My son's team (Taylor U) prays after every game and quite often, the opposing team joins them in prayer. Here's the prayer circle after the Taylor vs. Malone game back on Nov 12:
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.
No, we should not let it go.
It sounds nice to ‘take the high road’, and sometimes even feels good, but that’s not the remedy we need in situations like this.
>>Have you ever noticed how fast the church parking lot empties after the last service on Sunday morning?<<
Christians are human, we enjoy sports...so what’s the point?
“It sounds nice to ‘take the high road’, and sometimes even feels good, but that’s not the remedy we need in situations like this.”
... say all the shrill voices on the left.
Football is one of the few places where prayer isn’t frowned upon, except by the candy-ass, squat-to-pee reporters who cover the sport.
Those who play it and grow up around it realize that it is a dangerous game, and prayer is appropriate. Ditto the military.
Tim Tebow’s teammates respect him, as do a lot of former players who are Christians (Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin, in particular).
Are you saying to ignore it and it will all go away?
And when a Seminole and a Hurricane respect a Gator, that's something.
During the National Anthem, I've notice that there are quick cutaways from shots of certain players who show no respect whatsoever for this great country that has so richly rewarded them. In many cases, they're smacking gum and looking around with a foolish grin instead of honoring America.
The point is many Christians do leave their faith in Christ inside the doors of the church and escape as soon as possible.
Many in the media imply "how dare Tebow take his faith outside the four walls of a church"
The name Jesus Christ ALWAYS elicits a reaction. It’s either one of praise, or one of derision.
Either way, the vitriol towards Tebow has all appearances of spiritual warfare.
“Are you saying to ignore it and it will all go away?”
I’m saying pick your battles. If this were a concerted, malicious effort that was a serious threat, I’d be screaming too.
It’s a fad, done by people just wanting attention. The insult, if intended, is slight.
Any married person realizes that picking your battles is one of the keys to happiness.
Oh, if only we had uniformity and conformity from every homo sapiens specimen, fellows such as Howard would live in comfort. Ahhhh....even the thought of it sends a tingle up my leg. Bob
When did the habit of NFL players introducing themselves using their high school, instead of the college they attended, start? What was the trigger for that? It seems to almost exclusively be done by black players.
Not sure, I remember it from a few years ago....then you have the Ohio State players who always make a point to say, “THE” Ohio State University.
Probably those ones didn’t go to college, there’s actually a pretty sizable set that didn’t. Or maybe they think their high school coach did more. Some guys have just made institutions up, even guys that went to college. What they say is optional, so long as it’s not dirty nobody really cares.
My son's team (Taylor U) prays after every game and quite often, the opposing team joins them in prayer. Here's the prayer circle after the Taylor vs. Malone game back on Nov 12:
And Miami is nearly universally referred to as "The U" when a player does his introduction. I'm sure that's done to disambiguate their school in Coral Gables with the one in Oxford, OH. /s
Another, non-religious, take on Tebow:
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/tim-tebow-upbringing-key-to-nfl-success-jason-whitlock-analysis-120511
“Any married person realizes that picking your battles is one of the keys to happiness.”
Well, since you put it THAT way...
Maybe the best thing at this point is to hold our (i.e., my) fire. See how it plays out.
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