The headline may be a bit harsh.
I admit.
But that doesn’t make it any less true. Newsday put out this Tim Tebow fluff piece this week cheering the babyface that is Tebow in full gosh darn it all glory. While it’s not quite fangirl-ish in its rah-rah rooting for the good guy icon that is Tebow, it does take a significantly more pitying tone that he probably deserves.
To be fair, it’s not as if Tebow asked to be the next Great White Hope, and I actually believe his “Aww shucks, I’m just here to play ball” folksiness. Tebow is like the guy you went to high school with who had dreams of playing ball and maximized every ounce of athletic talent he had in order to get where he has, but has ended up as a failure in back in your hometown, but without the sour disposition and passive aggressiveness. But we don’t write stories about that guy in national publications.
That guy fades into the sunset, only to be occasionally remembered in high light reels and conversations reliving the glory days at high school reunions. We don’t load this guy. He had his time, he peaked too early, and that’s pretty much the end of the story.
But Tebow has something else. Something in his pure white meat babyfacecharisma has captured the attention of conservative Christian white America. These folks love this guy just like they love John Cena, Olive Garden, and minivans. He has that never give up attitude that these folks just adore.
Part of it’s racialized. I doubt this religious fervor towards an athlete that was mostly known as a failure at the highest level would be at the same intensity. No one was screaming on sports talk radio when Herschel Walker got screwed out of medaling for the US in Winter Olympics. And let’s be honest, Walker was 10 times the success and athlete Tebow ever was. Hell, he only quit MMA because no one would book a 54 yr old in a fight.
Part of it’s political. Just like Cena, there’s interest in his jingoism and American Dream story. He appeals to a certain segment of the public with his faith and his pro-life activism. And while we don’t know all of his political views, they identify with him.
Finally, it’s aspirational. People have formed a parasocial relationship with Tebow, rooting for him, cheering him on, “He’s a good guy… why wouldn’t I want him to succeed?” “He loves Jesus just like me!” “He never gives up!” Cheap motivational posters aside, the “If you believe it, you can achieve it” notion still lives in a buyer’s market.
As such, there’s smarks like me that will heckle Tebow just as we do Cena. We’re tired of the rah-rah masochism that comes with being a fan of someone you like on a personal level, not for their athletic talent or ability on the field or in the ring. Occasionally, that pluckiness and can-do attitude could win us over, but most likely, not.
I’m jaded, cynical, and a bit pessimistic, so count me out on the “rooting for Tebow” train. If only we could get hime to adopt the Cena catchphrase, “You can’t see me” but in the literal sense.