Twitter and other social media have turned public consciousness into a sieve through which gigabytes of information pass, but nary a byte is retained. Therefore, it would not surprise me if only few people can recall that Tim Tebow was as much a media darling this time last year as Jason Collins is today.
Tebow was a surprise first-round draft pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, then surprisingly became the starter in the fifth game of the 2011 season, and then shockingly led the Broncos to a series of improbable comeback victories and became arguably the NFL’s biggest star.
And now Tebow is with the Jets, one of the many teams he beat with a great fourth-quarter comeback last season
(NBC Sports, March 21, 2012)
In fact, given the media coverage back then, one could be forgiven for thinking that Tebow was the Football equivalent of the second coming of Jesus Christ. Which is why GQ magazine saw nothing blasphemous in running a September 2012 cover featuring Tebow – posing more like Adonis than Jesus – with the following messianic headline … in all caps:
NFL KICK-OFF 2012: BROTHERS, HAVE YOU ACCEPTED TIM TEBOW AS YOUR SUNDAY SAVIOR?
You’d think a born-again Christian like Tebow would fear going to Hell for participating in such sacrilegious self-promotion. But he encouraged it – not just by continually praying during Football games, but by doing so in pharisaic fashion: conspicuously alone and on bended knee – a schtick his meme-obsessed fans/disciples turned into a cultural phenomenon called “Tebowing.” Not to mention the mock-crucifixion pose he struck in his beefcake spread inside his Icarian issue of GQ….
But I was no fan of his praying, and even less a fan of his playing.
Here, for example, is how I illustrated the unwarranted praise he received for the latter:
Nothing demonstrates how exaggerated and misplaced much of the praise he’s getting is quite like that being lavished upon him for Denver’s upset victory over the heavily favored Pittsburg Steelers in Sunday’s AFC wild-card game. Here’s why:
Denver clinched it in spectacular fashion with an 80-yard touchdown pass from Tebow to Demaryius Thomas on the first play in overtime (the teams were tied 23-23 at the end of regulation).
To listen to most sports analysts and commentators, however, you’d think this play happened because Tebow hiked the ball to himself, passed it to himself, and then eluded tackles as he scampered down the field to seal the victory … all by himself.
Whereas, it happened only because Thomas caught a 20-yard pass from Tebow and then scampered 60 yards for the touchdown, eluding tackles and stiff arming defenders along the way.
So how would you feel if you were Thomas and the entire world reacted to this play — not just by focusing on Tim “tebowing” in prayer up at midfield instead of on you jumping for joy down in the end zone, but by glorifying him as if he were the second coming of Jesus Christ and you were just the donkey he rode in on?
(“The Divine Tim Tebow? Puhleeese!” The iPINIONS Journal, January 12, 2012)
And here is the writing on the wall I provided for every NFL team and fan in this respect:
Signing Petyon Manning to replace Tim Tebow exposes Tebow as nothing more than the passing media fad I said he was. It also reinforces what seems to have been lost in the hype surrounding him: namely, that teams would rather rely on a player’s talent than his prayer to win Football games.
That said, I have no doubt that some other team will be happy to exploit what little remains of the ‘tebowing’ phenomenon by signing Tebow to hang out on the side lines like a de facto mascot.
(“Denver Broncos: We want Peyton; Tebow can go to Hell,” The iPINIONS Journal, March 20, 2012)
Which is why I thought the Jets knew exactly what they were getting when they hired Tebow:
After re-signing their young franchise quarterback Mark Sanchez to a three-year extension just last month, the only possible reason for the Jets signing Tebow is to profit from all of the sideline hype they hope he will generate (or like I said, to use him like a de facto mascot).
(“Tebow to the Jets,” The iPINIONS Journal, March 23, 2012)
Alas, this most celebrated quarterback in recent memory could not even pass muster as a sideline attraction, which I correctly predicted was all he would ever be in the NFL:
The Jets have released quarterback Tim Tebow… The former Heisman Trophy winner … alienated himself from many teammates and coaches last season. He barely played, even in wildcat situations, after being acquired from Denver in 2012 – a move many believed originated with owner Woody Johnson and not the football staff.
(CBS Sports, April 29, 2013)
Frankly, Tebow had to know his days were numbered when, midway through last season, “gangnam style” replaced “tebowing” as the latest viral sensation. And now that it’s clear his presence on the sidelines does more to undermine than uplift esprit de corps, there really is no reason for any team to hire him.
On the other hand, I think he would make a killing as a mega-church, prosperity-gospel preaching televangelist….
Related commentaries:
Divine Tebow…
Denver Broncos: We want Peyton…
Tebow to the Jets