Tebow Mania

I know very little about American Football. Try as I may, I could not seem to grasp the nuances of each play or the primary function of each player in the field.

However, in the recent days, the name of an individual who was coincidentally born in Makati, Philippines to American parents has been repeatedly mentioned in sports websites all around the world.

Tim Tebow is the current starting quarterback (something like a point guard in basketball or a center midfielder in football) of the Denver Broncos. Throughout his collegiate career, he was a proven winner garnering two national football championships and a Heismann Trophy (something like an MVP) in only his sophomore year.

Presently, he is arguably the most polarizing figure in all of American sports. Not so much for his talent, but because of how he preaches about his faith. After scoring a touchdown, he would oftentimes go down to one knee and say a silent prayer before celebrating with the rest of his teammates.

In College, he would profess his faith openly by wearing references to biblical verses on his eye paint.


The picture above generated such interest in John 3:16 that for 24 hours after the game, it was the most searched item on Google generating over 90 Million searches.

The following season, the Tebow Rule was enforced in College Football banning messages in eye paint.

As expected, not everyone takes too kindly to the way the 24-year old athlete expresses his faith. Some quarters have criticized him for being a God-chaser and have taunted him repeatedly by saying that God does not play a part in a football game. There are many others who have mocked Tebow in one way or another from the uncharacteristic way he moves in the field and the less than perfect way he throws the football.

Yet amidst all the criticism thrown at him, he continues to succeed on and off the field. After having just one win in five games, the Denver Broncos turned to Tebow as their starting quarterback. He was yanked off the bench and delivered several end-game victories which earned his team the division championship. Just a few days ago, he led his team to an overtime victory by throwing a touchdown pass to his teammate against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a perennial contender for the NFL championship.

Despite his popularity in the United States, he has not forgotten his birthplace and continues to help the Philippines by raising funds to build a children's hospital and donating money to a particular charitable organization based in our country.

This young man has proven that with a little bit of faith, there is a lot to be accomplished. Even LBJ has tweeted that "Tim Tebow will succeed in the NFL," James tweeted. "He's a hard worker, a student of the game, a natural born leader and most of all a WINNER!"

In this day and age when everyone loves a winner, it's especially nice to be cheering for the nice guy. Look out for the next Broncos game against the number one ranked New England Patriots.

Norman Ocana III, Entry # 4