Let's take a look at my favorite professional athlete, Tim Tebow. Tim has been very strong in his faith throughout his career, and also has been very vocal about it as well. Because of this he not only has been scrutinized he also has been forced to live his life under a microscope. This is not only unfair, but it also shows how pathetic our society is today. We talk about supporting gay rights and other very controversial issues like this in society, but when something like this happens it is frowned upon. It is not only sad, but it is almost pathetic! Our media keeps discussing issues such as we need someone to come out in athletics that is gay to give younger generations someone to look up to. Well in my opinion, this is a backwards situation. Tim Tebow is a man that I would be proud to have my kids look up to and lives his life in a way that each of us should respect. I don't understand how he gets torn apart in the media and is the but of almost every joke because he is a strong religious leader, and people who live their life in "sin" are being supported to come out. I just wanted to show what a backwards society we live in, and point out a controversial issue that has been brushed under the rug so many times in todays society.
Supported Vs. Scrutiny
This is a very good point and one I had not considered. To be perfectly honest, it is so unfair the scrutiny athletes get placed under. It is like society has this perfect view of what an athlete should be and if someone is any different then they get ridiculed for it. I think the media has a lot of influence in the ways that people think. I wonder how things would be if from the very start the media has been open to all different types of religions and sexual preferences.
ReplyDeleteSam Melchor
I myself am not a Tebow fan, but I do not scrutinize him for being so open when it comes to religion. People have the right to do and say what they want (to an extent), but they have to understand there may be recoil. There will always be controversy when someone expresses themselves like Tebow does because not everyone has the same religious views. Personally I believe there is a time and place for worship and prayer, but one has to understand the repercussions that will follow if one does decide to do it in a public place.
ReplyDelete-Michael Discipio
I am very glad someone brought this up in an article. One of my biggest problems with Tim Tebow is his open faith. Now sure this doess not bother most people because his religion falls in line with the majority of the nation. People aren't uncomfortable when Tebow goes up to the press conference and thanks God for touchdowns. However, if Tim Tebow were to be Islamic and praise Allah for touchdowns there would be a god damn outrage. Sure it seems harmless to promote your faith but there should be a separation of football and religion. And if you don't believe me imagine all the Christian radicals who would be calling for Tebow's head for being "the wrong religion"
ReplyDeleteAaron Mehling
I feel like this is a very touchy subject. Personally, I think Tim Tebow is a good guy, but I don't think nothing more or less about him because I really don't keep up with him. I somewhat agree with Aaron when he said "if he were to be praising Allah, people would go insane", but I happen to be a Christian as well, and I don't see anything wrong with him expressing his love for God. Christians are supposed to spread God's word to others to bring followers to him, and Tebow isn't ashamed of doing that.
ReplyDelete-Turea Moore
Tebow was the face of a football team that most people didn't like. They were the dynasty team that people wanted to see lose. When we expected Tebow to fall into the shadow after his college career, he exploded onto the NFL scene with his religious celebration. I agree with Aaron that if he were to do something out of the ordinary people would go nuts, and religion is a very touchy subject in any matter. You always hear a good amount of players thank god for their performance, but because of Tebow's infamy, he's the one that gets the most attention when he does it.
ReplyDeleteNate Dudzik
This is a topic I think the class would benefit from discussing. I do agree Tebow is sometimes scrutinized because of his religion. To me it has to do deal with things other than his religion though. Many people do not like many other things about Tebow and I think because of this his religion is something people poke fun at. I could sit here and name all the reason people do not like Tebow but that is not the point. The point I am trying to make is with all athletes if fans do not like you no matter what you do they will find a way to make fun of you for it. Like you said it is pathetic but it is just the way sports fans are.
ReplyDeleteJosiah Blevins
I would have to disagree with you on this one. Not once have I heard Tim Tebow be criticized for being a christian. He is never under scrutiny for that. However, if he was to do something "un-christian" like he would be scrutinized for it. He wouldn't be scrutinized because he's a christian but he would because it would have been something that he basically vowed not to do by making his beliefs so public. There's no difference if a quarterback said to the media that he wouldn't throw an interception all year and then throws one. If he would have never said that to the media and made it public, he wouldn't be scrutinized for it.
ReplyDelete-Tim Love
I would have to disagree with you and agree with Time with never hearing about Tebow being criticized for being a Christian. I have only hear good things about Tebow expressing his faith on the football field. Agreeing with Tim, Tebow would be scrutinized and criticized if he did something "un-Christian" because society grabs onto one thing and goes with it. Early in Tebow's professional career his name was brought into the limelight because he was a Christian and expressed his faith on the field. He would be criticized and thought less of by society if he did comment an act that goes against his faith or puts him in a situation you would not think Tebow a Christian should be in. Society will throw someone under the bus quicker than you can say your own name.
ReplyDelete--Jenny Kelley
I am glad to see so many people commented on this topic, because the point of this post was to be controversial. I wanted to see different peoples opinion on the situation, and be able to understand everyones approach on the topic. I agree with most of your guys comments, I guess I was just trying to ruffle some feathers and be able to see everyones approach on it. I truly believe this is a topic that should not be involved in sports, but is something that the media will tear apart either way. Tebow is someone who will spread his faith and finds all of his attention as a way to share Christianity, but I truly believe this attention should not be used to strengthen homosexuality. This is a very private matter and something that should not be discussed in the world of sports. I personally feel this is a topic that already gets too much attention, and would almost be better off if it was completely brushed under the rug!
ReplyDeleteNathan Riley
You are absoluetly right religion is very controversial and not only in sport but everywhere and anywhere that is open to the public. I believe its so controversial because people dont wont to feel forced in believeing in something else. Also dont wont to force their religion on anyone else. When it comes to sports I believe professional should be able to discuss their personal life if they feel the need to. It shouldnt be looked down upon nor stop anyone from looking up to that individual. Society is really messed up these days so I understand exactly what you mean.
ReplyDelete-Sparkle
I definitely think that all the scrutiny that athletes are put under is completely unfair. Every move or decision they make is watched. I also think it is not fair that we think we need a gay athlete to come out to be a role model for other to look up to. It should already be accepted in society because gay rights is so large in our society and now is being socially accepted, so why not be accepted in sports. Finally, I also would be proud for my children to look up to Tim Tebow. However, Tebow gets the most unfair scrutiny out of any athlete besides Lebron James. Tebow's actions are discussed all the time and his religion is brought into things quite often. I think his personal beliefs and life should be left out of the media as well as gay athletes. Athletes are athletes and their personal lives should have nothing to do with what they do on a playing field.
ReplyDelete-Jacob Beverly
I agree that the scrutiny put under Tim Tebow for the way he lives his life is completely unfair, as is the same for a lot of athletes. What I think is pathetic about our society and the media is that all this coverage is really just a facade. What we all really want whether we tell ourselves or not is for Tim Tebow to screw up. We want him to sin, to go out and party and make bad decisions just so we can scrutinize him even more to make ourselves feel like we are better than him. The only problem is that Tim Tebow won't allow himself to screw up. He keeps himself grounded, and I don't know how he does it but he blocks the media and everything else out. When ESPN was showing Tebow 24/7 I got really sick of it right away, but it didn't phase Tebow. He remained the same person he's always been and will be till the day he dies.
ReplyDelete-Derek Brewer