This is Pastor Tim’s article which appeared in the Evening Leader on Monday, August 23, 2021.
I don’t like football. I don’t follow the NFL and I don’t watch college football. I do attend home high school football games because they are a community event and I feel I should be visible there as a public figure in St Marys. Given the status of sports here in St Marys, I look forward to all of your responses.
It is true; I am a former football player. I was named to the all-conference team my senior year in High School, and I was captain of the team. I know the rules, understand the strategy, and get the whole concept. It just isn’t something I really care all that much about.
But in scrolling my Google newsfeed looking for something to write about, an article about the NFL jumped out at me and I wanted to share my thoughts with you about it. It appeared on FOX, and I had to read the article a couple of times to make sure I understood it.
The article was about Tim Tebow. Even to a non-fan like me, I know the name Tim Tebow. I have always liked him, not so much for his football playing but more for who he is as a person. What surprised me was that he is still in good enough shape to be trying out for a team. He is working to secure a fourth string Tight End position on the Jacksonville Jaguars. My first question about this article was why is FOX news even publishing a story about a guy trying to make a fourth string Tight End position? Obviously, it is because it is Tim Tebow.
The title of the article was: “Jaguars’ Tim Tebow gets ripped on social media following embarrassing block attempt in preseason game.” If there is anything on earth that I care less about than football, it is social media. But Tim Tebow’s name caught my eye, so I clicked in to see this “embarrassing” block.
As the clip rolled, I was waiting to see some kind of half-hearted attempt to block someone. I will admit, in the clip, Tebow did not destroy the person he was blocking. But you know what happened? The person he hit did not make the tackle. Not only that, but the bump he gave the defender moved him out of the lane where the running back was running the ball. He also bumped another guy just enough that the running back went for what looked a first down. It certainly was not the most aggressive block ever thrown, but two defenders were taken out of the play that resulted in a decent gain of yards.
In any other context, this would have been counted as a good effort in that the guy Tebow was assigned to block was not involved in the play. So why is social media ripping this particular effort? It is because it is Tim Tebow.
You see, Tebow really wants to play football, but his life is about more than that. He is the son of missionaries; he is an outspoken Christian. He has written a book, led prayer services, and was in a pro-life commercial during the Super Bowl a few years back. He works hard at everything he does, and he is a successful role model for kids.
I just find it hard to believe that with all of the negative messaging coming out of the NFL right now, that there is a whole article written about a fourth string Tight End trying to make a team. The NFL has always promoted alcoholism but now they are promoting all kinds of Pride and they are playing two national anthems before games. However, that isn’t what is getting “ripped” on social media. It is a guy who successfully prevented two defenders from making a tackle while trying to make an NFL team on the fourth string.
I may not be a football fan, but I am a Tim Tebow fan. I would love nothing more than for Tebow to make the team and by some stroke of luck, end up being a meaningful player in the NFL this season, forcing the NFL to take notice of him. If that happens, I might just have to tune into a game this season.