I was sitting on the edge of my chair yelling, “Go, Timmy. Go! Go! Go!” This was mid-October. I watched Tim Tebow, the Bronco’s new quarterback, race down the field and into the end zone for a touchdown. After Tim made the touchdown, he knelt and said a silent prayer of thanks. I saw a member of the other team mock Tim, but this didn’t seem to faze Tim in the least. The Broncos won the game. Other teams have been called God’s Team, specifically Notre Dame and BYU. Recently, it has been the Denver Broncos. This is because of Tebow, who has made a name for himself, not so much as a quarterback, although he is a great athlete, but because he is openly religious out on the field. When he makes a touchdown, he kneels and thanks his Lord. Denver had a losing record before Tebow replaced the quarterback. It isn’t just that he won enough games to get Denver into the playoffs, the first time in six years. It’s because of the spectacular way he won these games either in the last seconds of the game or in overtime. He had five fourth quarter comebacks this season.
Tebow was raised in a religious family and has been religious all his life. His parents were missionaries in the Philippines He led a Bible study while attending Florida State University. He would put the Bible passage, John 3:16, in the black markings under his eyes when he played for Florida U, you know, “For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, so we shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” It is illegal to use messages like this in professional football. He also runs a private organization to help young people with health problems. He has one of these on the youngsters on the sidelines every game. He eats with them and is their friend. Tim Tebow is quite a man.
Figure the odds of Bronco’s win in the Wildcard Playoff game of 1/7/2012. The game was tied at the end of regular play. In overtime, Broncos won the toss. Tebow made a magnificent pass which was caught and run in for a touchdown. It took eleven seconds of the overtime period and was an 80 yard play. This is the shortest overtime period in either the regular season or in the playoffs. It won the Broncos the game. Tebow threw for 316 yards that game, got a TV rating of 31.6%, and threw for an average of 31.6 yards per pass. There were more than 1 in a million chances of doing this. It was the most watched playoff game since 1988, with 45 million viewers. Twitter users set a record of 9,420 tweets per second after the game. Figure the odds of all this happening again. One in millions.
Denver lost their next game big time* but it’s been a fun ride and Tebow recently was voted top athlete in America. I mean he gained the top dog award ten years before other athletes have reached this distinction. It couldn’t happen to nicer guy. From not being ashamed to openly show his religion to helping kids with major health problems, he exudes cheerfulness, is unassuming, and has not let instant fame go to his head. Interestingly, during this game, a 30 second commercial put out by Faith and Family has little kids quoting John 3:16. The message got out. Over 100,000 million people looked up on line during the game. That boggles my mind. Tim Tebow has the second highest selling tee shirt of any other player. Tim Tebow is not pushing his faith; he is living it. He is a model and a hero to millions of America’s young people.
Unfortunately, Tim has made as many enemies as he has supporters. And these enemies all brutally try to destroy Tim. Talk about mean-spirited. They feel if they destroy Tim, they destroy religion. So they literally want to destroy him. They want to destroy what they cannot understand and what they fear. If they destroy Tim, they think they will destroy the threat of religion. Again, this controversy doesn’t seem to bother Tim. In just a few weeks he has become the most talked about athlete, perhaps man, in years. Tim’s name comes up everywhere.
The big question has been, “Does Tebow have a direct line to God helping him win these games?” Charles Krauthammer has the answer. He says, “Yes, He told me so. God that is.” That says all that needs to be said. Those of you who despise Tim because he shows his religion are showing your ignorance. I heard Joe Montana, famed quarterback from the past, say that as a Quarterback, Tim is garbage” Shame on you, Joe. This just shows what a little, petty man you really are. P.S. I doubt if Denver will remain God’s Team, but that’s OK, too. There will be other gmes and other seasons.
Did you know? Tim Tebow’s mother was urged by her doctor to abort her baby for health reasons. She chose to have Tim. Just think, this superb athlete and man of faith almost wasn’t. Go, Timmy, Go! Go! Go!
*We are hearing just today, 1/19/2012 that Tebow played the last half of this last game in pain after an injury and should have been pulled from the game for this reason.
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