What happens, when something happens to Tim Tebow?

Tim Tebow doing his signature knelt prayer. It's caught fire in Denver and around the country, people can be seen "Tebowing" everywhere from the Golden Gate Bridge to Central Park.

Unless you have been on a media fast for the past few months, there has been a lot of talk of Tim Tebow. Mostly good, some doubting, and still some that is just plain mean. As a Christian and a sports fan, I am concerned about one thing though: What happens when something happens to Tim Tebow?

Let me clarify. Tebow has been the NCAA and NFL’s poster child for sportsmanship on and off the field since he signed with the Gators. If there is a player a Commissioner didn’t have to worry about, Tebow is that man. But as good of a human as he is, he is still human. So what happens when he losses his temper? What happens when he gets short with a reporter in a post-game interview? What happens when Tebow turns into just another NFL player, if even for a few seconds?

It is my fear that he will, pardon the pun, be persecuted for being less Tebow, and more like the rest of us. Tebow holds himself to a higher standard of living than most individuals even contemplate, but does that give us the right to expect that from him?

Setting goals for yourself is just that, for yourself. If your goal is to lose 20 pounds by your birthday and you only manage 12, it is not anyone else’s place to hold that against you. The same goes for Tebow. Should he ever snap and cuss on field once while the camera is focused on him, that is his own moment to deal with. Tebow is the type of person who is his own harshest critic. He would be far more disappointed in himself than I ever could be for him.

The problem lies outside of Tebows own reach. Skip Bayless would turn from Tebows biggest fan, to his biggest critic in a heartbeat. Jim Rome would trash him for weeks claiming we were mislead and it has all been an act until this point. But when it all came down to it, Tebow would still be more of an upstanding player/citizen/person than 99% of our country.

I fear that Tebow will lose heart. I fear that Tebow will be so disheartened that he will walk away from the game and focus on staying out of the stories. I fear the best role model that America has right now, will be torn down by the very same people that built him up. Tebow is a great man, but he is just a man.

The Burden of Talent in Sports Today

Since getting married early last August, I have been without any form of television or reliable internet, which for my bride’s and mine relationship has been wonderful, but for my sports knowledge, not so much. What I know is primarily what I read on various Twitter feeds and Facebook posts. Not good enough for someone who used to TiVo the L.A Clippers vs. the Milwaukee Bucks just to see what Mo Williams did for me fantasy wise that night.

This past year was declared by many to be the Year of the Underdog. In the NBA, Dirk and his Mavs were finally able to break that menacing glass ceiling that had held them back for so many years, and obtain that first Championship they so desperately wanted. Beating LeBron and the Miami Heat along the way made it that much sweeter.

In the MLB the Texas Rangers made it to the World Series for the second year in a row, however this time they were the favorites against the quiet St. Louis Cardinals. In both Game 6 and Game 7 the Rangers were just 1 STRIKE away from winning it all. Not inning, not out, one, single pitch away. The Cardinals had a hometown boy rise to the occasion and the Rangers fell for a second straight year.

These stories were also found in the NHL with the Boston Bruins handing the Canucks a game 7 loss that sent the entire city of Vancouver into a fit of rage. The NCAA tournament which saw Kemba Walker lead his UConn Huskies to 10 straight wins, from the Big East Conference Tournament to the NCAA Championship, a feat no one (but myself at the MGM Casino in Las Vegas) saw coming.

These “underdog” stories were everywhere, and they seem to be shaping up again in 2012, even though the year is in it’s infancy The Denver Broncos are making a strong push for the Super Bowl, the Los Angeles basketball scene has been flipped on it’s head with the Clippers dominating and the Lakers slumping, and Murray St. keeping it’s NCAA title hopes up by being the only undefeated team in the nation at this point.

The term underdog gets thrown around easily these days. The worst example recently is that Drew Brees in an underdog to win NFL MVP. He’s such an underdog, that he’s projected to finish second in the voting. Really? We as a society find words we like, use them until we’ve said them so much it sounds weird coming out of our mouths, and then find a new word to replace it with. Underdog has lost it’s true value. The 2008 Fresno State Bulldogs were underdogs. The 2001 New England Patriots were underdogs. The 1983 N.C. State Wolfpack were underdogs.

These recent teams weren’t underdogs, they were merely under-valued. The Mavs have Dirk Nowitzki, arguably the greatest European player in NBA history, hardly a surprise he got a ring. The Cardinals had Albert Pujols, who could be not only this generations greatest hitter, but its all around best player. It’s no surprise he added another ring to his collection.

This years sports trend is far from being determined, but I’d like to throw my two cents in early. I declare this to be the Year of the Under-exagerated. Let’s not lose our minds when lowly Kansas City beats previously undefeated Green Bay, and instead remember that the Chiefs are a professional franchise with some of the highest quality athletic talent on Earth.

Realize that teams these days are burdened with talent. Gone are the days where the NBA had a dozen stars on 10 teams and acknowledge that, if the Minnesota Timberwolves of a top 10 player on their roster, they don’t get to be called underdogs.

Embrace the fact that watching the Carolina Panthers play the Seattle Seahawks isn’t bad. You will be on the edge of your seat waiting for Cam Newton to blow your mind like no rookie QB has done before, and wait for Marshawn Lynch to bulldoze a couple linebackers on his way to six points.

Embrace the burden sports fans, because we’ve never had it so good!