Thoughts on Tim Tebow?

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I apologize if there's another thread about this.

Tim Tebow is one of the most polarizing figures in sports right now. I was wondering what DTF thinks about the guy. Does anyone here really like him? Is anyone here annoyed by him? Does anyone here not care at all about him?

[kirksnosehair]

Does anyone here not care at all about him?

[antigoon]

I like him. My initial reaction to him was negative, but I've come around. He seems like a genuinely good person -- with so many assholes in professional sports and the NFL in particular I really can't fault him for that, even if I don't agree with his religious beliefs.

I wish him success.

[hefdaddy42]

I don't see what there is to dislike.  I mean, unless you are a fan of the Broncos archenemies (the Chiefs?).

[Jamesman42]

Is this about his religious beliefs?

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Yea, I guess so. A lot of people think that his constant expression of faith is a refreshing thing, whereas a lot of people are genuinely annoyed by it (christians included).

[chrisbDTM]

it has to be put on. his mic'd up footage that was on sportcenter was crazy. he was sitting by himself on the bench singing out loud along the lines of "god is the greatest god..." etc.

good thing he's not that good, so the tebowmania will die out. unless he squeeks out a playoff win, then it will never end

[Durg]

As a fellow Christian I like him. 

But....  As an insane Arkansas Razorbacks fan I hated him when he was at Florida.  In 2007 Darren McFadden was the best football player in America and the ESPN love fest for Tebow was nauseating.  ESPN won him the heisman.  In 2009 the ESPN love fest was at the highest ever and it took a couple of bad calls by the refs for Florida to even beat us....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hlvODohLjM&feature=related
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN3Xq9BXu8c


But I'm dealing with my bitterness.  My Therapists says that stabbing the Tim Tebow doll with an ice pick helps in some ways.

[Chino]

I really don't think God gives a shit whether his team wins or loses a football game. I really can't stand religion being brought into any sport. In the words of Lewis Black... "just once, after a game, I'd like to hear a player say, 'Jesus made me fumble that ball'."

[JoiseyDTLovah]

Didn't Stevie Johnson send a twitter to God, asking why he made him drop a ball after SJ spends his days praying to him?  "why u do me like that , God"?

Funny.

[Durg]

For those of you who follow tennis.  Michael Chang was the same way.  I read Andre Agassi's book and he talked about how much he resented the fact that Michael would talk about God like it was God's will for Michael to win.

Here's how Michael Chang responded (for Tim Tebow perspective)
from https://www.insidetennis.com/2011/07/michael-chang-speaks/

IT: Were you taken aback when you read those passages about you, about how you felt God was on your side? I know Pete took exception to comments about his, shall we say, frugality.

MC: I read the excerpts, and it’s hard for me not to shake my head a little bit. I wonder if, to some degree, whether some of the stuff he wrote was more or less to sell the book.

IT: He did get a hefty advance.

MC: It was kind of odd. Andre was very harsh on me for my Christian faith, but at the same time, I believe he understands where I am as far as my faith. We actually used to have Bible studies together early on in our careers. He was upset that I would go and thank the Lord for my matches, which, back then, was probably not as commonplace as you see today. I would have thought that he would know me better than that; that me going out and expressing that has nothing to do with saying, “I’m better than you,” or “God loves me more than he loves you.” That’s not the case. I was just giving glory where glory’s due. I kind of took it with a grain of salt. What’s interesting is that Andre released his book about a week after we played at the Esurance Classic [the annual exhibition match in Mill Valley, Calif.]. Amber [Chang’s wife] and I played a mixed doubles match against Andre and Steffi [Graf]. I hadn’t seen Andre in a long time. We were just catching up, talking. Everything was very lighthearted, very humorous. But he never mentioned anything to me about the book. All of a sudden — BOOM! — the book comes out seven days later.

[TempusVox]

Personally, I'm a little put off by the attention the guy gets. He hasn't really won anything or done anything remarkable as a player yet. He does bring a ton of enthusiasm and energy into his play which in turn has been a huge benefit to his team, but lots of other guys do that for their teams too. I'm sick and tired of hearing about how lousy he is and how he can't play QB, and by doing what he is doing its somehow miraculous. Bullshit. The guy played QB, very well at the D1 level in college, so obviously he can play QB, so shut up about it already.

As for his faith, I'm actually appalled by all of the negative attention he gets. I actually got into an argument with my mother-in-law recently. She's atheist, and can't stand his views on Christianity on the field. Who cares? He's not hurting anyone. I haven't heard him say that God wants him to win over anyone else. He basically wants to honor God for allowing him to play to the best of his ability, and if he wants to give glory to God for that, so be it. ANY OTHER CHRISTIAN on any team can do the same thing. In fact, if you watch almost ANY NFL game at the end, players from both teams come together in the middle of the field and give their praises and thanks before God. So what? No one is being proselytized to; No one is being preached at; No one is claiming if you don't follow Jesus that your doomed to Hell. So why let it bother you? I don't think Tim Tebow believes that God is a Bronco's fan. Me? I judge the guy as a football player. Nothing else. Personally, I'd rather see him do what he does, rather than show up drunk or coming off heroin like Marinovich did.

[Jamesman42]

who gives a fuck if he wants to have a prayer huddle after a game and give glory to God? I'm cool with that.

[kirksnosehair]

I don't see why anyone should care if the guy wants to express his feelings on his faith, which is precisely why I quoted what I quoted above.  I don't care. He's got every right to feel the way he feels and if he wants to express that when they put a microphone in front of him, or if he wants to paint his face with "John 3:11" why should it bother me or anyone else?  I've never understood why people get uptight about someone expressing their faith in public.  It's certainly not going hurt anyone. 

[Sigz]

I have no idea who this person is or why we are talking about him.

So yeah, don't care.

[KevShmev]

I am always amused by how much hate he gets for simply being vocal about his faith.  Meanwhile, this same people usually have no problem rooting for players who are criminals, thugs, pieces of shit, etc. 

[Jamesman42]

He's a quarterback for the Broncos and his Christian faith is prominent in his celebration (and I think during the game?)

[kirksnosehair]

No, he's the devil's spawn

[GuineaPig]

I'm more annoyed that he might be the best example of sports journalism being unable to separate individual from team performance.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I'm more annoyed that he might be the best example of sports journalism being unable to separate individual from team performance.

Don't even get me started!

[pogoowner]

He seems like a great guy, and I have no problem with his religious beliefs or how he presents them. I just don't think he's a good quarterback by NFL standards.

[AcidLameLTE]

Since I don't live in the US, I had to look up who this guy is because I keep seeing his name all over Facebook. I expected to see some section called "controversies" but there was no such thing. Thanks to this thread, I now know what all the fuss is about and it seems kind of stupid.

Why is this such a big deal?

[Fiery Winds]

I may be mistaken, but I think the reason Tebow has been singled out as opposed to other players who show/have shown their religious beliefs on and off the field is due to his Super Bowl ad last year where he expressed thanks that his mother decided to keep him rather than have an abortion.  It got Planned Parenthood and other groups upset.

[Cool Chris]

Why is this such a big deal?

US media.

Doesn't bother me a bit. I knew whether or not he had legit talent was the source of much debate, but I didn't realize his beliefs were that polarizing.

Actually, he is preferable to some of the other professional athlete idiots who garner lots of attention (adulation) while being less than upstanding citizens. Also much more preferable to seeing pros cross themselves every 5 minutes (seems most prevalent in baseball, probably due to number of Latin players). 

[j]

It's hard not to want the guy to have some success, if only for the underdog factor.  I think his need to constantly outwardly express his religious beliefs is overblown, but I think that's just the way the dude was raised.  Also, who cares if he wants to do that?  I like him.

I'm sick and tired of hearing about how lousy he is and how he can't play QB, and by doing what he is doing its somehow miraculous. Bullshit. The guy played QB, very well at the D1 level in college, so obviously he can play QB, so shut up about it already.

The question is whether he can play QB *at the professional level*, which is a legitimate one.  Tebow's a great athlete and it's obvious he has the right work ethic.  He's even got a cannon for an arm.  But he absolutely struggles with accuracy and decision making at times, among other things.  Time will tell if he's able to pick up the things he needs to to be successful, particularly in an offensive system that isn't carefully tailored around his strengths and weaknesses.

-J

[Dark Castle]

He seems like a great guy, and I have no problem with his religious beliefs or how he presents them. I just don't think he's a good quarterback by NFL standards.

This pretty much.

[Ryzee]

Tebow seems like a nice enough chap, but I couldn't care less whether athletes are nice guys or not because they're just tiny men who live inside my t.v. and play games for my entertainment.  However, as a Raider fan, as long as he keeps leading the Broncos to success then I don't like him.

[Dr. DTVT]

Tebow and Tebowmania are great examples of "too much of something can be a bad thing".  He's certainly more likable than Vick, Santonio Holmes, or someone who isn't a criminal and just a play idiot like T.O. or Ochostinko.  But hearing about all his off the field stuff is just too much, and its not necessarily his fault.  Brees and Danny Wuerffel didn't get nearly the press for their post-Katrina efforts as Tebow got for his significantly less important mission work.

Oh well, hopefully after the Steelers game people won't be able to tell where the blue from his uniform ends and the blue from his bruises begin 

[ResultsMayVary]

I don't see what there is to dislike.  I mean, unless you are a fan of the Broncos archenemies (the Chiefs?).

This.

Everything aside, he's a phenomenal human being and a very polite/respectful person. What's not to like?