He already led the NFL in offseason jersey sales. Now Tim Tebow has his own shoe.
Nice shoe too, based on the publicity shot. Not a football shoe, which tends to be useful only when you’re playing football, what with the cleats and all. This is your basic trainer, Florida blue and orange in the picture.
We’ve all seen pre-performance hype for highly touted NFL rookies — from John Elway to Bo Jackson to Reggie Bush — but it has always been focused on top draft picks almost unanimously expected to be pro stars.
Tebow was the 25th player picked in the April draft amid widely disparate scouting reports and yet the most publicized. He has to be the lowest-drafted player ever to lead the league in jersey sales before his first game.
So what’s it all about? For every fan who believes Tebow’s athleticism and personal attributes will drive him to professional success, another wonders whether his passing skills are up to NFL standards. But Tebow’s popularity is about more than football. His fan base believes in him almost theologically.
So I asked around, using social media, to figure out what’s behind it. Came up with a number of theories too:
• “I am 22 years old, so only maybe 10 years of real memory here, but most dominant college football player I’ve ever seen. Over Bush.”
• “Have you seen his face? You will never understand because you are not female . . . just sayin.”
• “It’s ESPN’s fault. They (kissed up to Tebow) for 3 years so much people were brainwashed.”
• “Jesus.”
• “I guess it has to be because of his unbelievably stellar college career and what he stands for.”
• “The famous press conference after Ole Miss game and backing up what was said inspired a lot of people.”
• “The press.”
• “Market has changed. Companies bank on star power first, talent second. Tebow has first — time will tell on second.”
• “Best college player to come to the NFL, winner, and an all around good guy!”
• “He is divisive. Love him you watch to see him do well. Hate him you watch to see him fail. But key words are ‘you watch.’ “
The notion that Tebow is a polarizing figure comes up quite a bit, but I’ve written about the Broncos’ quarterback competition since he was drafted and have yet to receive any Tebow hate mail. I was referred to Facebook as a meeting place of Tebow haters and found a “Tim Tebow (Stinks)” page that has had one post in the last three months.
To the extent there is a Tebow backlash, it is largely a reaction to the media promotion while he was at Florida, which culminated in announcer Thom Brennaman’s three-hour bromance on national TV as Florida won its second national championship in three years. Some of the hero worship was reminiscent of an old Chuck Norris joke: If you and Tim Tebow each have $5, Tim Tebow has more money than you.
There is an assumption that Tebow’s evangelical Christianity and association with Focus on the Family makes him politically divisive, but sports fans generally don’t care about the politics of their heroes. They care about winning games, and they like pretty much anybody who can help them do it.
This is the main article of faith among Tebow’s biggest boosters, including Broncos coach Josh McDaniels. It is the intangible quality of being a winner, symbolized by “The Promise” — the emotional pledge Tebow made Sept. 27, 2008, after Florida lost to Mississippi by one point. The fact the Gators did not lose again that season gave Tebow the aura of a prophet.
Florida did nothing to dampen the religious symbolism when it immortalized “The Promise” on a plaque installed at the football stadium. Last week, when Seth Meyers hosted the ESPYs, he aimed his barbs at the most prominent feature of the celebrities he picked on. Brett Favre got old guy jokes. Tebow got Jesus jokes. The fact that Meyers picked on him at all shows the extent of Tebow’s star power before he throws his first NFL pass.
Being vocally religious is not unusual in NFL locker rooms. Players thank God after wins all the time. But it’s also true that Tebow’s religious fervor seems an inspiration for the fervor of many of his fans.
Maybe it’s as simple as this: At a time when LeBron James personifies the narcissism of pro athletes, Tebow stands for something other than himself.
We do need our heroes. The burden on Tebow is that the people buying his Broncos jersey couldn’t care less about the scouting reports. Never have so many fans put merchandise money on the proposition that NFL scouts missed the boat.
Dave Krieger: 303-954-5297, dkrieger@denverpost.com or
