Tim Tebow has sparked his share of controversy since being drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2010. Many have mocked his faith, doubted his abilities, and panned his enthusiasm. To NFL purists, Tebow doesn’t fit the mold of what a quarterback should look like, so he has been greeted to this point by skepticism. Now that his team is winning some folks are beginning to reconsider.
Apart from whatever Tim Tebow accomplishes as a player, he is demonstrating what courtesy and respect look like in contrast with sports stars who are consumed with themselves. Peter King had a telephone interview with Tebow after yesterday’s comeback win against the Minnesota Vikings. King is a respected writer for Sports Illustrated, and one of my favorite weekly reads. As the end of his story illustrates, Mr. King isn’t quite sure of what to make of Tim Tebow. Here is excerpt:
Before I let Tebow go, I asked him if anyone after the game — coaches, players, execs — had said anything memorable to him. “Everybody was happy,” he said, “but I’ll tell you one thing that happened during the week that I remember … ”
Good, I thought. John Fox (his coach), maybe, sidling up to him and saying something sportingly profound like, “Son, we’re going to ride that left arm and those legs to the Super Bowl.”
” … I had an opportunity to talk with a kid named Blake Appleton, from Florida, on Thursday. He’s a leukemia patient who’s just been moved to hospice. And after the game, when I was being interviewed on TV, I got to say his name. That’s what I’m proud of today. I let him know people cared about him. I let him know God has a plan for him.”
And that was the end of the Tebow interview. He had to rush to get on the bus to the airport. Except …
“Have a good day, Mr. King. And God bless you.”
Salt, light and gracious speech – parents don’t give up teaching your children that God matters.
Here is Peter King’s entire article.
One thought on “Living as Salt and Light”
Thanks Jay for this post. I haven’t really paid attention to a football game in years, but then this past Sunday watched the last quarter of the Denver game because of your post. One of my daughters is quite an athlete and I think I have just found a role model for her!