's a great person - why? Do you know the number of NFL players, let alone professional athletes, that have for decades set up foundations, charity events and camps for underprivileged kids, etc. etc. etc.?

 

The only thing that seems to make Tim Tebow a "good person" is that he uses the words Jesus Christ, Lord or Savior in every sentence, talks in standard sports cliches and hasn't had sex. I mean, the guy was a National Championship winning QB and won the Heisman, then got drafted in the first round. Wow, really taking a chance and rooting on the underdog aren't we? Tom Brady was drafted in the 6th round and was nothing but an afterthought, and all the guy has done is play better than an QB in the last decade while ranking among the best of all time. But no, Tebow's the underdog, Brady's the devil.

 

And forget that, what about Alex Smith? The guy was dead and buried by not only the media and fans, but coaches. Did Jim Harbaugh sprinkle fairy dust on him and magically transform him into a respectable QB that can go toe-to-toe with Drew Brees? Well, I don't know, because ESPN, the NFL Network and every other news outlet was too busy talking about a guy who can't complete 50% of his passes

 

And what about the fact that TJ Yates made it just as far as Tebow, and yet how many TJ Yates stories were there?

 

This is media generated story, and the NFL is pushing it 100% because it's the anti-Michael Vick story, which the league had to suffer through for years.

 

Maybe John Elway can spend the offseason with the guy and teach him how to throw to his right, which he currently cannot do, and maybe he'll turn into a respectable QB, but referring him as anything more than a below-average QB, who in the games he started had more sacks and turnovers than any other QB in that same time frame, muddles the story and demeans all of the charitable work done by NFL players that is conveniently ignored.

 

+1000 There's some weird people out there. Anyone spending an inordinate amount of time crusading on internet message boards about this freak show has serious issues.

[bbb]

This is the thing that bothers me. He's a great person - why? Do you know the number of NFL players, let alone professional athletes, that have for decades set up foundations, charity events and camps for underprivileged kids, etc. etc. etc.?

 

The only thing that seems to make Tim Tebow a "good person" is that he uses the words Jesus Christ, Lord or Savior in every sentence, talks in standard sports cliches and hasn't had sex. I mean, the guy was a National Championship winning QB and won the Heisman, then got drafted in the first round. Wow, really taking a chance and rooting on the underdog aren't we? Tom Brady was drafted in the 6th round and was nothing but an afterthought, and all the guy has done is play better than an QB in the last decade while ranking among the best of all time. But no, Tebow's the underdog, Brady's the devil.

 

And forget that, what about Alex Smith? The guy was dead and buried by not only the media and fans, but coaches. Did Jim Harbaugh sprinkle fairy dust on him and magically transform him into a respectable QB that can go toe-to-toe with Drew Brees? Well, I don't know, because ESPN, the NFL Network and every other news outlet was too busy talking about a guy who can't complete 50% of his passes

 

And what about the fact that TJ Yates made it just as far as Tebow, and yet how many TJ Yates stories were there?

 

This is media generated story, and the NFL is pushing it 100% because it's the anti-Michael Vick story, which the league had to suffer through for years.

 

Maybe John Elway can spend the offseason with the guy and teach him how to throw to his right, which he currently cannot do, and maybe he'll turn into a respectable QB, but referring him as anything more than a below-average QB, who in the games he started had more sacks and turnovers than any other QB in that same time frame, muddles the story and demeans all of the charitable work done by NFL players that is conveniently ignored.

 

Alex Smith's story is a great one, too. I'm rooting for him, as well.

[thebug]

Tebow will be fine and is just starting a Hall of Fame career.

 

 

You can't be talking about the pro football hall of fame? Dude, you've got it bad.

[leh-nerd skin-erd]

This is the thing that bothers me. He's a great person - why? Do you know the number of NFL players, let alone professional athletes, that have for decades set up foundations, charity events and camps for underprivileged kids, etc. etc. etc.?

 

The only thing that seems to make Tim Tebow a "good person" is that he uses the words Jesus Christ, Lord or Savior in every sentence, talks in standard sports cliches and hasn't had sex. I mean, the guy was a National Championship winning QB and won the Heisman, then got drafted in the first round. Wow, really taking a chance and rooting on the underdog aren't we? Tom Brady was drafted in the 6th round and was nothing but an afterthought, and all the guy has done is play better than an QB in the last decade while ranking among the best of all time. But no, Tebow's the underdog, Brady's the devil.

 

And forget that, what about Alex Smith? The guy was dead and buried by not only the media and fans, but coaches. Did Jim Harbaugh sprinkle fairy dust on him and magically transform him into a respectable QB that can go toe-to-toe with Drew Brees? Well, I don't know, because ESPN, the NFL Network and every other news outlet was too busy talking about a guy who can't complete 50% of his passes

 

And what about the fact that TJ Yates made it just as far as Tebow, and yet how many TJ Yates stories were there?

 

This is media generated story, and the NFL is pushing it 100% because it's the anti-Michael Vick story, which the league had to suffer through for years.

 

Maybe John Elway can spend the offseason with the guy and teach him how to throw to his right, which he currently cannot do, and maybe he'll turn into a respectable QB, but referring him as anything more than a below-average QB, who in the games he started had more sacks and turnovers than any other QB in that same time frame, muddles the story and demeans all of the charitable work done by NFL players that is conveniently ignored.

 

 

I think you have it backwards, honestly. The perception that Tebow is a good guy doesn't come at the expense of Alex Smith or anyone else. If you live in a world where you only have room for one complimentary thought for someone you've never met, I suppose you can go that way, but why bother?

 

As for Tebow being a 'good person' because he's religious person, you're displaying an inability to see the shades of gray on the whole issue. Tebow, if he is who he seems to be, is a good guy who happens to profess his faith publically. Whether or not the good things he does are rooted in his beliefs to me is irrelevant.

 

You're correct, the Tebow legend is the stuff of media and those who gobble it up. So? The whole reason sports like the NFL exists is because some people indeed gobble this stuff up. Alex Smith was largely irrelevant outside of SF because, well, he was irrelevant. That doesn't mean he's not a good guy, or charitable or whatever, it's just it's not all that interesting a story. If he delviers a ring tio SF, he'll become a pretty good story, no? I heard recently that Dan Marino is one of the more philanthropic former NFLers, and while that might make him a good person, I'll continue to hold disdain for the guy just because I can. I'll admit though that he probably doesn't lose too much sleep over it.

 

And if you think the Tebow story ignores the facts, well, read the stories again. Much of his legend (as it were) is sort of similar to "that little engine that could" storyline--a guy who won football games in exciting fashion despite the obstacles he faced (self-created or otherwise).

 

Finally, here's one additional reason I liked the Tebow story. It's quite fashionable these days to make fun of a person's belief in God, his/her religion, whatever. I understand that the object of ridicule 50 years ago was for the 'non-believer', and the cycle has changed and now the shoe's on the other foot. Whatever. I think by and large there are many in the media writing the story in anticipation of the fall of this guy, be it so they can write more stories about the collapse of Tebow, or more sinisterly perhaps, to write about the fall of an athlete who had the nuts to speak openly about his beliefs. You can read that as agenda-driven. Me? I'll root for a seemingly-good guy to prevail.

 

In the end, it doesn't matter much. I think tebow will keep doing his thing, trying to get better, trying to win a championship. As of right now, he wrote a pretty interesting chapter in 2011.

[timstep]

I think you have it backwards, honestly. The perception that Tebow is a good guy doesn't come at the expense of Alex Smith or anyone else.

 

If ESPN has 44 minutes per hour to produce stories on Sportscenter, and x amount is NBA, and x amount is NFL, and x amount is College Basketball, leaving only x amount to cover the NFL playoffs, and you dedicate time every day to cover one player, not only at the expense of other players, but entire teams. I watch sports center every day, the Houston Texans made the playoffs for their first time in franchise history - where were the stories? They did it with a 5th round draft pick who was #3 on the depth chart to start the season - where were the stories.

 

There is nothing inherent in Tim Tebow's college or pro career that makes him any more relevant as an athlete than TJ Yates, and in fact Yates is the far more compelling story if all you care about is sports. Since when do we treat a Heisman winning, National Championship winning, 1st round drafted quarterback like he's the little engine that could?

 

Throw in the NFL Network, FOX and CBS Sports, and it's just repetition, in the same way that manufactured pop stars who can't really sing saturate the market thanks to massive promotion. The NFL loves having a clean-cut, white, Christian poster boy to put out front, and the NFL didn't become the most profitable sports league in the US because it's inept at manipulating the media for it's own benefit.

 

And I'll say again, there are players doing x10 as much charitable work, and there are players with x10 the professional accomplishments, and they all seem irrelevant thanks to a very purposeful, coordinated media effort.

[bbb]

I think you have it backwards, honestly. The perception that Tebow is a good guy doesn't come at the expense of Alex Smith or anyone else. If you live in a world where you only have room for one complimentary thought for someone you've never met, I suppose you can go that way, but why bother?

 

As for Tebow being a 'good person' because he's religious person, you're displaying an inability to see the shades of gray on the whole issue. Tebow, if he is who he seems to be, is a good guy who happens to profess his faith publically. Whether or not the good things he does are rooted in his beliefs to me is irrelevant.

 

You're correct, the Tebow legend is the stuff of media and those who gobble it up. So? The whole reason sports like the NFL exists is because some people indeed gobble this stuff up. Alex Smith was largely irrelevant outside of SF because, well, he was irrelevant. That doesn't mean he's not a good guy, or charitable or whatever, it's just it's not all that interesting a story. If he delviers a ring tio SF, he'll become a pretty good story, no? I heard recently that Dan Marino is one of the more philanthropic former NFLers, and while that might make him a good person, I'll continue to hold disdain for the guy just because I can. I'll admit though that he probably doesn't lose too much sleep over it.

 

And if you think the Tebow story ignores the facts, well, read the stories again. Much of his legend (as it were) is sort of similar to "that little engine that could" storyline--a guy who won football games in exciting fashion despite the obstacles he faced (self-created or otherwise).

 

Finally, here's one additional reason I liked the Tebow story. It's quite fashionable these days to make fun of a person's belief in God, his/her religion, whatever. I understand that the object of ridicule 50 years ago was for the 'non-believer', and the cycle has changed and now the shoe's on the other foot. Whatever. I think by and large there are many in the media writing the story in anticipation of the fall of this guy, be it so they can write more stories about the collapse of Tebow, or more sinisterly perhaps, to write about the fall of an athlete who had the nuts to speak openly about his beliefs. You can read that as agenda-driven. Me? I'll root for a seemingly-good guy to prevail.

 

In the end, it doesn't matter much. I think tebow will keep doing his thing, trying to get better, trying to win a championship. As of right now, he wrote a pretty interesting chapter in 2011.

 

Awesome post.

[DrDawkinstein]

+1000 There's some weird people out there. Anyone spending an inordinate amount of time crusading on internet message boards about this freak show has serious issues.

 

Isnt this EXACTLY what you are doing? Now in multiple threads?

 

Thought so.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyone who wears their faith like a neon sign is not worthy of trust, or admiration....

 

 

Awesome. So, what I gather from Reilly article, is that acts of charity and kindness are so incredibly rare, Tim Tebow's is the only one worth highlighting.

 

Or is it the fact that he's an "awe shucks" uber-Christian that plays well in middle America?

 

Again, it's not so much what they choose to highlight, but what they choose to omit.

 

So it sounds like you guys dont have a problem with Tebow, as much as you do his faith and his particular religion?

 

Who cares? He doesnt talk about it in game interviews. I can count on 1 hand the amount of times Ive heard him mention it since he's gone Pro. It's the ANTI-religious folks that keep it in the spotlight, and keep bringing it up. Like it's so offensive... PUH-leese (And before you get worked up, I dropped the Church as soon as my parents let me decide at 10 years old, and have basically been an Atheist ever since)

 

Dont act like guys havent been taking a knee in prayer for DECADES and he is the first to do it. Mark Bavaro was Tebowing before Tim was even born. Get over it.

[timstep]

Dont act like guys havent been taking a knee in prayer for DECADES and he is the first to do it. Mark Bavaro was Tebowing before Tim was even born. Get over it.

I would get over it, but the networks didn't dedicate a segment an hour to Mark Bavaro, and this is my entire point. I follow plenty of Bills players on Twitter, and many of them are religious. They tweet about God and Faith, and I have 0 problem with - I choose to follow them.

 

The problem I have is that the NFL and media are acting like religion and charity did not exist in professional sports until Tebow arrived with 3:16 deliberately written on his eye black.

 

And please do not pretend this is some anti-religious thing. The US is the most religious nation in the world. The pity-me persecution card played by Christians is as laughable as it is disingenuous. Especially considering if Tim Tebow were not Christian, and said "praise Allah" during every press conference spoke about the Koran, Christian groups like Focus On The Family, that Tebow supports, would be protesting him.

[bbb]

You mean like Mike Tyson and Muhammed Ali did?

 

Anyone who wears their faith like a neon sign is not worthy of trust, or admiration....

 

You mean like Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.?

[DrDawkinstein]

I would get over it, but the networks didn't dedicate a segment an hour to Mark Bavaro, and this is my entire point. I follow plenty of Bills players on Twitter, and many of them are religious. They tweet about God and Faith, and I have 0 problem with - I choose to follow them.

 

The problem I have is that the NFL and media are acting like religion and charity did not exist in professional sports until Tebow arrived with 3:16 deliberately written on his eye black.

 

And please do not pretend this is some anti-religious thing. The US is the most religious nation in the world. The pity-me persecution card played by Christians is as laughable as it is disingenuous. Especially considering if Tim Tebow were not Christian, and said "praise Allah" during every press conference spoke about the Koran, Christian groups like Focus On The Family, that Tebow supports, would be protesting him.

 

Ok, thanks for explaining your viewpoint more. So you have a problem with the networks and media, not Tebow or his religion. How is that Tim's fault? Does he control the media?

 

As far as the media reporting his charity work goes... IMO, the media has been even worse over the past 20 years by reporting only negative and tragic events. If you follow the 24 hour news channels it would seem that there is no good whatsoever being done anywhere in the world. If they want to change their tune a bit and report on some kindness, then I'm ALL FOR IT. Maybe it will inspire them to report more positive stories. And maybe it will inspire others to be just as giving. What is the "bad" coming out of these news stories, other than "These nice stories annoy me"?

 

And yes, a lot of the backlash IS an anti-religious thing, whether you care to admit it or not. You can see it in almost every comment and post made by a Tebow-hater when they use religious terminology in a sarcastic and condescending way.

 

I agree with the rest of your last paragraph outside of that first sentence, though. But I'm not here to pity Christians. Im just here for football, and Im cheering for a football player I've liked watching since he was a Freshman in college. It's just a bonus that he happens to be a good, giving kid as well.

[bbb]

Ok, thanks for explaining your viewpoint more. So you have a problem with the networks and media, not Tebow or his religion. How is that Tim's fault? Does he control the media?

 

As far as the media reporting his charity work goes... IMO, the media has been even worse over the past 20 years by reporting only negative and tragic events. If you follow the 24 hour news channels it would seem that there is no good whatsoever being done anywhere in the world. If they want to change their tune a bit and report on some kindness, then I'm ALL FOR IT. Maybe it will inspire them to report more positive stories. And maybe it will inspire others to be just as giving. What is the "bad" coming out of these news stories, other than "These nice stories annoy me"?

 

And yes, a lot of the backlash IS an anti-religious thing, whether you care to admit it or not. You can see it in almost every comment and post made by a Tebow-hater when they use religious terminology in a sarcastic and condescending way.

 

I agree with the rest of your last paragraph outside of that first sentence, though. But I'm not here to pity Christians. Im just here for football, and Im cheering for a football player I've liked watching since he was a Freshman in college. It's just a bonus that he happens to be a good, giving kid as well.

 

If there was a kid who visited prisons and did all the charitable work that he does in the name of Allah or anybody, I'd still like him just as much............I have not been to mass in well over a decade, so I'm not exactly a religious fanatic.

[DrDawkinstein]

If there was a kid who visited prisons and did all the charitable work that he does in the name of Allah or anybody, I'd still like him just as much............I have not been to mass in well over a decade, so I'm not exactly a religious fanatic.

 

As would I, but I understand what timstep is saying about if it were an "enemy" religion there would be people protesting.

 

That doesnt mean that what Tim is doing is wrong. Only that there are just as many crazy fundamentalists on "this side" as the other.

 

I still like that it's being reported and talked about, regardless of creed. We need more positivity being sent into the ether to balance all the usual horror stories.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Jesus H. Christ people. Thirty eight pages. Really? That's some hate.

I have no dog in this fight and my few "contributions" to this topic have been attempts at levity so please don't put me in either camp.

 

But to say that the 38 pages are attributable to "hate?"

 

I'm gonna guess without counting that the posts are pretty equally divided and that a few people on either side of the issue are doing most of the heavy lifting.

 

This topic is as much a product of love as it is of hate…. as Radio Rahim would say.