Then there are people who are going to love or hate him because of how he displays his religious beliefs. Our society has taken God so far out of it that it’s nice to see a person of Tebow’s stature bring it back to light. But is Tebow conducting himself the way a Christian should?
We are instructed not to pray like the hypocrites (Mat. 6:5) who just do it to get attention. But rather we are to pray to our God in secret behind closed doors. That doesn’t mean that a prayer in public is a bad thing as long as you’re doing it for the right reasons. And also we shouldn’t be holding our Christianity back in public. If you do the right things, then people will see them through your actions as a person, not by how many times you Tebow someone in public.
That being said, I’d rather have my child (no, I don’t have one) looking up to Tebow than most other professional athletes. He has the stage set to make a huge impact for the Christian race and I think it’s important for him to do so. He’s not the only Christian that has ever played sports, but he is the only one that’s made it as public as he does and maybe that has to do with his success and the media.
Kurt Warner is another famous football player that comes to mind who was an excellent role model on and off the field of a Christian but he didn’t have to bend down in the end zone 10 times a game to let people know that. A lot of athletes are labeled as “good guys” and that’s mostly through their actions off the field, how they conduct themselves with the media and through certain charity organizations.
Not everything is Tebow’s fault because the media has hyped him up to be the second coming when he’s just doing what he has done his entire life. My advice to Tebow would be to tone down the “Tebowing” and just be labeled as a “good guy.” Actions speak louder than kneelings.
I was at the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham and I noticed when SMU ran onto the field every player went to the opposite end zone and kneeled to pray before the game. While it was nice to see religion in sports, it wasn’t nice to see the lone guy that sat there five minutes after everyone left, even looking around to see that he was the last one there, so that all the attention was on him. How hard would it have been for them to just get in a circle and pray together like most schools or teams?
I’m all about prayer, but let’s make sure we’re doing it for the right seasons. God could care less whether or not you play good or if your team wins the game, as long as you’re carrying yourself around as a Christian that’s all that matters. So when/if Tebow starts saying that he won games because of God is when I totally jump off the bandwagon. You can thank God for giving you the abilities to play the game, but God doesn’t care if the Broncos win the Super Bowl.
But let’s talk about the other party of Tebow and how he does find ways to win ball games with his God given ability. After the Broncos went on that six game winning streak in the regular season I heard every excuse possible for why Tebow is a horrible quarterback and what he needs to fix. The only thing that needs to be fixed is the criticism he receives. The guy knows how to win, and coaches and analysts need to let him win the Tebow way. That’s with heart, desire and a will to not fail.
His mechanics are his mechanics. They may not look pretty but they got the job done in high school, college and now the pros. His passes seem to always wind up where he wants them, even if that’s 10 feet away from the receiver. He’s not going to make a mistake and throw an interception trying to force something. If you don’t believe me, go watch the 2008 SEC Championship game. All three of his touchdown passes were against tight coverage but he threw them only where his receiver had a chance to catch them. One of the more amazing things I’ve seen him do.
And then when he wants to run he’s as good as any running back in the NFL. He knows where he needs to get to and he wills his way there. I don’t see him aggressively running over people like he did in college, but he’s not scared to take on an NFL linebacker if he has to.
Let the man play his game. I have this same problem when people try to change Michael Vick from what he really is. If you want a pure drop back passer then get a pure drop back passer. But don’t try to make these athletes something they’re not. If you let Vick or Tebow play their game, most often than not they’re going to find ways to get the job done.
Whether or not you like the way Tebow gets the job done is your own opinion. My final verdict on Tebow the player is that he’s a great athlete who can win your team games if you let him play his game, and I like to watch him play. Tebow the person has the opportunity to set a great example and change the lives of many kids and adults. As a Christian, I think he should tone it down while he’s on the field and let his actions off the field speak for what kind of person he is.
You can follow Jake on Twitter at: @j8a1k0e or on his MLB Braves blog at: http://bravesandmore.mlblogs.com/
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