Cameron Conaway insists that this has nothing to do with football and everything to do with what it means to be a good man.
“If you look at it as a whole, there’s a lot of things that just don’t seem very humble to me,” Brady Quinn said of his Denver Bronco teammate Tim Tebow as part of an oral history in GQ Magazine. “When I get that opportunity, I’ll continue to lead not necessarily by trying to get in front of the camera and praying but by praying with my teammates, you know?”
More than any other position in any other sport, the quarterback is expected to represent everything that is pious. It seems quite a shallow definition of piousness as it often begins with looks. In movies and even in real life, quarterbacks have been shaped into the good ol’ American boy model. The perfect hair that takes time to groom but comes off as careless. The masculine jaw. The perfect size: not freakish like the offensive lineman but not too jacked like the running back. Once a decent level of play and look are established, it’s all about the morals. Unfortunately, the morals of men are still inextricably linked not to their character but to their religion, in particular, the way they showcase their religion.
Of which Tim Tebow is the master. While Tebow hasn’t yet gone Evander Holyfield in his Jesus rants (post-fight, when the interviewer would ask Evander about certain punches or technical aspects of the bout, Evander would get on the Jesus train and ride it until he totally forgot the question). Of course, Fox News loves Tebow, but this has nothing to do with his play and everything to do with his status and, primarily, his outspoken Christian beliefs. Of course, it was this aspect that paired with his camera presence and game performances that unleashed Tebowmania. “His parents were Baptist missionaries so you know he comes from good stock,” I once overheard a fan say. When Tebow wore John 3:16 on his eye black during the 2009 BCS Championship Game, the verse reportedly became the highest-ranked Google search throughout an entire day, generating somewhere near 90 million searches. He must be a great guy.
But what about Brady Quinn? He went to Notre Dame. THE Catholic University. Where nearly every residence hall has a “priest in residence.” Plus, Quinn quotes Biblical verses on Twitter. That must count for something? Alas, he hasn’t had the NFL success of Tebow, but perhaps there is a reason for it? From the same GQ piece:
“Early in the season, there was a game when Kyle (Orton) got hurt and the coaches were calling for me to go in, but Kyle got up and finished the game out,” Quinn said. “So I was the second-string guy. Then, a few weeks later, they decided to put Tim in. I felt like the fans had a lot to do with that. Just ’cause they were chanting his name. There was a big calling for him. No, I didn’t have any billboards. That would have been nice.”
It all begs the questions: what if religion hadn’t sparked Tebowmania? How may have religion and Tim’s pull because of it consciously or subconsciously shaped who replaced Kyle Orton?
The same mechanisms are at work on a scale larger than football – the race to be the next President of the United States. The major new battle that the GOP has been waging against President Obama in recent days is over just how strongly he believes in the unknowable. Interesting, especially considering the epic fail of Rick Perry’s “War on Religion” YouTube video. As I write, “Romney: Obama Administration has ‘Fought Against Religion’” is the feature headline on the front page of The Huffington Post. And Rick Santorum made waves recently by saying that he believes Obama believes in “some phony theology. Not a theology based on the Bible.” In America, “religion” is synonymous with Christianity. So the buried argument here is clear to all who think hard on it: Regardless of what you or bipartisan organizations or the world feels about Obama’s presidency, he’s not a true believer and this means he’s not a good man. Or, at the least, he’s a good man misguided. Do you really want someone like this as your leader?
The unraveling drama of Brady Quinn and Tim Tebow has shaped discussions about what makes a good man. The question seems to mistakenly revolve around whether good and humble men express their (Christian) faith brazenly or privately. Right out of the gate it’s a skewed debate. Religious belief and expression are no more indicative of a good man than his ability to throw a touchdown pass.
—AP Photo/Orlin Wagner
About Cameron Conaway
I agree with your overall point (that practicing what you preach is a lot more important than preaching), but I disagree with the implications about Tebow. He has (thus far) shown himself to be not just outspoken about his faith, but also a man of character…through having a good attitude in the face of defeats, through the time he has spent one-on-one with fans and teens as a role model, through philanthropic efforts, etc.
As to why is he the Broncos’ lead quarterback? Maybe part of it is his popularity…but I think another key thing not mentioned is that the Broncos play better when Tebow is at the helm. The team sees him as a leader, somebody with vision, and they get jazzed to follow him. That’s more significant than the statistics.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203413304577084770973155282.html
To the point about Obama…people will always try to pervert religion to suit their own ends. It’s been that way since the beginning.
I guess my point is, there are plenty of phonies out there trying to paint themselves as good men because of their religion, but that does nothing to discount from the sincere men of good character who, rightfully, credit their faith as a source of strength. (Maybe I’m not really that far from what you’re saying, it was just the way you said it that caught me off guard.
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Tebow himself has mentioned more than once that I’ve heard he’s far from the first athlete to be a Christian, or even be open about it in public. Honestly, I’m not really sure why the media has latched on to Tebow so much if that’s the only reason.
What is the old saying? Never talk politics or religion with friends? Not in my book. Some of the best childhood memories at the Sunday dinner table were those conversations. Having parents who were born and raised in the Greenbay area, Vince Lombardi was well known in my family. If you ever read anything about Lombardi, you’d know that he was very much a religious person who felt strongly about God. But back then, it wasn’t put out there by the media. He was who he was and he didn’t grandstand anything. But then again, back then it was okay to be a Christian and people didn’t judge you.
Why did the media latch on to Tebow? Perhaps it’s because he’s a Christian and it gives main stream media an opportunity to use him as a platform to discuss those Christians and attempt to find flaws in them. After all, Christians are against gay marriage, abortion, promiscuity … what better way to platform and bring up these issues and hold them against the Christians.
People watch sports, look at the countless times that sports stars mention God, do the sign of the cross, raise their hands to God. Perhaps Tebow was brought to the forefront because he consistently knelt and prayed? I don’t know.
I appreciate Santorum and his views in that he is one of the few politicians that I know of that holds true to his faith. A true person of faith stands up for what he/she believes and won’t allow any secular society dictate his/her position. It’s nice to see guys like Tebow be okay with his being a Christian. Truth is, it took a lot of guts to do what he did. He took a chance that the secular media could have just as easily put him on blast for what he did. Personally, I doubt if he would have changed anything had the media put him on blast.