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The Breakdown: The Book of Tim Tebow

BRYCE EVANS
summit daily news
Summit County, Colorado
Sports editor Bryce Evans
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A reading from the Book of Tim: And on the seventh day, God created Tim Tebow, the conqueror (of college football), the savior (of the Denver Broncos) and the divine divider (of fans everywhere). For God so loved football, he gave us his only signal caller, that whoever starts him under center will not lose but have everlasting playoff appearances.

Too much? Sorry.

I guess I got a little carried away, but it just seems that every move, every decision, every pass, er, scribble on a clipboard from Tebow turns into the newest opportunity for both lovers and haters everywhere to praise, scrutinize or overanalyze.



I mean, has there ever been less rational discussion over an athlete than with Tebow?

And it’s only gotten worse. This past week, Tebow announced through his foundation’s website that he will be penning a memoir (or rather, having someone pen a memoir for him) which “will reveal how this remarkable young man constantly strives to be the best, has always overcome the odds and how he has managed to do so while remaining true to his faith and family values.”



Sounds neat – you know, the way your grandma’s story about learning to knit is neat.

As you might have guessed – or read – this announcement has brought about a whole lot of opinions, mostly slanted in the negative direction. A basic list of gripes: He’s not old enough to have a memoir; he’s rubbing his faith in the faces of fans; he’s self-righteous; he can barely grow a beard.

OK, I actually haven’t seen that last one printed anywhere, although the Tebow attackers seem to look for any little kink in this dude’s impenetrable armor.

The fact is, though, Tebow doesn’t need any armor – the guy has nothing to guard himself against.

(Note: That’s referring to him as a person, not as a football player. Obviously, he needs pads on the field; it’s not like he’s Chuck Norris or something.)

Tebow is one of the most interesting and unique players to come into the league in years, maybe ever in the modern game. But, with it comes a polarizing effect. Proof: The guy, without throwing a pass in a regular season NFL game, leads the league in jersey sales. This means 1) a lot of people like him, and 2) a lot of people hate him for how much he’s liked.

Really, I’m not quite sure why or how anyone hates Tim Tebow; it makes no sense to me.

I’ve been a huge sports fan since the first time I threw a wobbly pass that was picked off in my front yard. And among my sports “heroes” as a kid was (sigh and sad head shake) Tiger Woods. So, I’ve spent the last year reconciling the fact that one of the people I looked up to for so long wasn’t the prime athlete and person I thought he was. He turned out to be more Wilt than Russell, you know?

It’s not like this is new in sports; the list of athletes who disappoint fans is longer than I have room to print here. And every time it happens, people wag their fingers and say how we need more stand-up players in positions to be role models for our kids, we need more people who do things the right way.

How ’bout Tebow?

Sure, it’s easy to get rubbed the wrong way by his Bible beating, but, then again, isn’t that better than all the athletes beating their chests after games, proclaiming themselves as the reason their teams are great?

Whether the guy turns into a Pro Bowler or his career circles the toilet bowl, no one can discredit his character. He’s everything you want a kid to learn from as an athlete: He’s humble, he’s a leader, he’s competitive, and he takes responsibility for all his actions and holds his responsibility to his team very seriously.

Do I expect The Book of Tim (due out in April) to be any good? Not really. Will I even read it? Probably not.

But to discredit Tebow as someone to learn from would be a mistake.

On the seventh day, we all watch football, and there aren’t many players on the field that were made quite like Tebow.

Sports editor Bryce Evans can be reached at bevans@summitdaily.com. Follow him on twitter at http://twitter.com/SummitSportsGuy.


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