• March 28, 2024

Tebowmania Is Really About The Religious, Political And Cultural Divide

I know many of you have wondered what and why all the hype about Tim Tebow.  You’re wondering what Tebowmania is really about. Why do so many people love him and why do so many other people hate him?

It’s about football, yes, but it’s more about the religious, political and cultural battle that’s going on in our country.

Tebow is an evangelical Christian.  He believes that the Bible is literally true, so immediately that means he’s on one side of the religious, political and cultural battle.

He believes that God helps people like it says in the Bible, so Tebow prays for help in everything he gets involved with.

He was in an anti-abortion Super Bowl commercial with his Mom and that means most of the people who disagree with him on that issue, hate his guts.  The people who do agree with him on that issue love him.

I don’t know how he feels about other issues, but it’s taken for granted by people on both sides of the cultural, religious and political divide that they know how he feels about issues like gay marriage, but he’s never said anything about it as far as I know.

Right now, Tebow isn’t a fundamentally sound NFL quarterback, but he’s only finishing up his second season.  He’s got to get quicker in his delivery.  His footwork needs to improve and he needs to get more acquainted with how to read and attack NFL pass coverages.

Despite his deficiencies, Tebow’s positive outlook and competitive spirit make him a great leader and that has contributed greatly to the success the Broncos had.  I wouldn’t be surprised at anything he accomplishes because he’s got a great mindset and work ethic.

CBS is trying to bring him on the coverage of the rest of the playoffs and John Elway has said he will be the team’s starting quarterback when they get to training camp in the summer.

CBS is making that move because he draws lovers and haters because of the religious, political and cultural battle going on in the country.

Elway didn’t give him much of an endorsement by saying he’ll be the starter when they come to training camp.  Notice he didn’t say he’ll be the starter for the first game of next season.

That’s just about all there is to this controversy.

GCOBB

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vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
January 17, 2012 12:33 pm

Well, I’m no evangelical Christian, but if CBS brings Tebow in for their pre-game show it will be a better idea than the decision to put Suh on there last week.

I thought that was a bit of a disgrace. This was the only guy they could find? A guy who openly flaunts the rules, gets punished and still says he’ll do things his way, ’cause he thinks he’s bigger than the game. This is the guy CBS decided to reward with a TV spot? No one else out there to choose from CBS?

DCar
DCar
January 17, 2012 1:25 pm

Gary, I agree 100%. But it is entirely out of hand now & It has gotten to a point now, of a cult type following. It’s far beyond cultural, political, divide. This is caused by mentally weak people who can’t think for themselves, & allow themselves to get sucked in by the media machine, that is ESPN. I have never seen such a mediocre, marginally talented athlete, get this much praise, publicity & over-hype, in my life. It’s asinine, & ridiculous. I was raised strict Catholic, & I’m a very spiritual man, so my dislike for him has nothing to do with his religious beliefs, it’s the unacceptable forcing of it, down your throat by the media. IMHO, I highly doubt God gives a crap about the outcome of a football game, with all of the homelessness, joblessless, violence, war, crime, killings, & evil that’s in this world. Also by him openly flaunting his beliefs in public, is a slap in the face to his detractors. Does it make him more worthy of God’s love, guidance, or help, than any other believer? I DOUBT IT!

paulman
paulman
January 17, 2012 1:58 pm

Anything for the “Big Almighty Dollar” as far as CBS/Networks go..
I have no strong feelings either way about Tebow, who I do not think will have a very long Career as a NFL Starting QB, but he is good man and teammate who appears to do a lot of good things for people less fortunate then himself and especially with kids so it’s hard to root against the guy..
I am not a religious person myself and usually don’t particualrly care when people are out there espousing their faith in a loud and overbearing kind of way.. He put’s it out there no doubt, but not in the way that he’s forcing it or pushing it down anyones throat or demanding that others around him should think and act the same way… He’s a hard worker who works on his liabilities as a QB and tries to improve every day.. I wish him the best..

DCar
DCar
January 17, 2012 2:10 pm

He’s not forcing it down everyones throat, the media is! That’s the point I’m trying to make Paulman. Yes, he probably is a great guy, & does a lot of good things, but that doesn’t mean that he deserves all of the unwarranted praise, & overhype that he gets.

paulman
paulman
January 17, 2012 2:21 pm

I’ll be honest DCar, I have not paid much attention at all to the Tebow Hype .. Bt the Media will make Mtns out of molehills like this Republican Porimrary seasopn.. How many damn debates are they going to have and the sad thing is, after about 20 of them, we still still don’t know much about these yahoos since the moderators ask the same damn questions instead of asking specific questions about resolutions to some of out the NAtions Problems and specifically about what they would do about Job Creation.. I have not heard form 1 CAndidate about what they would do to spur job growth.except for the old (Lower Taxes) .. Who gives a flying F if you dont have a job or can’t find one, or are underemployed about taxes.. and meanwhile our roads and Interstate Highways System is about 30 years outdated , Bridges, Ports and Airports are falling aprat and not very secure..
How abou ton every State and Federal Building, they started tin install SOlar Panels for heat and electritcity, how many jobs would this creat and how much energy over the years would this save as a example..
How about connecting 3-4 Pipelines of Natural Gas from Alaska and Canada into the United States to help cut our reliance on foreign oil…
The need to have a “Cash for Politicans” Program where we collect these Idiots and get .50 on the LB for them .. I have to take a walk..

timm00
timm00
January 17, 2012 2:26 pm

There is only one religious division in this country based on the evidence of which I’ve been able to see – and that’s predominantly from people with persecution complexes.

One example of this nonsense is the “war on Christmas” in which the oh-so-abused Christian majority perceive a store’s decision to use a term like “Happy Holidays” as disrespectful and symbolic of a clear, purposeful hatred of certain creeds. However, saying “happy holidays” is logical and reasonable as most people don’t wear huge crucifixes nor stars of David on their person – thereby making it tough to know if Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah is most appropriate. Saying “Happy Holidays” to some of these folks in the “religious divide” elicits sneers of hate and irrationally, childishly misinterprets something that is an intentionally respectful glad tiding into a preposterous personal attack. When I ask a Christian to tell me why they think wishing a Jewish person celebrate a Merry Christmas, I am embarrassed to tell you how many times I hear something like, “well, the Jews don’t mind – they know what I mean.”

This sort of “divide” is dishonest and borne of shameful personal fears. The “divide” is built on a firmly artificial pretext and is fed by the same disgraceful forces that foment racial conflict – that is the irrational pinning of nascent events to some superficial wedge of bigotry. “He did that because I’m not black.” “She wouldn’t say that if I was a woman.” “He said that because he knows I’m gay.”

All this crap arises from varying degrees of personal fears of persecution or the crafting of pathetic justifications for harboring some sort of bigotry instead of looking in the mirror and admitting that you really have no basis for your hate.

You will certainly find people who hate/like people based on some stereotype. You can even find groups like aryan nation and whomever who actually work to promote hatred. They are out there. But it’s when people – in this case, G – helps fan the flames of made-up conflict like the Tebow situation, that I get annoyed. I can’t find anyone who hates Tebow because of his religion. Not anyone. Anywhere. Yet G, and CBS (and maybe others) in this cesspool called the “media” will continue the “story.”

The “story” is a lie. People would be annoyed at Tebow wearing his religion on his sleeve if he were Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, or whatever. The fact that some people are put off or uncomfortable with his effusive profession of his beliefs has nothing to do with anyone “hating” him. I am pro choice, know dozens of “pro-life” people, and I happen to love them all. If they chain themselves to a doctor’s office door, get arrested, and I don’t bail them out, would someone claim that I “hate” them?

G, would you say I “hate” them?

timm00
timm00
January 17, 2012 2:28 pm

paulman, well said.
Dcar, also well said.

bugsyhawk
bugsyhawk
January 17, 2012 2:42 pm

Listen, I have no delusions about how good Tebow is. His motion makes babies cry. For every game that he was great in, there was a game that he was horrible in. Sometimes in the same game.

That being said, he is exciting to watch like he was in college. He obviously brought out some great play from his teammates because he needed the defense to play so well so that he could win games.

The thing that makes me laugh so much are the people that have to hate him because he isn’t good enough to get the attention. To those of you who wanted him to fail, you actually missed some really fun football games. And why would you hope that someone fails. If it the giants/cowboys/redskins, I agree, but just because he got attention? That is petty.

He may/may not be successful this year, but I would like to see what he can do with a training camp and maybe somebody to throw to. A reliable TE would be a good place to start.

paulman
paulman
January 17, 2012 3:17 pm

A report that the Christian Evangelical Leaders Group Meeting held in Texas this weeked which was called to sort out and support 1 True Conservative Candidate (Gingrinch,Perry or Santurom) to support over Mitt Romney was really a gathering to raise $$$$ to purchase the Denver Broncos and to pay off John Elway, John Fox and Owner Pat Bowlen so that Tim Tebow would be ensured to be their Starting QB thru 2017…

Stevo
Stevo
January 17, 2012 4:07 pm

I think its clear that Tebow stirs up in people their own Bias for or against Christ. The Guy talks about spending time with kids, thanks the Lord for giving him life and thanks his teammates for all their hard work. His commercial from a few years ago was SOOOOOO mild that all the hoopla leading up to it was for nothing.

as a man who works with teenagers this is EXACTLY the kind of leader needed. He knows his time is short and he is making the most of it. Its about time we hear about this instead of how a player has 15 kids and whatnot.

Bottom line– the man tells the truth- that there is a God and that God loves YOU.

frankdialogue
January 17, 2012 4:11 pm

Let me give you my take on so-called ‘Tebowmania’:

It is media driven to create controversy, draw listeners (if radio), sell papers/publications, or increase sports betting…The media, the NFL and Las Vegas/Sports books are all inter-locked, purpose being to seperate suckers from their hard earned dollars.

On the religious issue, the media ridicules all religious belief, in order to brainwash the general public into a total embrace of the Godless consumer culture…Christianity is target #1, Islam #2.

In any case, Tebow is being exploited…Probably a majority of NFL players are Christians of one denomination or another…Thanking God in prayer in a public way has been going on in the NFL from at least the Reggie White days, when Christian athletes would join hands in a prayer circle after the combat on the field was done…Nothing new here, and never a cause for controversy, except for some hard core atheists, etc.

But now, you have Tebow, an unashamed Christian, but also a lightning rod because of his unorthodox (running QB & White) style of play/personna…He is a natural for media exploitation, attack, but also a ‘money maker’ for the whole NFL ‘athletic/gambling’ complex…So, he will be in the headlines, and he will be exploited as a fad.

In reality, Tebow is simply a very talented athlete, with strong leadership skills, but with a limited number of tools, currently, to be considered a top flight NFL QB…Tebow needs a lot more work, and, hopefully, all of this media driven ‘religious controversy’ will die down.

paulman
paulman
January 17, 2012 5:54 pm

Does anyone else think that Frank above should work for Candidate Rick Perry as his new Campahign Manager.. C’Mon frank.. Rick needs you….
Only kidding, Good post Frank and Spot on…

E-money
E-money
January 17, 2012 7:21 pm

I like the Tim Tebow story. I’ve been agnostic from a very young age and generally don’t trust or like people that are 100% convinced that the Judeo -Christian god is reality, but I like this guy. Maybe it’s the fact that he wins despite his shortcomings, or maybe it’s because he’s a great leader that’s not afraid to take a hit. I’m honestly not sure what it is, but I like him and find myself rooting for him.

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
January 17, 2012 8:44 pm

You are on to something there E-money. The religios fervor plays a big role in the popularity, but there’s more to it than that.

Frankly, the underdog story plays, and plays big. People can;t help get caught up in this seemingly limited QB rising up and pulling out wins against seemingly difficult odds week after week is enticing.

The fact that after said wins the guy steps to the podium and announces to the world that the win is because of everyone else (god, his oline, his coaches etc) and not him is refreshing in an era where too many guys score the winning touchdown and then put on the angry face, look into the stands beating their chests and announcing to the world how great they are.

As for the whole vegas loves him angle. Man, I can guarantee you, the sportsbooks did not enjoy the little Tebow run.

Humility is pretty powerful. And the guy seems legitimately humble after his wins.

DCar
DCar
January 18, 2012 2:06 am

Frank, post of the day. I couldn’t of said it any better. Paul there is nothing, nor no one that can help Perry. Dude is as dumb as a bag of rocks & doesn’t have a prayer! No pun intended!

paulman
paulman
January 18, 2012 6:42 am

I know DCar, just busting on him.,.. The Republican Field of CAndidates is pretty awe-inspring isn’t it..
Is this the best and brightest this Country’s Political Parties have to offer…
Go back the last 4-5 Elections.. Seem pretty poor choices on both sides..

DCar
DCar
January 18, 2012 9:00 am

Paulman, all of the political parties are awe-inspiring. They’re all jokes & puppets to the real masters controlling things behind the scenes. We all know that the big $$$ families, & secret societies are the powers pulling the strings. That’s why we get the stand-up comedy with the debates. Not one of those @$$clowns are going to oust Obama. It’s highly amusing theater.

timm00
timm00
January 18, 2012 9:13 am

Frank, the media does NOT have any intention whatsoever of brainwashing society into godless consumerism. They have nothing at all to gain by wasting a single millisecond of their time by trying to mold society.

As the old saying goes – and is almost always right – follow the money. The media outlets make money by selling advertising. Advertisers spend big money to go where there are ratings. Ratings are made the same way the circus made it 150 years ago – freak shows. Ratings are made by showing, or to use your excellent word choice, exploiting, 4-headed babies, victims of grisly crimes, parents of quintuplets, and, of course, implying that divine intervention is at work in the NFL.

The media doesn’t care to shape anyone or anything. They are merely playing a role in the system that our already entrenched, unsustainable, consumeristic culture has embraced. It’s not the other way around.

So whereas I agree with your comment on how the media is using Tebow, it’s simply another example of shameless financial greed, not part of some audacious cultural jihad.

paulman
paulman
January 18, 2012 9:13 am

I just wished the “Secret Society” would once give the Eagles a Championship Coach and Team .. Is this so hard to ask DCar… C’Mon you silver-haired White Anglo-Saxon Men… enough already…

DCar
DCar
January 18, 2012 9:22 am

Paulman, BWAHAHA!!! LMFBO!!! Also they should bring me a couple a million $$$, or make me part of their families. TOO FUNNY!!!

paulman
paulman
January 18, 2012 9:47 am

It’s funny, but it’s sad too DCar.. This Country has been going down the wrong road for a good 40 years now .. It may even be too late to get this old US Ship turned around from the stranglehold of the Military Complex, to the Crazy Judicial System, to the scheming Wall Street/Financial/Insuranace & Banking Industires to the corrupt Energy Industries and even the Farming Industry is screwed up with these National/Corporate Farms…. The Political Figures are just Puppets for the Lobbyist Firms who serve the above listed
and I am sure I forgot to mention the Media/Publishing INdustries and Education, and so on and so on… Every great Country/Civilization in the History of World has fallen by “Internal Strife and Greed” and it’s been occuring here in the US since the 60’s, in my opinion, and seems to get wqorse every generation or so…but what do I know, I am just a damn frustrated Eagle Fan.

DCar
DCar
January 18, 2012 10:05 am

It’s very sad & highly disturbing. I agree with every word you said, Paul.

timm00
timm00
January 18, 2012 11:45 am

Paulman, couldn’t agree with you more.