Candleman000

This Saturday (October 10^th) is the annual football game between LSU and Florida, a bloodbath affair in the Deep South that involves two victory-hungry fan bases and enough pro prospects to fill a full NFL team (there is a distinct possibility that all eleven of the current starting Florida defense will be playing in the NFL in the next three years). So naturally, I began thinking about how much I hate Florida quarterback Tim Teabow.

Tebow, a senior at Florida, has won two National Championships (for the first one, in 2006, Tebow was a backup), and a Heisman trophy in 2007 as a sophomore. Tebow grew up home-schooled in a significantly religious background. His father is a powerful spiritual leader for the Evangelical church, and Tebow himself is partly famous for his pilgrimages to various prison and developing countries in order to influence people to join his church.

It is often the case in sports today, that ESPN chooses who our sports heroes are far us. They’ve chosen Pittsburgh Penguin forward Sidney Crosby, basketball rivals Lebron james and Kobe Bryant, the members of the New York Yankees, and Tim Tebow. Although Tebow is a good player, it is always odd to see him getting the accolades and praise that he’s currently been getting. In the July 27^th issue of “Sports Illustrated,” he was presented on the cover with a determined scowl on his face. The article inside was headline, “You Gotta Love Tim Tebow,” and was a passionate love letter to the man.

His connection to God is normal (at least in the South where religion is a crucial part of most families), but to see someone flaunt at every possible turn is nauseating. Making comments about how he is waiting for God to tell him who to vote for (in regards to the 2008 Presidential election), or making is very public that he is a virgin (despite the fact that his alleged girlfriend could possibility bring the internet to a standstill if she ever became famous), declining a spot on the Playboy All-American team because of the misogynist nature of the magazine, and then being photographed shirtless in GQ a couple months later.

When Florida was playing Kentucky last month, cameras broadcasted film of Tebow screaming red-faced at his offensive line. He was jumping up and down, pumping his arms, getting right in their faces. Broadcasters referred to the moment as “Tebow pumping his team up. He’s a leader, he’s telling them to get going.” The next day, the Buffalo Bills lose to the New Orleans Saints by double digits in which Terrell Owens goes without a catch. Both men have similar reactions, yet it’s Owens who gets blasted later on the post-game recaps.

Tebow is currently the most talked about college athlete, by a wide margin, but he his skill set and style of play leaves him very little option of playing pro. He has no significant college records (a large amount of SEC records though), and spends the first month of every college year dominating D-II schools (his recent concussion against Kentucky – one of the historically worst football teams college has every produced – was in garbage time, an obviously attempt to pad his stats for Heisman voters and NFL GM’s.) His supporter’s chalk him as a selfless individual, but he is known as a scrambling quarterback; a selfish quality that has doomed the pro careers of Akili Smith, Michael Vick and Vince Young.

 The greatness of Tim Tebow is as false as any politician running for office. His trips to the deepest and darkest southern prisoners to lecture inmates about God are as false as Sean Penn being photographers with him to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina so his ‘acts of kindness’ could be broadcasted all over the world. ESPN analyses tell glowing remarks about his character. They are as lame as Fox News reporters preaching conservative ideals, or Bill Maher discussing Barack Obama like he’s some 21^st century prophet. It’s unfortunate to think of Tebow as the great quarterback, because he doesn’t deserve it.