The die-hard UT fan in me can't believe I'm doing this, but this post goes out in defense of Tim Tebow.
It pains me to do it. I mean, the guy's like a bulked-up Beaver Cleaver that's so overhyped by the media for being "Mr. Perfect" that it'd make Peyton Manning nautious. Of course, maybe I'm bitter because he and his Gators could have hung 75 points on my Vols this year...but I digress.
The fact is, if I take my Big Orange-colored glasses off for a second, I can admit that Tebow IS a phenominal athlete, he totally deserved the Heisman this year, and by all accounts he seems like a first-class individual.
He's also a devout Christian, who just caused a "controversy" with his Heisman acceptance speech.
This article by Terry Mattingly discusses what happened and how the mainstream media often benches athletes who talk about their faith. Tebow, the son of a Christian missionary, started his Heisman acceptance speech by saying "I'd just like to first start off by thanking my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave me the ability to play football."
Kathy Orton, faith columnist at WashingtonPost.com, noted that this quotation didn't appear in any mainstream news reports. When asked why, noted ESPN columnist Michael Wilborn said "...I'm not going to be hijacked by those feelings, to let someone preach their beliefs when they're not important to what's going on."
How could that NOT be important!? Why do TV cameras often show players praying when they score, praying when a teammate gets injured, or saying they "just want to thank God" in the moments following a big victory, but a more direct, genuine expression of faith and gratitude by an athlete who just won one of the most coveted awards in sports gets dismissed?
My feeling is it's because Tebow said "Jesus Christ" directly, as opposed to a "vague" reference to God. But in this day and age where athletes are getting media attention for killing dogs, 'Roiding up and "making it rain" I applaud Tebow's expression of faith and giving props to Jesus.
But I still hope Jerod Mayo levels him and UT beats Tebow's Gators by 20 next year in Neyland.
2 comments:
Lance, great comments, but it looks like it'll be Ryan Karl or Rico McCoy doing the leveling next year.
Good point! When I wrote this I actually thought about the fact that Mayo was considering going pro...guess it was wishful thinking on my part. Man, that guy can play! Wish him all the best in the League.
And since Ryan Karl is a senior :)...guess it'll have to be Rico, or better yet, Eric Berry.
Go Vols!
Lance
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