Casual or misinformed observers think that Tebow believes that the Broncos' success on the field is directly attributable to God's intervention; and anyone with half a brain "knows" that God doesn't give a whit about American football; nor do they believe that God orchestrates the gridiron success of the Denver Broncos over their opponents. And who can blame them for assuming that Tim Tebow is simply a spiritually-misguided, intellectually-challenged jock, i.e., "clinging to his guns and religion".? Earlier this week, ABC's Nightline presented a segment on Tebow entitled "Tim Tebow: God Follows Football?" (with a subheading of "Devout Denver Broncos quarterback attributes team's wins to power of prayer.") Herein lies some of the problem: Tebow never said that God follows football. In fact, he is like a kid at Christmas, reveling in the fact that he is being afforded the opportunity to earn money while playing a game, a game he loves. In fact, with this attitude toward the game, he has annoyed a number of players in the league who calculate every action they take in terms of dollars, and they most-frequently follow the paths that will prolong their longevity in the sport.
To Tebow, playing football is only a means to an end; it is "just a game". He views it purely as a vehicle that enables him to glorify God and reach people, and he acknowledges God's presence in his life and the One who has granted him the skills (and will) to play the sport at a high level. He does this every time that he is in front of a microphone; people hear what they want to hear, but his is a message of humility and joy. Now, contrast that with the plethora of prima donnas in sports. How many of them are truly grateful for being blessed with a God-given ability to excel in the modern-day version of a gladiator arena? Many are arrogant, and they view their skills as something that they have somehow developed, or are otherwise responsible for (via practice, dedication, etc.). As fans, we feed this ego with our adulation and our dollars.
So what is Tim Tebow doing with his money? Buying Benzes, buying diamonds, buying bling? Hardly. He has been expanding on the lessons in missions and outreach that his parents ingrained in him at a young age, and he has founded the Tim Tebow Foundation. Furthermore, he and his foundation have teamed with Cure International to provide specialty pediatric surgical care in the developing world, helping children who otherwise have no hope for the future because of a curable/correctable physical disability. The culmination of this collaboration is the planned construction of the Tebow CURE Hospital in the Philippines.
This is all well and good and noble, blah, blah, blah; but why the heck do we care about Tim Tebow? If we assume that God cares about people and blesses them for their mitzvahs, perhaps some of Tim Tebow's personal football success, both in Denver as well as in his college career at the University of Florida, is attributable to divine intervention or blessing. At a purely secular (and social) level, Tebow's success at quarterback is compelling to anyone who has ever been put down, or who has been told that they can't succeed because they "don't have the right skill set" or "don't have the intangibles necessary to succeed" or "don't have the proper throwing mechanics" or [ADD EXCUSE-OF-THE-DAY HERE]... It's the classic feel-good story about someone who overcomes the odds and naysayers, and succeeds in spite of them. To the owner of the Broncos (John Elway) and the coach of the team (John Fox), Tebow has become a necessary evil. To Fox's credit, he has accepted Tebow's impact on the team and re-vamped his offense to take advantage of Tebow's particular skills (agility, power, ball-handling), which are not prototypical of the "ideal" NFL quarterback (pass accuracy and timing). Fans and his fellow players love him because he is a winner -- and because their previous quarterback, who possessed all of the "requisite" NFL quarterback skills, was not.
But how does the above translate to team performance, and moreover, seemingly brain-dead performances by his opponents? Let's talk about his team first. Why are they winning? Tim Tebow puts up relatively modest numbers in terms of stats. He doesn't put up numbers like Peyton Manning, who is physically able to produce as many passing touchdowns as can be executed in a 60-minute football game, and based on the performance of his team without him this season, he can accomplish this regardless of the talent (or lack thereof) of his surrounding cast. And although Tebow is certainly integral to the play of the Denver offense (such as it is), he doesn't play defense. He can't do anything to hold his opponent's scoring down. The Denver defense must to do this; they must limit points allowed, such that Denver's offense is afforded the opportunity to score enough to win. Furthermore, Tim Tebow doesn't kick 59-yard record-setting field goals to tie and win games for Denver. No, special teams players do that. So why couldn't they win without him?
It's all about belief. It doesn't always happen, but every time that Tim Tebow steps on a football field, he fully expects to leave that field a winner. His confidence is unshakable, and the things that he does on the field reflect this. His teammates see this, they feed off it, and they embrace it. This is an aspect of human subconscious behavior that self-help and achievement guru's like Denis Waitley and Tony Robbins have made millions of dollars by exploring, modelling, and teaching. Belief is empowering. All great achievers have had strong belief systems, faith-based or other.
It's also about doubt and fear. Opponents watch Denver game film. They see the "improbable" happen over and over again, and they wonder if Denver has something that they don't. Those with only a superficial knowledge of Christianity and faith wonder if God really is on the Bronco's side. Defensive game plans are modified, sometimes irrationally. Because of doubt, or fear of making a critical mistake, players hesitate to react to what they are seeing, even just for a fraction of a second -- and then it is too late. Their fears become a reality, and their ultimate fate as loser of the contest becomes a foregone conclusion.So what will become of Tim Tebow? No one knows (except God ;-), but you can bet that it will be exceptional. Tim Tebow is bigger than football. I see him milking all that he can from it, in terms of relationships, positive influence, contacts, publicity, and yes -- money; and then I see him moving on to something greater. This is not unlike what Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have done with their movie careers: moving from the banalities of Hollywood to creating the Jolie-Pitt Foundation and donating millions of dollars to organizations such as Doctors Without Borders.
I am enjoying this little fantasy excursion with Tim Tebow and his Denver Broncos. Sometimes it seems like a different miracle each week: an improbable touchdown run by Tebow at the end of the game, when everyone in the stadium knew it was coming but nobody could stop it; or Denver's place-kicker pulls off a must-have 59-yard field goal in regulation to tie the score, only to win it with a second >50-yard field goal in overtime. Opponents abandon a defense that has worked for 55 out of 60 minutes, only to go into a "prevent" defense that promptly yields multiple Denver scores in a matter of minutes. Like everything down here on planet Earth, eventually it will come to an end. Until it does, I am going to enjoy the ride. And when this ride ends -- whether years from now, next year, or next week -- I am already expectantly excited about seeing what this unabashed follower of Christ does for an encore...
GO GAT-- I mean BRONC -- I mean, HOKIES!
