Two Takes on Tim

As you saw if you read the piece I linked last week, some folks see Tim Tebow's success on the football field and try to explain it. That New York Times piece credited his success to the confidence he gets from his faith. I've heard others suggest that God rewards Tebow with wins because of his faith. That idea starts to get a little problematic when his team loses to the likes of the Bill Belichick/Tom Brady-led Patriots. Does God prefer Bill and Tom's lifestyles to Tim's?

Today, two articles that are a few weeks old:

Here, sportswriter Chuck Klosterman suggests that we just might not be able to explain Tim's success (even with the loss on Sunday, the Broncos are 7-2 with Tebow starting). And he says the inexplicable nature of it is exactly why some love him and others hate him.

In a brief response to Klosterman's post, Bible professor Denny Burk says the most remarkable thing about Tebow isn't what he does on the field, but how he handles himself off the field.

Klosterman on the polarization of opinions surrounding Tebow:

On one pole, you have people who hate him because he's too much of an in-your-face good person, which makes very little sense; at the other pole, you have people who love him because he succeeds at his job while being uniquely unskilled at its traditional requirements, which seems almost as weird.

 Burk on whether God is rewarding Tebow's faith with football victories:

It is wrong to interpret Tebow’s victories on the field as the reward for his behavior. That could all change at any moment. Tebow’s real moment to shine and to confound his critics will probably come when the victories end.

 Well, Tebow's Broncos suffered a loss this week. Is he still shining? Here's a bonus article from Boston Herald writer Ron Borges, which gives you a sense of how he's responding (please forgive the ridiculous comparison of Tebow to Job).

Once [the game] was finished [prayer] was the first thing Tebow did, just like he does when he wins. He was on one knee in the center of the field with a number of players from both teams, joining hands in a prayer of thanks.

Thanks, Tim. You keep giving me a lot to think about. Have a Merry Christmas, buddy, and we look forward to more to blog about next week!

Tebow Tuesday Two

As yesterday's post referenced, Tim Tebow (with a lot of help from his teammates, and a little from his opponents) did it again!

There are those who are happy to see him succeed, and those who aren't. And there are a whole lot of theories about why and how he and his teammates have succeeded. An interesting opinion piece in the New York Times is this week's feature focus on Tebow. I have to say I see some things the same way as the author. And some things a bit differently. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Here's Frank Bruni's opening question:

CAN God take credit for the victories of a thick-set N.F.L. quarterback who scrambles in a weirdly jittery fashion, throws one of the ugliest balls in the game, completes fewer than half of his passes and has somehow won six of his team’s last seven games?

Go ahead and read the whole piece, and get back here to let me know what you think! And as an added bonus, courtesy of ESPN's Skip Bayless (who brought us last week's interview) and DJ Steve Porter. A video expressing a different nuance on Bruni's theory.

Tebow Tuesday - a Timeless Tradition Takes Off

Note: I set out at the beginning of this busy month of December to post once a day. I've already fallen short. But I can still post as many times as there are days. I just need some creativity, some determination, a little gimmickery (if this was a real word, this is how I'd spell it), and maybe even a lazy link or two. OK, it's not really lazy to link to things others may not have read/heard/watched but might like to if only they were connected (synonymous with linked) to it. And it's especially not lazy to do so in the context of giving one's own take on the linked material. The remainder of this post is an example.

I'm not giving you all of my thoughts on Tim Tebow. Not this week. And I'm not even giving you a description of who he is or what he's been doing. If you know anyone who spends any time around sports, they can tell you the basics if you don't already know. Or you can get a synopsis of his football-related accomplishments from this NFL season in this article from DJ Gallo.

The main point is this: he's the talk of the NFL. The whole sports world, really. But not because he's the best (on the football field) or the worst (in terms of trouble off the field). In fact, though his team has been successful since he's started playing, he hasn't been impressive in any statistical category, with the exception of three. Wins. And talk. I don't mean that he's grabbing for attention. In fact, in some ways he deflects it - to his coaches, his teammates, and his faith. And the attention the media pays to him is anything but reciprocated. He's not worried about what other people are saying. But I should stop. Because this story is still being written, but it's already being evaluated like Shakespeare in AP English class. And I have some fond memories of that class. So, without further ado, here's the first of many installments of Tebow Tuesday, a weekly link to an interview or commentary on this person who's garnered as much love and hate as a presidential candidate. And given the list of candidates on the ballot at this point, it might be worth considering a write-in. I hope you find this story to be as compelling, inspiring, convicting, and fun as I do.

Tebow in Tebow's words:

"I want to be someone that makes a difference, because at the end of the day, if all we're doing is winning and losing football games and scoring touchdowns then we really haven't done a lot with our lives, but if we're in the business of trying to encourage people, bring faith, hope and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need...then we're really doing something successful with our lives."

This doesn't sound really controversial, but for reasons many are still trying to grasp, Tim has been the most polarizing player in football this year (and maybe ever?!). Until next Tebow Tuesday...

(click the link above. It's a long video, but worth watching. If you want to skim, check out the 9:00 mark and following for comments about faith, and his perspective on what defines him as a person).