On "Polarizing" Tim Tebow and Religious Bigotry

Tim Tebow is playing for the Mets' Mid-A affiliate in Columbia, South Carolina, just up the road from me in Charleston. The 29-year-old outfielder is hitting .208 with a pair of home runs for the Fireflies. 

That is to say, he is so far neither a prospect nor an asset to his team on the field. But he is having fun chasing a dream. Bully for him.

This story graced the front page of my Sunday newspaper. The headline discusses "taking sides" on Tebow.  

This ignorant tripe found its way into the sports section the same day. In it, the writer claims the experiment is working because the Fireflies are winning "in some ways, because of him." They are winning in absolutely no way because of an outfielder who has three extra base hits and a .269 OBP in 52 plate appearances.

The author also opines that "it’s not just Tebow’s production, or his strong Christian faith, that’s helping him fill seats in minor league parks. It’s also his flair for the dramatic." Every element of this statement is transparently false. Tebow's sub-replacement production is not drawing fans. Plenty of ballplayers have "strong Christian faith" but don't bring out the crowds. And it's hard to find flair for the dramatic in a guy who isn't contributing. No, Tebow is filling seats because he's a celebrity. People have heard of him and want to see what he can do.

Controversial Tim Tebow
What continues to puzzle me about Tebow is the "controversy," the "doubters," the people "questioning his motives," and all that nonsense. This all strikes me as religious bigotry.

Tim Tebow is a gentleman, a scholar and a team player. He is a serial philanthropist. He is a humble, polite, Grade-A role model. I don't share his faith, but as I've noted before, I don't share the faith of Martin Luther King, Mohandas Gandhi or the Dalai Lama, but I recognize them as three of the greatest citizens of the 20th century. Where is the controversy?

There has been a tremendous amount of discussion about Tebow's expressions of faith. But they are not unusual in the sports world. While Tebow wore eyeblack with Biblical references and kneeled in prayer on the sideline, baseball is full of guys with tattoos citing Bible verses, pointing to the sky after every home run, or crossing themselves when approaching the plate. If any of this is a crime, who is the victim?

Tebow has established a charity called “Night to Shine,” which creates proms for kids with special needs. He is quoted in the article saying, "...if you can use the platform to try to help people and bring smiles to faces — that’s what I tried to do in football, and what I’m going to try to do in this game as well.” Where is the controversy?

C'mon, He'll Never Make the Majors
There are those who doubt his motives. It's obvious what his motive is: he wants to play ball. If you had the skill to play professional baseball, wouldn't you like to try? It's true that his celebrity is responsible for the opportunity to play, but...so what? The Fireflies are drawing 2,000 more people a game to see him. What's wrong with making fans happy?

A nice guy who had a career as a professional football player wants to try his hand at baseball. He's willing to start at the bottom, act like one of the guys and help people along the way.  I wish him the best.

We officially live in a country where a gentleman who respects everyone and tries to be his best is disdained. and an ignorant sociopath who mocks disabled people and admits to molesting women is elected president. God help us.

Tim Tebow, Michael Sam, Arian Foster and David Denison Walk Into a Bar...

Q. What do Tim Tebow, Michale Sam, Arian Foster and David Denson have in common?

Tebow is the over-enthusiastically Christian quarterback attempting to crack the Eagles' roster as the third starter this off-season. Sam is the openly gay defensive lineman picked in the seventh-round who couldn't stick in the NFL or the CFL.  Foster is the Houston Texans' avowedly atheist star running back. And Denson is a first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers' Rookie League affiliate in Helena, Montana who last week announced his homosexuality.

What you'll notice immediately about three of these is that they've run out of talent just before the majors. Tebow's NFL career is likely to end this pre-season. Sam is already done. And Denson is, at 20 years of age in rookie ball, roster-filler. Only Foster, who has gained 1,200+ yards-a-season in four of his six years in the league, has spent any significant time drawing a check from a pro sports franchise.

On the surface, of course, each of them has presented a highly controversial persona to the public, either by exiting the closet or proclaiming his religious beliefs publicly. In each case, the athlete has taken a road less traveled and likely more difficult. There are plenty more of each of them, for sure.

But what they really have in common is this:

A. In the brutal meritocracy that is professional sports, ultimately, no one cares about what you are. They care about what you produce. Tebow, Sam, Foster and Denson all will be, and largely have been, measured by their performances on the field. Your religious affiliation and your sexual orientation (not to mention your race and national origin) ultimately make no difference.

And that's as it should be. Bless them all.

But we're not quite there. When Jackie Robinson entered baseball, that was earth shattering. When Larry Doby broke the AL color line it was less dramatic. By the time Willie Mays joined the Giants four years later, fans were more focused on his talent than on his skin color. Two decades later, even the end of the bench was integrated, demonstrating that race wasn't even a tie-breaker.

Likewise, Frank Robinson's rise to manager was ground-breaking, but his firing was more significant. Today, managers of all races come and go.

So it's wonderful that Tebow, Sam & Denison, and Foster can reveal their true selves and be accepted. But we will have really achieved something when there isn't any reason for, or interest in, the proclamation.

Sam's Club: Tim Tebow Deserves a Membership

It's basketball and hockey season, the Olympics are going on and this is a baseball blog. 

It's time for a football post!

It's not really about football, though. The big news this week is that Michael Sam has proposed to be the first openly gay NFL player by coming out before the draft. 

The reigning SEC defensive player of the the year had apprised his University of Missouri teammates before the 2013 season and they evidently cared so little that the information never leaked.

That, of course, is the point. It's a testament to our evolution as a society that what comes of Sam's admission will be the same as what's come of gay rights, gay marriage, gay adoption, etc:

Nothing.

Our gay brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, friends and neighbors, won legal protections and that cut into your rights not one eyelash. Gay Americans began marrying and your marriage didn't notice. Gay Americans began adopting children who are, shockingly, growing up to be people.

In short order, Sam's ability at his position will far outweigh his position in the bedroom and America will return to its primary religion: football. The Judeo-Christian bible may include some strictures against homosexuality, but the far more influential national religion of the spheroid has none. Players, even the most monkey-brained, will adapt.

Bully for us. But before chiropractors go on call for all the back-patting, it does raise a troubling question:

Why can't we cut Tim Tebow the same slack?

Tebow isn't Johnny Unitas, but he isn't Aaron Hernandez either. He works hard, spreads good cheer, treats everyone with respect, takes responsibility for his actions and demonstrates leadership. Yet he can't get one of the 1600 on-field jobs in the NFL, seemingly because he loves Jesus. Where's the tolerance there?

Here's what analysts report GMs say about him: He's a distraction. He brings the circus with him. Not everyone loves his overt devotion.

Isn't that the hate code that gays and their supporters decry?

Tebow might be the greatest college football player of all time. He must have useful talents even if they're not behind the center. Couldn't he contribute in a wildcat? Or at tight end?

What's Tebow ever done besides treat people with dignity? 

Knelt in prayer on the sideline? Heavens!

Inscribed a biblical verse in his eyeblack? Heresy!

Joined a mission trip to Haiti? Oh, the humanity!

I don't share Tim Tebow's religious beliefs. I don't share Martin Luther King's or Gandhi's either. 

Let's give Tim Tebow the same respect we give Michael Sam. Just judge him on his playing ability and skip the narrow-minded slurs.

"All I Know Is, He Wins"

18-10-38-17-17-16-35-13.

That's the point total for the Denver Broncos since Tim Tebow took the reins at quarterback.

If you're keeping score, that's two good games and six bad ones.

Tebow unquestionably possesses leadership qualities. He has poise and bonhomie and courage and self-confidence. He is tenacious and persistent. He has comes alive with the game on the line. Otherwise, not so much.

"All I know is, he wins." That's a common refrain in sports. It's the dumbest one too. Tim Tebow is the most important player on the Broncos, but not the only one. He doesn't kick field goals or punt or return kicks. He doesn't play defense or run block or catch passes. He is a running back, which certainly adds to his value. But Tebow alone doesn't win games.

In fact, the stout Bronco defense has. Here are the opponent scores for Tebow's games:

15-45-24-10-13-13-32-10

That's five wins and one loss entirely attributable to the defense.

You might recall that Vince Young led Tennessee to low-scoring wins his first two seasons. The football cognoscenti were dazzled by the "W's" and failed to notice Young's mediocre performances, including 21 TD and 30 INT. The bloom eventually came off the rose and Young is now a poorly-regarded backup.

Tebow may yet have a successful career as a QB. Let's just wait for him to string together a couple of good games before we anoint him the great paradigm shifter. And let's get beyond that utterly fatuous argument about individuals "winning" in team sports.

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