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Tebow's on- and off-field popularity has been firmly focused on his own personal biography, his mission trips, his family's faith and even what is likely to be the focus of the television ad during the Super Bowl, the fact that Tebow's mother was told to have an abortion rather than carry her fifth child to term. Pam Tebow became sick during a mission trip and rejected doctor's advice that she have an abortion. Ultimately she gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Tebow.
Now the 30-second Super Bowl ad, which will cost around $2.5 million, is being paid for by Focus on the Family, a religious organization that opposes abortion. In a release the organization stated as follows:
"Tim and Pam share our respect for life and our passion for helping families thrive. Focus on the Family is about ... strengthening families by empowering them with the tools they need to live lives rooted in morals and values."
The Super Bowl ad will just be the latest surge of attention for the most famous college athlete ... ever. With that attention has come fawning cover profiles in Sports Illustrated, countless television stories, and the seduction of yours truly into the camp of devout Tebow fandom. As I stated in my Sugar Bowl column, I love Tebow. But little to none of that media attention has been critical. Indeed, in the annals of American sporting culture, it's hard to find a player who has received more positive publicity in comparison to negative publicity.
The old cliche is that all publicity is good publicity. But with Tebow all publicity truly is good publicity.
In fact, I dare you, find me an entire article about Tim Tebow that has been written by anyone, anywhere that has a negative tone.
Those stories don't exist.
Will that change now that Tebow is becoming a pro athlete?
I think so.
Why?
Because our society doesn't view religious pro athletes with the same level of deference. We view their sincerity in a more questionable light, raise issues with the proselytizing they do in post-game interviews. Whereas many Southerners, the largest audience for his college games, felt Tebow's religiosity was a welcome departure for a college athlete, many feel hearing a multi-millionaire pro athlete espouse his religious views to the entire nation crosses the line from welcoming to hectoring.
Now the 30-second Super Bowl ad, which will cost around $2.5 million, is being paid for by Focus on the Family, a religious organization that opposes abortion. In a release the organization stated as follows:
"Tim and Pam share our respect for life and our passion for helping families thrive. Focus on the Family is about ... strengthening families by empowering them with the tools they need to live lives rooted in morals and values."
The Super Bowl ad will just be the latest surge of attention for the most famous college athlete ... ever. With that attention has come fawning cover profiles in Sports Illustrated, countless television stories, and the seduction of yours truly into the camp of devout Tebow fandom. As I stated in my Sugar Bowl column, I love Tebow. But little to none of that media attention has been critical. Indeed, in the annals of American sporting culture, it's hard to find a player who has received more positive publicity in comparison to negative publicity.
The old cliche is that all publicity is good publicity. But with Tebow all publicity truly is good publicity.
In fact, I dare you, find me an entire article about Tim Tebow that has been written by anyone, anywhere that has a negative tone.
Those stories don't exist.
Will that change now that Tebow is becoming a pro athlete?
I think so.
Why?
Because our society doesn't view religious pro athletes with the same level of deference. We view their sincerity in a more questionable light, raise issues with the proselytizing they do in post-game interviews. Whereas many Southerners, the largest audience for his college games, felt Tebow's religiosity was a welcome departure for a college athlete, many feel hearing a multi-millionaire pro athlete espouse his religious views to the entire nation crosses the line from welcoming to hectoring.
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