I Used To Hate TIM!

I couldn’t stand the man. 

As a Georgia Bulldogs fan I would rue the day when he would step between the sidelines of Ben Griffith stadium and wow the Gainesville faithful with another bruising run, or how he would throw one of his infamous jump passes to the tight end in the end zone. 

Most importantly, in recent years “The World’s Largest Cocktail Party ” became nothing more than the annual Bulldog beat down as he ducked blitzing linebackers and threw haymakers in the form of 60-yard touchdown passes over an inexperienced cornerback.

As a matter of fact, I couldn’t bear to watch as he broke the most hallowed record in SEC history when he passed our own UGA messiah Herschel Walker’s rushing TD mark against the Bulldogs.

I cringed every time his name was mentioned by Fox’s Thom Brenneman as if he were Elvis in his prime.  I rejoiced when his last attempt for championship glory was derailed by a Crimson Tide steamroller of a defense.  I sang the praises of his critics who stated he wouldn’t succeed at the next level.

Long story short, for four long years I couldn’t stand the name or sight of Tim Tebow .

Now, I can’t respect the man enough.

As many of you may now know, Tebow, in conjunction with the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family , is going to have an advertisement during the Feb. 7 Super Bowl entitled “"Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life."  Almost immediately CBS has received protests from numerous women’s rights groups requesting to pull the ad, stating that it is an attack on their constitutional rights to have an abortion. 

Being that this is a sports website, I will not turn this into an argument of Roe v. Wade, that’s why we have sites such as the Huffington Post .  That being said, this is something bigger than just the objections of pro-choice advocates, this is much bigger than just having John 3:16 in eye black. This is about a man who is more concerned about impacting soon-to-be mothers and children around the world than the status of his draft choice and the amount of Benjamins going into the wallet.

Again, this is not to provide a disclaimer about my personal views on pro-choice vs. pro-life.  We’re talking about an athlete who’s off the field activity is not about shooting up strip clubs, showing off their bling, or looking to break Wilt Chamberlain’s record for the most one-night stands, resulting in paternity suits and “Where’s Daddy ?” Sports Illustrated cover stories.

For years Tim Tebow has been known for his missionary work overseas as much as he has been known to terrorize SEC defenses.  He has now decided to take his mission onto television’s Holy Grail, Super Bowl Sunday, where the eyes of potentially 80 million fans, believers or not, will gaze upon his mother’s story of how she made the choice to give birth to him after becoming ill on a mission’s trip in the Philippines.

I, for one, could not be happier for this decision. 

My father used to tell me stories of what happened during the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, how Tommie Smith and John Carlos used the medal podium to express their views on the racial atrocities that were occurring in post-MLK America.  Despite the punishment by the International Olympic Committee banning the “Black Power” duo for life, they remain an iconic symbol of someone who realizes that it’s not always about wins and losses.  Carlos and Smith stood for something greater than them, and risked it all to send a message to the rest of the world.

That is what Tebow is doing now with this commercial.  He’s saying that his most important quality is not about his 40 yard time or how he operates in a pro-style offense, he is taking a stand in an era that is popularized by what is being said on a Twitter account about contracts and athletes preferring to be PC.  Too often we are subjected to Nike creations afraid to speak out in fear of not only their teammates but also play for their sponsors.  Do you think that Kobe or Tom Brady would speak out on such a touchy subject like this on such a big day? 

We will see Peyton Manning gracing Land Shark, Sun Life, or whatever-it-is called stadium on Super Bowl Sunday in addition to the Mastercard/Sony ads, but I don’t think we’ll ever see him, Eli, and Archie Manning talking about family values and ethics unless there was a product to be hawked. 

Why are athletes so afraid to take a stand on something unless their being pressured to?  I’m sure many of them wouldn’t say a word about the tragedy in Haiti unless their agent/PR machine told them it would look great for their image.  I’m sure Tiger wishes he wasn’t so PC now.

Whether or not the ad is pulled, Tebow will continue to spread this message around.  It no longer matters where he is drafted come next April, the fact is that his legacy will reach far beyond the gridiron.  My hope is that some other athlete will either look at the ad or read about his efforts and say, “Why can’t I do that?” Whether you may agree or not, the man must be respected for what he’s doing.

Never thought rooting for a Florida Gator would feel this good...