TIM TEBOW: My Most Valuable Player

Although Tim Tebow is not expected to be named among MVP candidates in the 2011 National Football League, he is my MVP (Most Valuable Player). As a quarterback for the Denver Broncos, he could not compare statistically with other quarterbacks in the league. However during the season, Tebow was named America’s favorite active pro athlete in an ESPN fan-based poll. Interestingly, that poll included the likes of Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Tiger Woods.  

In analyzing Tebow’s contribution to football, one should not limit one’s analysis to his two seasons with the Broncos. In his final year at Nease High School in Florida, he was ranked among the top quarterback prospects in the nation as a high school senior. He attended the University of Florida and was responsible for helping the football team to national championships. During the 2007 season, Tebow became the first college sophomore to win the prized Heisman Trophy. At the end of his college career, he was rated as one of the most accomplished players in college football history.

Despite his achievements on the field, many disliked Tim Tebow. Some claim his style of play and throwing accuracy would not get him anywhere in professional football. His first season with the Broncos was not impressive. Out of five games in the second season, his team had won one, when he was invited to play as a starting quarterback. His presence was responsible for a remarkable turn around for the team. A survey of more than 1,000 persons by Atlanta-based Poll Position, found that 43% of those who said they were aware of Tebow’s success, believe it was at least partly the result of divine intervention.

Tebow’s habit of kneeling in prayer on the sideline of the field, during games, allowed his faith to become a public display. In post-game meetings with the media, Tebow unashamedly expressed his thanks to God for affording him the opportunity to be an ambassador for Christ on the field. Although a novelty to many in professional football, Tebow was known for public displays of his faith in high school and throughout his college career.

His public kneeling, now known globally as ‘Tebowing’, along with other displays of faith on and off the field have impressed and disturbed many. Some commentators have used some of the most vitriolic and venomous language to describe him. The viciousness in the media has led many to believe that the problem is more about Tebow’s lifestyle choices than about football.

Tebow has just begun his career as a professional footballer. Other beginners have been given time to develop and excel as professionals, why can’t similar treatment be extended to Tebow?

Some dislike Tebow because of envy. In his short stint as a professional, his marketability has soared. For a while his jerseys were the number one seller in the National Football League. The Davie-Brown Index, an independent marketing research tool, found Tebow to be more appealing and more of a trendsetter than some 2011 NFL-MVP candidates. 

His philanthropy combined with his national awards make him an easy choice for companies. At an event in Nashville (2010), Tebow confirmed that multiple companies told him before his pro-life Super Bowl advertisement for Focus on the Family, that they could not let him represent their products. According to Tebow, “losing such sponsors was a small price to pay for the ability to spread the message about family and faith.” He told his Nashville audience, “be willing to stand alone and to stand for something; to live life with passion; and to finish strong.”

Just before each football game, when most pro-athletes are tense and ignore team-mates and family members, Tebow makes it a point to visit with some who are less fortunate. At his own expense, he pays airfares for some less fortunate fans and their families to meet with him. He pays for their hotel and meals, gets them pre-game passes and visits with them before and after games.

Raised by Christian missionary parents, Tebow has for years said that football is simply “a platform” for bigger things. One of those bigger things is the Tim Tebow Foundation. According to the Foundation’s president, Erik Dellenback, “before the Broncos’ first playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Foundation had 100 members, within two days after Tebow’s team won, the membership grew to 4,000 members.” Dellenback further disclosed to The Huffington Post, that “Tebow pays all of the foundation staff and administrative costs, so that all donations go to the outreach efforts.”

According to The Christian Science Monitor, “charity appears to be central to Tebow’s character and his life, not an extra or an activity incidental to his football career.” It is for these and other reasons (like the hospital he is building in the Philippines); Tim Tebow is My Most Valuable Player.