There isn't much to be said about Florida quarterback Tim Tebow that hasn't been already (just check out the "Tim Tebow Zone"). Tebow, who won a national championship his freshman year and the Heisman Trophy his sophomore year, is presently leading his Gators in the BCS Championship Game. As I write, with roughly five minutes remaining in the first half, the game is tied, 7-7.
Interestingly, Tebow has already thrown two interceptions. This is interesting if only because the sports media would have you believe that this could not be possible. Tim Tebow, after all, is perfect.
Let me preface this by saying I'm not attacking Tim Tebow here. Yes, I find the good-guy/super-Christian stuff a bit sanctimonious and he looks uncomfortably like Brendan Fraser, but otherwise, he seems like a perfectly fine fellow. Yet the extent to which he has been perfected by the sports media is downright obssessive. I don't really have the links to recount all of the Tebow feature pieces that have elevated him to godlike status. But it has gotten to the point that even ESPN seemed to recognize their indulgence when they reported that Tebow's teammates can verify that their QB isn't perfect after all. Too bad the "substance" of the piece is that Tebow can't sing.
My point isn't to dissect the specific instances of Tebow worship; it's to challenge the general principle. You see, although it is all too common, I think it is a mistake to construct "perfect" human beings. If there is an essential human quality, it is that we are inherently and unavoidably flawed. To pretend otherwise is to risk the hubris that inevitably leads to tragedy (rhetorical critics out there know that I am invoking Kenneth Burke on this). Somewhere along the line, Tim Tebow will fail (and I'm not talking about losing a football game). He will make a mistake, hurt someone, or simply be adequate. And when he is imperfect, what happens to the rhetorical construction of perfection? Most likely it consitutes an attitude through which Tebow will be judged, and through which we will judge ourselves. For, if Tebow is our model and he cannot be perfect, then what does it say about us that we've invested in him?
If this seems a bit, well, dramatic, perhaps we should be reminded of our other fallen sports heroes. How have we reconciled the failures of O.J. Simpson? Or Marion Jones? Or John Daly? Moreover, it isn't as if this rhetorical practice is restricted to sports. The discourse of perfection has surrounded president-elect Barack Obama for months now. Consider what we've set ourselves up for in the coming weeks when, no matter how smart or pragmatic he may be, Obama isn't able to instantly jump-start the economy. What is required is an acknowledgement that we are all, even the most athletic or the politically savvy among us, prone to error. What is required is a healthy dose of humility. Tim Tebow isn't perfect, he's human. Let's try to let him be.
4 comments:
Really nice post. As an aside, I didn't watch the game (too meaningless for me). As for your post, a couple of things of note:
1. This seems to ring a lot like Brett Favre. Perhaps this year with the Jets has affected Favre's image a little, but I don't really think so. Favre can throw all of the interceptions that he wants and it's taken in stride with his supermanish mythlogy. Indeed (and this is speculative; I haven't looked at the discourse enough to verify this), I would tend to think that Favre "being human" every so often makes him all the more "perfect" and "super," as the discourse goes. Paradoxically, his "imperfections" help make him "perfect." I wonder if the same kind of thing goes for Tebow. Indeed, as Favre is in his swan song, there might be an exigence (you went Burke; I'll go Bitzer) for someone to take up that role, just like Kobe, Vince Carter, et al. were discussed as the next "Jordan" about a decade ago. Who better than Tebow?
2. And that, I think, gets me to the "super-Christian stuff," which I definitely find incredibly sanctimonious ... and downright appalling at times. Don't get me started, for instance, on Andy Pettitte, who wrote a book about "Christian living" as a morality guide before he came clean about steroids and has been celebrated in so many media accounts as a upstanding kind of guy and as someone who came clean and atoned for his steroids, all in connection with his Christianity as a positive aspect of his identity that helps him in this. Given the kinds of identities made available through these kinds of discourses, I'd say Tebow's super-Christian identity makes him all the more able to fulfill this Superman mythology in contemporary American culture. Like Pettitte (and, well, George W. Bush, for that matter), Tebow may very well be allowed plenty of trangressions because he has accepted Jesus as his lord and savior. I mean, after all, God may have planned for those interceptions ... This was nothing more than the story of Job; God was testing the faithful and Tebow did not lose hope ... again, as the discourse goes.
3. Finally, an interesting thing to add to your connection to Obama: On Wednesday, Marvel Comics will be releasing an issue of Spider-Man with Obama on the cover and him teaming up with Spidey in the comic. (All of this is in response to Obama apparently saying he's a huge Spidey fan.) What a striking contrast with Tebow channeling George W. Bush narratives in line with a Superman identity and Obama identifying with Spider-Man. The two signify at least somewhat different ideologies based on their identities: Superman is the nearly unbeatable man, born in that condition, who can do almost anything, has all kinds of powers, and gets to kind of do whatever he wants. Spiderman is the regular guy who happened upon these powers by accident and has to find a way to balance them against everyday life. The moral of Spider-Man, of course, is "with great power comes great responsibility." Hmmm ... a lesson George W. Bush's administration probably ought to have heeded much more that just trying to make everyone follow their own interpretation of "truth, justice, and the American way."
Two things to add here: 1. I wonder whether Tebow's Christian beliefs and behaviors as a volunteer in other countries is part of the reason that we tout him as superman -- he is able to do so many things for so many people (similar to a savior?). The significant thing here is that Tebow doesn't push himself as superman (at least from what I have read), but rather as a hubris individual doing what he can, which seems to resonate with a public desire for responsibility and respect. This rhetorical move to make him superman then may be a cry by the media and/or public to have something to believe in. 2. I agree with you that this framing by the media sets Tebow up for failure. I mean what if we found out that he turned down an opportunity to speak to prisoners (gasp!), but doesn't this speak to the exceedingly high pedestal we put athletes on? We conflate rhetorically their athletic endeavors as a part of who their are as a person as well. We assume that somehow those traits translate to other parts of their identity, which seems to be a far too slippery slope for most athletes.
As a response to iggyyoda, I will respectfully disagree that Favre and the Jets doesn't hurt his mythology because he is being called out too much by teammates as not being a good teammate (as well as questioning of his superhuman qualities with the Ls) and media pundits to retire. It seems that his inability to will his team to win tarnishes the mythos.
Korryn--I understand your disagreement and I started to head in that direction with my comment, but literally as I was writing it, I ended up thinking, you know, in the long run, even if Favre is taking some criticisms right now, I gotta wonder if that's all going to change along about a year or so after he finally does call it quits. I could be wrong, but I just get this feeling that the present criticisms will somehow fall away not too long after he retires, especially if he does it this year, and the longterm mythology of him as superman will remain intact.
Great to have the discussion! Favre is an interesting comparison, but for the specific reason you not, Iggy--Christianity--there is also considerable divergence. Favre is known for his past prescription drug abuse and suspected for fooling around with women (not sure if this would be since his marriage). It's also safe to say that Favre cusses aplenty and isn't likely to take a mission trip any time soon. This doesn't mean that I think he's a "bad" guy, but in terms of media discourse, he isn't in the same league as Tebow. Just go back to Thursday night's broadcast to listent to play-by-play man, Thom Brennaman. I honestly didn't think TB could get more self-righteous than he normally is, but the endless, gushing references to Tebow--"Just an EXTRAORDINARY young man," "That may be the first mistake he's EVER made," etc.--were almost too much to take. So yeah, Korryn, I think the Christianity angle is central to the construction.
As for the Superman/Tebow/Spiderman/Obama thing, dude, that's an essay waiting for you to write.
Just speaking as a fan for a moment, I absolutely love that the Jets players are calling out Favre for the phony that he is. It's too bad it cost Mangini his job, but he'll be better off in the long run.
And, I think I'd agree with Iggy here that down the road, Favre's legacy will be preserved. ESPN alone will probably so to that.
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