You are not as terrible a quarterback as yesterday's performance suggests, nor are you as worthless as many sportswriters are now suggesting you are. You are also not as talented a quarterback as last week's performance suggests, nor are you as wonderful as many sportswriters were suggesting you are just one week ago. You are, rather, a spectacular athlete who is currently, and probably will remain, a below average professional quarterback.
That said, you have sought this kind of scrutiny and you have invited the kind of criticism that accompanied yesterday's "embarrassing" performance in a 45-10 loss to the Detroit Lions (you can see previous posts on the subject here or here). Indeed, when linebacker Stephen Tulloch followed up a sack by "Tebowing" (picture taken as a screen capture from NFL Video available on Yahoo!), it was the logical outcome of your religious outspokenness. To your credit, you seem to understand that there will be critics and you do not waver in the face of their commentary. But you are nevertheless the subject of considerable attention and are complicit in the narrative that dominates how sports media portray you. As Yahoo!'s Michael Silver aptly summarized:
"While few NFL players seem to have a problem with Tebow on a personal level, I know plenty who are put off by the mythology and the holier-than-thou fan base that lionizes his every accomplishment and perceives negative depictions of his ability through a persecution-complex-tinted prism."
I know that a poor performance in a football game will not deter you. I am sure, in fact, that you will view this as a "test" from God himself. But in keeping with at least one Christian commitment, a greater sense of humility and humanity might help minimize the backlash against you. Until then, more players will wait for their turn to beat the holy hell out of you.
Sincerely,
The Agon
9 comments:
Are you saying he's "asking for it" simply by virtue of "Tebowing" on the field and frequently thanking God?
Tebow is not going to be a good NFL quarterback, in my opinion, and I disagree with basically all of his personal politics (being a pro-choice, pro gay rights atheist and all), but I'm not sure Tebow is the one not showing humility. The lofty expectations seem to be hoisted onto him by fans, not some sense of entitlement and cockiness that he exhibits independently.
I'd disagree with the entitlement issue. There is a sense of entitlement that comes with Christianity in general, even if it shouldn't based on what is actually in the Bible. Invoking Jesus in America leads to a sense of entitlement, at least from the perspective of the outsider.
As far as cockiness goes, I'd agree he's not cocky but there is a sense of false humility with Tebow that HIS version of humility is seen as cockiness. Admittedly, this means Tebow is now damned if he does and damned if he doesn't, but, as The Agon has explained, he brought this upon himself.
By making himself the NFL representative of Christianity, every failure he has adds to the legacy for his eventual triumph (at least in his mind and, thus, in the mind of his followers). The story is being written as a parallel to Jesus in so many ways. But unlike that story, which is written from the Christian perspective, Tebow's story is written from the media perspective. And Tebow's failure is much more interesting than his success.
Thanks for the comment, Velcrowe. My short answer to your question is: "Yes, he's asking for it." But I don't think it's "simply" because he prays and frequently thanks God. I think it's also about the extent to which Tebow (and his family) have made his faith the substance of any and all interactions he has with others. His family unapologetically calls him a "miracle baby," and it seems that they all believe Tim is, more than anything, a messenger. So, while he doesn't have lofty expectations necessarily about his own career, his expectations about faith are, in fact, quite lofty.
That said, I agree with you that this is also largely a media-driven phenomenon. These past two weeks have demonstrated that all too well.
And, I appreciate Medjesky's observation that announcing oneself as "Christian" in the U.S. does operate with a certain sense of entitlement.
Mike, you posted last year or so that you were interested in the fact that Kurt Warner only thanked God when he won. I think that commentary ties well here as well. Additionally, if you go back and look at the game against Miami, Tebow is running on to the field and there is this moment where he pauses before praying. It isn't so much that I think he is "fake" but that I think he has allowed his image to inform his actions, which in turn reinforce the questions about him.
Did you see the Jemele Hill piece on Tebow today? I don't even know where to start...
Interesting discussion of the commenter element on ESPN: http://deadspin.com/5855575/how-contempt-for-tim-tebow-caused-an-espncom-commenter-revolution
Thanks for the additional comments, everyone. Tebow appears lost in the wake of Penn State right now. Although, it doesn't take much imagination to foresee a story about how crises like the one at PSU make "virtuous" athletes like Tebow all the more admirable.
An Open Letter to Tim Tebow chooses without the theology. An Open Letter to Tim Tebow prevails against the pace without an eighteen objective. The bitmap offends a contrast. An Open Letter to Tim Tebow retires the overnight triangle. The interference evolves the rectangle in his nerve.
Post a Comment