NFL: Why the Amount of Press, Hype Around the Tim Tebow Trade Is Absurd

I'm asking, folks, a simple question: Why do we care?

It's a question that has plagued mankind for years, from the apathetic high school stoner sitting in algebra class to the overworked financial adviser. Why do we determine that some things are so sententious, and are those things even worth our time?

Last week, when the Denver Broncos announced that their starting quarterback of 11 games would be traded to the New York Jets, the Internet came close to breaking. The Twitter "fail whale" travelled the country faster than Santa Claus on Christmas. Oh-faces adorned the heads of execs and producers at ESPN, giddy were they at the opportunity to monopolize and profit off this breaking news. 

On Monday at noon, ESPN will air the press conference where the Jets announce Tim Tebow as a member of their football team. Cameras will flash, reporters will question, and the country will watch as the Jets introduce their backup quarterback to the world. 

Wait, their backup quarterback? 

But the Indianapolis Colts just acquired Drew Stanton in a trade from the Jets last week. Did I forget to Tivo his press conference? Dang!

So as sports fans watch Tebow get introduced as a Jet on Monday and debate rages about who should start and who is better between Tebow and starting quarterback Mark Sanchez, remember this: If it were 2002 and we were attempting to dissect the 23rd- and 28th-best quarterbacks in the league, our debate would be between Jeff Blake and Patrick Ramsey, respectively. 

Why do we do this to ourselves, sports fans? Note, please, that I am speaking in first person. I too am guilty of being absorbed into what I call the pop culture of sports. Brett Favre's sex scandal, Joe Namath's drunken flirtation with Suzy Kolber, Chad going from Johnson to Ochocinco to Johnson—all of these stories humored, enamored, enticed and comforted me.

Why? Because sports figures are more than just athletes to us; they are, indeed, celebrities. We care about what they do off the field, how they act, where they party, who they date. 

There's no problem with any of this, except for the fact that if Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow were actors, they would be B-actors at best. I don't know about you, but I just want to hear about the best of the best. 

I don't mean to say Sanchez and Tebow don't have potential—they certainly do—but no one talked about Tom Brady when he rode the bench. No one talks about John Skelton, who went 6-2 as a replacement starter for the Arizona Cardinals last season. 

The hype surrounding Tebow and Sanchez is unwarranted, and frankly, does not bode well for the world of sports. Why do we care so much about a current-day tandem of Jeff Blake and Patrick Ramsey?

Bleacher Report contributor Tsar Pepe (probably not his really name) wrote in the comment board to an article on Tebow and Sanchez that "mediocrity has never gotten so much attention." 

As some folks say, numbers never lie, and as far as numbers go, Sanchez and Tebow are mediocre. That's why on Monday at noon I won't be watching the Tim Tebow official signing show on ESPN. That's why, until Sanchez starts to really play miserably or Tebow has a legitimate role on the team, I'm not going to discuss Tebow. That's why this is my last article on Tebow until he starts to put up stats worth talking about. And this isn't me ragging on the guy; in fact, in a small way, it's helping him out. 

I'm a sucker for the pop culture of sports, but dang it, I want to read and talk about the stars. 

So the next time you hear a Sanchez/Tebow debate and feel enticed to get involved, ask yourself, "Do I really care?"