Tebowing: The Early Years.
Posted on 12/05/2011 11:54:58 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The question that forms the title of this post has been getting a good bit of play in conservative circles of late. It was hinted at in a segment of FOX and Friends on Friday that featured NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton. And it is the main focus of a column by National Review Online news editor Daniel Foster that appeared on Saturday.
“Tebowing,” should the term be unfamiliar, takes its name from another quarterback, current Denver Broncos play caller Tim Tebow. More specifically, the term designates the now-viral mockery of his habit of kneeling down and bowing his head after a touchdown to commune with his God.
As Foster writes with more than a hint of indignation, Tebowing his become an Internet phenomenon, with its own website, a Twitter account, and most recently a YouTube video titled “Tebowing for Dummies.” At such sites, Foster continues:
[Y]ou can see an act of communion with one’s creator rendered as a bit of pop-cultural ephemera, [complete with] pictures of folks striking the pose everywhere from Oxford to Istanbul, with that muddle of irony and enthusiasm that has become my generation’s trademark.
Foster’s obvious pique at these send-ups derives in part from the fact of Tebow’s wholesomeness (he is in Foster’s words “squeaky clean, in a sport that notoriously is not”). Wherein, Foster insists, lies the origins of Tebowing. It is, in short, “the power of Tebow’s evangelical-Christian faith, and the earnestness with which he professes it [that] seems to annoy so many people.”
I’m going to have toss out my red challenge flag here. Foster may be right that for some people, the problem isn’t Tebow’s religiosity but the fact that professional sports are “so filled with clichéd Jesus praise that” fans doubt his sincerity. But I submit that for many who prefer to spend their Sundays watching the exquisite choreography of a perfectly executed screen pass, the problem is Tebow’s self-absorption.
Tebow is free to give “mad respect” to his lord, but I’d rather he do it on his own time. A number of players cross themselves on every play, but they do it discreetly — and expeditiously. Tebow’s prayer timeouts, by contrast, are as gratuitously in-your-face as the most flagrant end zone dance. And they last as long. Yet, according to his supporters, all of footballdom is supposed to give him a pass because his purpose is holy. Isn’t that what churches are for?
Another, subtler, ingredient in the widespread antipathy toward Tebow is that he is an anomaly. His success as an NFL quarterback (he is 4 and 1 since replacing Kyle Orton at the helm of the Broncos offense) doesn’t make sense to diehard football fans. His passing numbers — he has a 45% completion rate — are awful. His team is winning through a combination of razzle-dazzle and offensive schemes that haven’t been used by college, let alone NFL, coaches in two decades.
I am predicting that “this too shall pass” (to cite a proverb that Tebow should appreciate because of its religious roots). Sooner or later all 31 remaining teams in the league will develop defensive strategies to counter Denver’s pre-Knute Rockne offense, and Tebow — and Tebowing — will be gone.
Haven't we seen the "great" Muhammad Ali praise Allah at the beginning of each interview after a fight?
-PJ
Howard Portnoy would make a great addition to the Obama 2012 campaign for reaching out to Christian voters.
RE: Haven’t we seen the “great” Muhammad Ali praise Allah at the beginning of each interview after a fight?
Did he praise Allah after he was beaten by Joe Frazier and Larry Holmes?
Tebow’s prayer timeouts, by contrast, are as gratuitously in-your-face as the most flagrant end zone dance. And they last as long. Yet, according to his supporters, all of footballdom is supposed to give him a pass because his purpose is holy. Isn’t that what churches are for?*****
THat’s right Mr. Portnoy, Tim needs to check his faith as the church door. How dare he acknowledge the lordship of Christ outside of church on Sunday morning!
Tim Tebow is a real, living representation of the love of Christ and it began long before he achieved football notoriety. It’s fascinating to watch so many recoil in horror as Tebow continues to confound the naysayers all the while maintaining such a Christ centered perspective.
Lots of GOD haters on that thread on HA. Sickening
Reggie White organized a prayer circle on the 50 yard line after every game. No one criticized him for espousing his religious beliefs until he came out against homosexuality. Then the ESPN crowd went nuts...
I decided that many people who are so ‘offended’ and have such a problem with Mr. Tebow’s outspoken Christian values actually have a problem with themselves. They are uncomfortable with themselves and their own less-than-morally-stellar lifestyles; and seeing him gain success makes them feel guilty and nervous. I have observed this with several people who have derided him.
Have you ever noticed how fast the church parking lot empties after the last service on Sunday morning?
It's ok for these igmos to go out and perform all manner of celebration dance, yet not ok for Tebow?
Everyone has a right to be offended, they also have a right to get over their own sensibilities.
“Some gutless bastards can’t get enough just blaspheming God; they feel it is their responsibility to tell everyone else how to revere HIM.”
Well, all I have to say is; if Tebow should take Denver all the way to the Super Bowl and win, I’m joining his church...
Tebow has already performed one miracle, he’s turned me into a Broncos’ fan.
How many hospitals have Tebow’s detractors built?
Portnoy is just doing the work of secularists. He probably hates Jesus and Christianity, but realizes that he can’t say that. So, he makes up an alternative “narrative” to slight Tebow.
Publicly acknowledging that all he is he has from God is "self-absorption"? This guy truly doesn't get it.
Maybe this intolerant whiner should direct his ire at the TV networks who cover Broncos games and their game day crews. The times I’ve seen Tebow “Tebowing”, he was on the sideline, and he is only on the air if the network crews have intentionally keep an eye on him and put him on camera during those moments.
Lots of motives and hidden, or not so hidden agendas are involved with the various reactions to Tim Tebow.
I'd prefer that Barrack Obama's vocal cords were removed so I would never have to hear his voice again. But, alas, we can't always get what we desire.
I am predicting that “this too shall pass” (to cite a proverb that Tebow should appreciate because of its religious roots). Sooner or later all 31 remaining teams in the league will develop defensive strategies to counter Denver’s pre-Knute Rockne offense, and Tebow — and Tebowing — will be gone.
No, Howard is hoping that will occur because he, apparently, has a problem with someone reminding him that there is a God he is accountable.
I predict Tebow improves as a passer and becomes a pro-bowl caliber quarterback.
The explanation is simple .. and it's been around for a long time:
For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life ... 2 Corinthians 2:15-16
RE: How many hospitals have Tebow’s detractors built?
Excuse my ignorance, but you seem to be saying that Tim Tebow actually helped built hospitals? If so, which one?
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