Before Tim Tebow even appeared in professional football game, the hate began to mount. Some people judged him on his football play. Some judged him on his overall kind demeaner and religious beliefs. Others simply hated him because ESPN always made him the feature story. Do you know how ridiculous this sounds?
When Tim Tebow took over the starting QB role in Week 4, those negative emotions reached new heights and continued to climb with each Broncos victory. While it wasn’t pretty at times, Tim Tebow went 7-4 as the Broncos starter and eliminated the defending AFC Champs in the first round of the playoffs.
Tim Getting Ready--AP Photo
When I look at Tim Tebow, I see a young quarterback who has a lot of work to do. He has some exceptional abilities (his running ability and intangibles) and some glaring flaws (long throwing position). Despite those flaws, Tebow has displayed the will to get better and that’s all the Broncos can really hope for. As a football fan, that’s all that should really matter.
Instead of squarely focusing on him as a football player, most sports media outlets (namely ESPN) have this sick obsession with him. In a one-hour ESPN ‘Tebow special’, someone uttered the word Tebow 118 times. On SportsCenter, Tim Tebow is always the lead story and sometimes, it’s not even for football-related reasons. Too much of one thing is never good–and ESPN’s obsession with Tim has caused so many people to hate him personally for literally no reason at all.
Personally, I hate the Jets because they don’t carry themselves like professional athletes. The Jets have become the laughing stock of the NFL and I never want to see a New York-based team look like an absolute joke. I relish in every Jet loss because that’s one step closer to Rex Ryan leaving and the Jets actually becoming a real team again.
I could understand people hating Tim Tebow because he acts like Santonio Holmes does. I could understand people hating Tim Tebow because he shot himself in the leg at a club like Plaxico Burress did. I could understand people hating Tim Tebow because he flips fans off like Rex Ryan did. Instead, the media and Jet fans actually love these guys while Tebow is a constant punching bag. Is the logic a littled flawed in this situation?
Tim Tebow carries himself as a true professional, spending time with sick children who are Bronco fans, building hospitals in the Phillippines for less fortunate people, and never taking any individual credit for Bronco wins. The NFL needs more Tim Tebows, but the media is so quick to shove Tim Tebow down our throats that some people don’t know what to do with him–besides hate him.
As sport fans, we read daily stories about various professional athlete transgressions. Some of our favorite athletes drink and drive, abuse/cheat on their spouses, and act like immature pee-wee athletes. As a sports fan, I know Tim Tebow would never display himself in a negative light–and that’s what makes him so special. The Tebow doubters will line up and knock him after his team was mashed by the New England Patriots–and it won’t be for football reasons.
I hope ESPN cools their Tim Tebow obsession and just lets this kid get better. Tim Tebow is a true professional who is just starting to tap into his potential. Let Tim be Tim and realize that the Tebow hate may be the stupidest thing we’ve ever seen in sports.
