“There are 300 million opinions about the Broncos quarterback, and every one of them is right.” So says this week’s Sports Illustrated about Tim Tebow. Has there been a player in recent memory that is so polarizing? Part of the Tebow debate is because he can’t seem to do the main thing quarterbacks are supposed to do – pass the ball. But one wonders how much of the intensity of feeling about Tebow is fueled by a backlash created by his being an unapologetic Jesus Freak.
Consider this quote from Rolling Stone after Tebow’s sole loss as a starter: “Watching the Tebowmania phenomenon get pulverized under a torrent of ruthless hits . . . was a little like reliving Clarence Darrow’s savage cross-examination of William Jennings Bryan at the Scopes Monkey Trial. If both cases you came away feeling sorry for the defeated, but it was just something that had to be done.”
Something that had to be done? Ouch. Why compare the pummeling of an NFL quarterback to the beat-down of a Fundamentalist over evolution? Tebow’s outspoken Christian faith, and his habit of “Tebowing,” striking a prayerful pose on the sidelines, is resulting in people either worshiping or hating the guy. And lest you think “worshiping or hating” are words too strong to use, consider this. There are plenty of Christians in the NFL, including two Christian quarterbacks who throw the ball a lot better than Tebow –Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. But nobody is wearing an Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees jersey with “Jesus” on the back of it the way some Tebow devotees are doing in Denver. He inspires either devotion or revulsion. Young cancer patients are reporting that they are Tebowing their way through Chemo. You’d have to be pretty sour inside to squawk at that. Yet here is Rolling Stone again, “Tebow sucks.”
Maybe I shouldn’t look to Rolling Stone for sports coverage, but the fact he’s covered in that magazine illustrates the Tebow story has transcended sports. What interests me most is that the divide over Tebow isn’t just between Christians and non-Christians. Many Christians dislike him. I asked four friends who are 1) Christians, 2) football fans, and 3) definitely not on the Tebow bandwagon, to explain why Tebow is disliked so intensely. Their reasons are worth contemplating.
Steve, a college professor in Portland, said, “Some Christians don't like the way he expresses his Christianity. I'll be honest; this is part of it for me. I don't think he can throw worth a lick, but I also find the need to mention Jesus every time he says or does anything to be off-putting. It's kind of like being embarrassed by one of your slightly crazy uncles.”
Bob, a media mogul in Chicago, said, “There is a sense that if the camera catches someone such as Tebow praying on the sideline that this equates to the possibility of non-believers seeing a Godly figure with a committed faith and somehow subsequently ‘converting.’ It ends up being about ‘show’ . . . the general public doesn't buy it. This is what your God is like? We have a world in crisis and your God is going to deal with your game instead?”
Phil, a pastor who lives in Denver (ground zero in the world of Tebowmania) said, “Given Tebow's inability to pass the football accurately and his tremendous size, he runs much more than most quarterbacks and often runs over people. It’s the connection of Tebow's physical, almost militant style of play with his demonstrative shows of prayer that many find distasteful, a sort of ‘muscular Christianity’ that seems to take delight in smiting one's enemies."
Finally, Eric, a pastor in Grand Rapids said, “Did you see the end of the Denver v. San Diego game? Overtime. Down to the Bronco's kicker making a field goal. Camera goes to the sideline where it finds Tebow kneeling. It looks like he's praying . . . kick is up . . . IT'S GOOD! Tebow looks to the heavens and points up giving God [who is a huge Broncos fan] all the glory. It looked as if he mouthed 'thank you.' That's what pisses people off. The funny thing is that Tebow may have been down on one knee because he thought he was going to puke from all the nerves of possibly losing this game and having to hear about it for the next week on sports talk radio. He may have been thanking God that he didn't up-chuck on the sideline while he waited for the kick to sail through the up-rights. “
I like the way Eric used both up-chuck and up-rights in the same sentence. And I find each of their comments fascinating. Do they ring true with you? And what is Tebowmania revealing about the way Christians express their faith and interact with the rest of the world? What do you think about Tim Terrific? Love him or hate him, everyone has an opinion. What’s yours?
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