Saturday, August 04, 2012

You Gotta Be A Football Hero

You don't have to forgive Tim Tebow. You don't have to blame him either. He's playing a game, after all. Apparently the game he's playing is bigger than professional football, at least that's what the powers that be have been suggesting. This now includes his teammates, both current and previous. Jet or Bronco, he just seems to be a lightning rod for attention.
And why is this? Is it because of his Heisman Trophy? There are plenty of current NFL players who have one of those. About ten of them. Maybe it's his unorthodox passing mechanics. Or maybe it's his lack of success in the NFL, if winning seven of eight games as a starter last year and the first Bronco playoff win since 2005 is lacking in the success department. Maybe it's his underwear ads, unless it's because he's wearing pants in his. Which brings us to the question: Does keeping his pants on make him more of a subject for ridicule? Taking off his shirt to run in the rain sure stirred some people up. This is a guy who takes off his shirt, keeps his pants on, and wins football games. What is the big deal?
Apparently, it has something to do with God. Not in the "God, why did he just throw that interception?" way, but more like the heavenly creator omniscient way. There was a craze that swept the globe at the end of last year, imitating Tim's post-score celebration, the one where he stopped to thank his heavenly father for the chance to compete in this great game. Seems crazy, at least compared to the other NFL players who are pointing to the sky after they make a touchdown, or kick a field goal. That makes total sense, since they're obviously much more likely to get God's attention by pointing at Him.
Or maybe it's just the mix of all these things that make Tebow such a thorn in people's side. ?A crown of thorns. After all, he's no Michael Vick.

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