by Jeffrey Beall

Article by Gene Lalor

At the risk of taking issue with the Wall Street Journal’s Patton Dodd, I don’t think Denver Broncos’ Tim Tebow is “God’s Quarterback.” I don’t even know if God follows the NFL or if He cares much about football. I do know, however, that Tebow is a religious lightning rod and that much of the criticism surrounding him reflects more on his critics than on Tebow.

Dodd does provide a litany of the quarterback’s altruistic activities both at the University of Florida where he “re-shaped campus culture” and since he joined the Broncos as well as testimonials to his model behavior. Spending his summers working with the poor in the Philippines and raising $ 340,000 for charity while a Gator were prefatory to establishing a charitable family foundation.

Dodd also notes a marked contrast between Tebow and the significant number of star athletes who have recently used their stardom, and wealth, to engage in criminal and anti-social-dare I say immoral?-conduct. Among others, he cites Tiger Woods, Plaxico Buress, and Michael Vick.

Neither his admirable qualities nor contrasts with less admirable athletes qualify Tebow qualify Tebow as a saint or God’s designated quarterback. Neither should they disqualify him from objective recognition of his accomplishments.

Tim Tebow is no Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, or Peyton Manning-not yet, anyway-but he has caused an unprecedented uproar in the sports world that has surpassed few previous uproars, and little of it relates to his athletic abilities.

True, his wobbly passes and unconventional proclivity to run the ball have drawn valid criticism from NFL opponents and sports writers who ostensibly ridicule only his wobbles and unconventionality. However, it’s really the God thing, Tebow’s public affirmations of his religiosity, that seems to bug many in the wide world of sports.

This Sunday’s game with Tom Brady’s New England Patriots is being characterized as Tebow’s biggest challenge to date, with both the Broncos and the Patriots desperate for a victory and Tebow, not desparate after leading the Broncos to seven wins in the eight games he’s started, but entitled.

Tim Tebow is entitled to some respect in addition to recognition.

Whether or not Tebow pulls off another amazing comeback victory and takes his team to the playoffs, it’s doubtful he’ll get it. He just has too many liabilities.

Aside from his unorthodox style of play-acting more like college quarterback than pro and running the ball more often than throwing it-he has this odd quirk of publicly thanking God for his successes, an act now popularly known as “Tebowing.” Denver fans love it and Tebowing has been widely imitated, off the field, and none of his unorthodoxy bothers his teammates.

Others hate it and everything else about Tebow and for unknown reasons. Being too religious in a secular America? Advertising his faith? Suggesting he has an “in” with the Almighty? Drawing unintentional distinctions from the rest of the NFL? Winning?

No less an authority than TMZ.com is reporting a new twist on the Tebow saga: A high priest in another questionable authority, the Church of Satan, Magus Peter H. Gilmore, doesn’t buy into the whole Tebow-God thing.

Making more sense than many NFL players and sportswriters, Gilmore doesn’t believe God intervenes on Tebow’s behalf to enable the Broncos to defeat their opponents since that would mean God wants other teams to lose, which wouldn’t be very fair at all.

Gilmore told TMZ, “Those who have a winning attitude tend to do better, and whatever fuels such team spirit, be it religious fervor or simply an overwhelming desire to succeed, is the real source for success.” Gilmore added, as if we didn’t know, “Satanists are atheists, and we would consider any triumph to rely on a combination of skill and luck-most certainly not in any form of supernatural intervention from either Heaven or Hell.”

Out of the mouths of devils come truths?

Tim Tebow is neither flaunting his religion nor claiming God is guiding his quarterback runs and his wobbily passes or that God is a Bronco fan. He does have a winning attitude and an overwhelming desire to succeed and win. He’s merely thanking God for his good fortune when he Tebows. And is that all so bad?

I don’t get why an atheist-satanist would weigh in on an NFL controversy anymore than I can understand why Tebow would be called “God’s quarterback.” A reasonable assumption might be that he makes people uncomfortable.

(For more details on the Tebow phenonomenon and the discomfort he causes, see “Tebowing, a PC No-No,” and “Religious Hypocrisy and the Denver Broncos,”

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