Does Tebow's Faith Cross The Line?
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- Category: Opinion
Tim Tebow: Mixing Religion & Sports
After setting touchdown records for the SEC, winning a Heisman Trophy and taking home a couple of NCAA football National Titles, one would think sports analysts and NFL scouts would have been riding high on the Florida Gators Tim Tebow. However, nothing could have been further from the truth. An athlete who had an impeccable reputation and history of winning was only judged for having poor football mechanics, causing many people to believe that Tebow would never amount to anything in the National Football League. Although there were more skeptics than believers, the Denver Broncos rolled the dice, picking up Tebow tin the first round of the NFL draft.
After replacing incumbent quarterback Kyle Orton, who led the Denver Broncos to a 1-4 start, Tim Tebow was slated to start for the Broncos. Part of this was due to the organization and new coaching staff feeling immense pressure from a fan base demanding a change in an attempt to salvage the season. However, what Tebow would do the next eight weeks stunned everybody in the sporting world, even those who have been involved with the NFL for decades.
Tebow led the Broncos to a 7-1 record over his first 8 games as a starter, putting Denver at the top of the AFC West and poised to host a home playoff game. However, it was the fashion in which Tebow was winning games that was so shocking, coming back to win from 10 down to the Bears, 8 down to the Vikings, 3 down to the Chargers, 3 down to the Jets, and 15 down to the Dolphins. In many of the above mentioned games the opposing team was completely dominating, only to fall apart against Tebow at the closing minutes or seconds in some cases.
What we know now is that Tebow is not the polished passer that Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady are, but he is a winner and has proved that at every level he has ever played at. The guy has "it" whatever that is, and seems to do special things when almost everybody has seemingly counted him and his Broncos teammates out. Although there is no denying that Tebow can win at the NFL level now, what he is drawing criticism for is his religion, which he feels necessary to discuss during every pre-game and post-game interview.
What irritates some people about Tebow is not that he is a man of faith, but that he speaks about his love for God and religion at every possible opportunity. This is not necessarily because he is trying to stuff Christianity down the throats of football fans, but because he is simply a Christian first, football player second, which he makes very clear by his actions on and off the field. When asked about his religion and why he professes his love to his Savior, Jesus Christ, so frequently by a news reporter, Tebow retorted that would it be okay to tell your wife you love her only on Sundays, or should you tell her at every possible opportunity? It was actually a very nice comeback that brought some clarity to his thought process in a respectful way to the reporter asking the questions. And that is all Tebow has been since he came into the NFL, respectful of everyone. Even those opponents on the other side of the field who are quick to not give credit to Tebow for his athleticism and ability to come through in the clutch with wins.
GPS Tracker Shop and the GPS fleet tracker professionals would like to get the reader's opinion on the Tim Tebow debate. Now that it appears likely the Broncos will make a serious push toward the post-season, do you think Tebow will have long-term success in the NFL as a passer?
Does Tebow's constant speak about Christianity offend you, and if it does, should the league create rules to limit the amount of talk a player can have regarding religion during post-game news conferences?