OT: Behold the power of Tebow
http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/07/07/tim-tebow-takes-early-lead-in-nfl-jersey-sales/
Before playing a single down of professional football, Tim Tebow's mere name scrolled across your back is already the must-have accessory for the season. While his on-field ability remains in question, I have to admit that he is a proverbial cash cow for the Broncos and the NFL, and part of me wants to see him succeed simply because he seems like a decent kid who happens to generate orgasm-inducing praise from middle-aged men in announcing booths.
First Tebow wins the
heisman! Next the jersey sales!
Will it ever cease?!?
Please stop. You are only embarrassing yourself at this point.
Sick.
I can't fault Tebow for the words from an announcer and that the school he played college football for inappropriately memoralized him with a statue becuase Florida Gator football history began in 1990.
Unlike Claussen the black-eyed Emu Tebow does not have the same easy to hate persona and does not bring upon himself such criticisim. Seems like a decent young man and so far is walking the walk in regards to how he conducts himself off field.
I agree with you. At the same time, the quote itself bothers me. "Sorry we lost... but you'll never see anyone in the country work as hard as I will. You'll never see anyone push their team as I will.
The speech seemed like it was written. In fact.. was it? It seemed like it. The speech (to me) was just annoying.
agreed. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills but Tebow seems beyond phony to me. His whole holier than thou attitude really grinds my gears.
He can have his religion, have it be important to him, etc. Everyone has a right to it. But I'm annoyed when he tries to preach to everyone all the time. Great, you do missionary work, great, you know the bible.
I want my football players to be football players.
I for one, hope he fizzles out at the next level, just another QB Bust
But I'm annoyed when he tries to preach to everyone all the time.
That's what his faith teaches him to do. I'm not sure why people don't (or don't want to) understand that.
His faith teaches him to preach. But if you're outside that faith, being preached to constantly does get annoying.
Preaching in my mind equates to intolerance (when done certain ways), oftentimes Tebow does it both ways.
I don't want to get into a huge debate here, but I find the whole preachy-holier-than-thou routine annoying. Just my opinion
That's vastly unfair to the numerous football players who are real people with real lives outside the football field. They don't exist to cater to your whims; if they have a faith, cause or pursuit outside football, they're not obliged to keep it quiet.
I agree here. ESPN and other media outlets over exposed him. As such, you catch great stories about him in the Philippines, or visiting offenders. Even if he hadn't been a great football player, my estimation is he'd be doing similar work.
Does he need to wear bible verse #'s on his eye-black, no. Is it better than some ridiculous message or an area code? I don't know, at least he's trying to send a significant message.
At the same time, to end every sentence with "____ thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ" it gets kind of annoying after a while. (and this is coming from a religious person.)
At the same time, to end every sentence with "____ thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ" it gets kind of annoying after a while. (and this is coming from a religious person.)
Honest question: are you a religious person or an evangelical? That difference often explains much of the reason why people who are "religious" don't get or annoyed by his actions, such as the one you cite.
I'm Catholic (went to a Jesuit HS) and my upbringing was more "do" then "say." Our motto was "Men for Others." He certainly does great work, there's no question. And I respect that. I just get annoyed when he over does the "Lord and Savior..." routine.
I'll just choose to listen to what I want. I usually go do something else when Tebow comes on the TV anyway... unless its the Cap 1 bowl.
because Florida Gator football history began in 1990
that's great.
Tebow demonstrated his expertise shortly after this photo was taken by diplaying his motorboating skills.
Not Tim, but those next to him!
She is not his girlfriend. Howeva, I'm sure he could pull women like this.
This is the mammarial equivalent of a doughy high school defensive tackle sporting a 4.7.
That almost seems like... too much. But many will disagree with me on that one.
I wouldn't kick her out of bed.
a better person for wearing it?
Well I for one have a "semi" already in anticiptaion of His greatness.
spectacular disaster.
My semi or his playing career? Because you can ask my girlfriend, my semi is a work of art. I'm a grower not a show-er.
"and part of me wants to see him succeed simply because he seems like a decent kid who happens to generate orgasm-inducing praise from middle-aged men in announcing booths."
It's like when I was a kid and my grandfather thought that my friend who got into the Naval academy was the greatest kid I knew and that of all my generation, only he exemplified the uprightness and courage that had been lost sometime between the days of his (my grandpa's) youth and the days of mine. Never mind that the kid in question was scared shitless of anything that was not officially sanctioned by the powers that be (he once told me that smoking weed was a "...serious, serious mistake that will haunt you for the rest of your life". Really? That is essentially what gets all of these sportcasters hard. They see him as an idealized version of what they wish they had been like in their youth: clean (except for the bacne), hardworking, respectful of authority, and he also practices his religion in a very public fashion. He exemplifies to oldsters all of the ideals that they think have gone out of fashion. They can not really accept that most of the problems that we have today are the result of their generation and the society that they created. They want to believe that we are a decadent generation and that our laziness, cowardice, and slack religious faith are the reasons that our country is currently in the shitter. So they hold tools like Tebow up as an example, subconsciously trying to tell us that if we all acted a little more like him, then our society would be a much better place to live. Oh, and quit listening to that damn rap music too, if you can even call that music!
Are you angry with the "oldsters" or Tebow? It sounds like your issues are more with the "oldsters" and your hate for Tebow is somewhat unfounded. Just trying to understand where you're coming from.
I heard him say in an interview something along the lines of how it takes courage to be a straight-laced high profile person. I had to laugh. I don't like how he takes himself so seriously. It bothers me how he cried on the field. It is not so much that he cried, it was that he cried over losing. I can see crying when you win, but crying when you lose is immature. I knew that in 1st grade. As far as old people (particularly announcers) go, watching them get emo over Tebow is disgusting. He is a product with a sanitized story that says all the right things to keep the squares happy. That quotation on the picture on another comment on this thread says it all. Old people love "taking responsibility", as if Tebow can take responsibility for how the whole team plays. He can't, but it sounds good. It sounds upright. To make bold promises, to hold himself up as the hardest playing player EVER. It is just such over-the-top bullshit. Its like the kind of crap I would say to an old girlfried after I cheated on her..."You will never see anybody be a better boyfriend. I realize how much I love you. I will do whatever it takes to regain your trust. I will put every ounce of my effort into rebuilding our relationship." Five minutes later I'm at the house next door trying to pick up drunken college girls. But Tebow is different, right? That is what the oldsters want to believe. Time will tell though. Mark my words though, if Tim Tebow ever gets caught in some gay bathhouse scandal, he will be up on that podium taking responsibility for his actions and promising to clean up his act. Such an upstanding young man.
This fascinates me because there are so many professional and collegiate athletes out there worthy of hating on for legitimate things they have said and/or done. But instead, you are hating on a guy for speaking his mind, being emotional, leading (by example and words), and taking responsibility. What a horrible person!
I know you're not alone. i'm just tired of people hating on this kid for absolutely no reason. Don't tear the good people down. You don't have to be on his bandwagon and sing his praises form the rooftops, but if you are gonna hate on someone at least pick someone with some hateful qualities.
And just to be clear, I'm not on the Tebow bandwagon either. But, it is hard to blame anyone who is.
I don't really want to get into this as to not offend anyone, but to many people in this country, his actions as an evangelical christian are enough to dislike him. There are many people that either find his beliefs to be contradictory to their own or his pushing of religion to simply be an intrusion onto their enjoyment of sports for sports sake. That might not be easy to understand for a lot of people who share his religious views, but it certainly is a valid reason.
I too find his over the top actions, like "the speech," obnoxious, but I will admit, it's not him that bothers me as much as everyone saying he's perfect. Lets be honest, he's almost a blank canvas to paint your own views. If you think he's simply an upstanding, good christian boy, his firey persona on the field is simply good leadership. If you think his eye-black and "god bless" sign offs are simply another form of making it all about him, than you think his constant gator chomps and yelling are just additional examples of the modern "look at me" athletes. It's just that only one of those views is ever expressed by MSM, and that's generally why all Tebow posts end up with two camps arguing on whether or not he's a prick or a good guy.
Edit: To be clear, it's not ok to dislike him simply because he has religous beliefs, I was strictly speaking to his very public stances on his religion. Everyone should be free to practice their own beliefs, it's just that many take offense to religion being "pushed" on them, especially if it's not their own.
In agreement with you.
Perhaps I only dislike the construct of Tim Tebow, rather than disliking him per se. However, the image of Tim Tebow is all I really have to go by. His fake humility is something that really bothers me though. He is like "All praise is due to Jesus Christ" one moment, and then in the next he, as I mentioned in my previous comment, essentially declares himself to be the hardest working man in football. If you take him at face value, he is a great role model. However, I have been around the block a few times. It is not that I am so jaded that I look at him and can't believe that somebody can be so good and virtuous. It is that I look at him and think that somebody who is so good and virtuous would not have to be so ostentatious about it. I realize that Christians are taught to deflect all praise away to God or Christ so as not to inflate their ego. But I think, as with many other people (particularly athletes), this is just a rhetorical gesture, a tithe if you will. They say "All glory is due to God", then turn around and revel in the glory and praise. I knew a pastor at a private religious college in Holland MI (big mystery) who was offered a job in California (where he was from), and who accepted the job, much to the chagrin of his predominantly student congregation, who truly appreciated him as a religious mentor of sorts. I don't know what the pay was out there (of course, it is never about the pay with anybody), or what his other motivations were. Did he seek out the job, or did they come looking for him? Anyway, he told them (congregation) that he had prayed deeply about it and he felt that California was where God wanted him. And they bought it all, without questioning. Now, what goes on between a man and God is one thing, but I found it a little amusing that then he would turn around and inform all of us (and expect us to believe) that that was the basis for his decision. I was harangued by his flock for expressing scepticism at his reasoning. I said I wanted to know what were the terms of his pay, as well as other conditions of his employment, and then I could make my own decision as to why I thought he took the job. The point is that public displays of religiosity bother me. People want you to take at face value what is in fact a highly subjective experience. Much of the praise given to Tebow is from people who (whether or not they acknowledge it or not), like his public displays of religiosity and are most likely Christian themselves. Stripped of this, he is not much different than a lot of other players. I realize this post is somewhat incoherent.
He's marketable. Meaning he fits as an icon of the richest spending segment in the consumer market, White male between 18 and 40 years of age.
I don't know why everyone makes a big deal about the praying, there's a prayer group on each NFL team, many athletes are religious, and many conduct very good lives off the field.
But media communications is about marketing a product. the NFL is a product, the players are products, and we consumer them.
To expect marketing to NOT market to the strongest segments is just foolish.
What I'm really hoping is that Tebow can displace some of the TV time devoted to the Manning twins. But probably not, thank god for DVRs and the fast forward button.
"What I'm really hoping is that Tebow can displace some of the TV time devoted to the Manning twins."
Or even Brady Quinn. I laughed everytime I saw a backup QB for a crappy team shilling EAS on TV. The bar is set quite low for Tebow to be a marketing success.
You don't like Tebow because old people like Tebow, and old people idealize their youth now as they have been for centuries (and as you may find yourself doing when you're old). What does any of that have to do with Tebow?
Don't we all have a little to do with Tebow? We share His blood, His sacrifice? He set our hearts free so that we may live in His footsteps. When I was on the beach while on Spring Break in Panama He walked along side me for a while. I said that I thought He had pretty douchey hair and that He was more or less a linebacker and not a QB at the pro level. I told Him He should have tapped all the female talent at Florida He could and that He will hate Himself looking back on it when He is out of the league. While in the midst of our talk I looked back at our footsteps in the sand and I noticed that for long stretches there were only one set of footprints. I yelled at Him about being some sort of dangerous vapor ghost spread QB and He stopped me and told me I was so wasted I couldn't walk a few times and it was then that He carried me. I puked and said "Onward to the Ass!" and ran in the direction of some bikini clad ladies.
I honestly think the reasons the media love Tebow are (a) he is a winner (two MNCs, one Heisman) on a very prominent team, (b) he seems to keep his nose clean and doesn't wind up drunkenly groping a UF coed or getting into a bar fight, and (c) he is a throwback in the sense that he cares about team winning over personal gain. True, there are other players that display this same team-first desire (BG being a great example), but are stuck on bad teams or play less-prominent positions. And yes, the fact that he is a white Christian probably helps a bit, as most of the announcers are, you guessed it, older white guys who are Christian. That is not to say they wouldn't get behind a black, hispanic, etc. player who displayed these same characteristics, but Tebow is what he is and it makes it easy for certain portions of the media to support him.
The more Tebow's legend grows, the sweeter our bowl victory tastes.
wow. i had forgotten how much of a physical beating we gave Tebow. i need to watch that game again.
That was a damn good day!
That game was fantastic, man. Easily one of my favorites of the last decade.
I dont care for the way the media has portrayed tebow, as if he is someone we should al be like. It'll be interesting to see what happens to him in Denver. He's got a great teacher in McDaniels, but Im not sure if he is a talented enough QB to succeed.
Tebow is getting exactly what he deserves: an opportunity to fail or succeed on his own merits. I still think his eventual position in the NFL will be at TE or H-back, but I'm glad he will get the opportunity to prove it one way or the other.
But, I think he'll be a fullback.
This really isn't that hard to explain. The Apr.-Jul. jersey sales are all about two things: free agent signings and rookies. Sure, there are probably the odd birthday gifts and jersey replacements that happen at any time during the year, but if a Saints fan was going to go out and buy a new jersey to celebrate, it would probably be in the two month period after the super bowl, not in the middle of the off-season.
There was only really one big name that changed teams which might lead to a jersey buying surge, McNabb, and even with him there are serious questions about what kind of impact he will have.
That leaves rookies as the big jersey sales drivers. For actual fans of the team, in my opinion, it's pretty stupid to buy a jersey of a guy before he plays a down, after all, who wants to be forever reminded of how giant a bust your draft pick is. But, there will always be some in each fan base that rushes in and buys that new draft pick's jersey and Denver is no exception. Lets be honest though, this isn't being driven by the fans in Denver. Sure, Colorado has a pretty extensive evangelical christian population that might be inspired to buy a Tebow jersey, but almost certainly, the purchases that have pushed Tebow to the top of the heap are Floridians. I can't remember a fan base that has had more over the top adoration and a seemingly compulsive need to see a former player succeed in the pros than with how UF fans treat Tebow (Exh. 1 www.timteblog.com).
I'm sure very few people on this board went out and bought a Braylon Edwards jersey when he was drafted. But with Tebow and Florida fans, things are just different.
than that of liberal entertainers. You won't find a more hypocritical, obnoxious, and arrogant bunch than these folks.(Note that I said MORE. Conservatives are just as bad.)
Frankly, I am tired of preaching from all sectors of our society. But that is the cost of freedom of speech.
I'm pretty sure you just broke the third rule of MGoBlog. The first and second being "Don't talk about MGoBlog", for which I have to punish myself as is.
But seriously, what the hell possessed you to bring politics into a discussion about sports and marketing?