If there’s one thing that everyone can agree about regarding Tim Tebow right now, it’s that he has been the single most polarizing and controversial character in the NFL this season. But this seems strange. What exactly is it about the God-loving, miracle-working good guy that can spark so much love and hate in the same moment?
It’s easy to see why his presence on the football field might cause controversy considering his less-than-stellar performance this week compared to his incredible last minute heroics last week. But it seems like Tebow’s personality, not his plays, are what inspire the most heated debates most frequently.
The most common complaints against Tebow have to do with his prominent Christian faith. Most interviews with Tebow begin with him saying, “First and foremost, I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Tebow also is known for praying on one knee before games (the origin of the now-famous “Tebowing” gesture).
Many people interpret these actions as being Tebow’s attempt to force Christianity on those around him. They also frequently complain about how they think Tebow must believe that God causes him and his team to win games. The main fault in these assumptions against Tebow, however, is that they fundamentally misinterpret what Tebow’s beliefs are. In fact, Tebow has frequently stated that he is thanking God for the abilities that he has been given, not for the fact that they won or lost.
Tebow believes that God gave him talents, but he also believes that it was his own ability to use those talents that ultimately caused the win. So what else can people complain about? His personality? Who in their right mind complains about an admirably decent, kind, well-meaning person?
The man is someone who truly practices what he preaches when he promotes good works. Before each game this season, Tebow made it a point to host sick and dying people in hopes of giving them an exciting and memorable experience.
Along with providing hotel rooms, tickets to the games and pre-game field passes to these children and their families, he made it a point to visit them personally both before and after the games.
Amazingly, this held true even after the best game of his career so far: the Jan. 8 game against the Steelers. After that game, while he was the single most talked about person in the U.S., he chose not to meet with the reporters, coaches and big shots that wanted to talk with him.
Instead, he immediately went to meet with his guest for the day, 16-year-old Bailey Knaub, who has had 73 surgeries. No amount of fame or success or big wig or excitement made him forget a promise he had made to a 16-year-old girl and that speaks volumes to the sincerity of his character as a whole.
Multiple other, smaller things indicate his amazingly admirable existence: He circled the stadium after the Pitt game high fiving and thanking the fans for their contributions. He constantly remains modest about his successes and acts respectfully in defeat. Yes, Tebow’s gameplay can be unpredictable. Yes, he loses occasionally. Yes, he can be pretty darn bad at times. But, ultimately, the bad times mean absolutely nothing compared to the significance of the good times.When Tebow is good, he’s great. So great, in fact, that he’s inspired a previously discouraged Broncos fan base back into believing in the Broncos.
Mile High Magic had seemingly disappeared since the 2006 playoff games, but this season and particularly at the Pittsburgh game Mile High Magic was alive, well and better than ever before. The excitement seen throughout Colorado in the week after that game was feasible and real. For the fans that had previously feared that the glory days of ’97 and ’98 could never be seen again, it was a feeling long overdue.
The Patriots loss was a hard one to take, but considering the fact that the Broncos were not “supposed” to make it there in the first place, it’s still a huge accomplishment. No matter what the naysayers and critics say, the feeling of being at that Wild Card game was one that the Broncos organization needed, and they needed it desperately.
The Magic was there at that game and during the season, and there is absolutely no way anyone can deny that it came at the hands of one Tim Tebow. Denver has a lot to look forward to in the seasons to come, and Tim Tebow is the one to make it happen.
