Lolo Jones: Tim Tebow Proposal Will Boost U.S. Track Star's Budding Career

Lolo Jones has become more famous in recent weeks for admitting that she is a virgin than for anything she has done athletically, including running in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and participating in the 2012 Olympic Trials. 

The 29-year-old U.S. Track and Field star has outdone herself during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday night, jokingly saying that she was going to invite New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow to church. 

Tebow has famously stated that he is a virgin. After Jones made her declaration, Kevin Armstrong of the New York Daily News reported that Tebow began hearing chants of her name from his teammates. 

"

For the track/Lolo Jones junkies: When Tebow entered locker room today, several Jets players started chanting, "Lolo! Lolo!"

— Kevin Armstrong (@KevinGArmstrong) May 24, 2012"

Jones has done an incredible job of marketing herself, even without the Tebow invite on national television. She took a bold step of announcing that she is still a virgin, and even going so far as to say that she has had a hard time resisting the urge to engage in premarital sex. 

I am not saying that Jones said all of this to gain publicity. If anything, doing so could make it worse for her because the constant pressure that she felt will be magnified with cheap questions and teases from fans who think they are being funny. 

Yet the best thing that Jones did by inviting Tebow to go to church, Jones has done something that will benefit her far beyond anything she did before it: She had a sense of humor about it. 

A big reason that everyone wants to cut Tebow down, or question just how valid his claim to be a virgin really are, is because he is so straight laced and not willing to laugh at himself. There could be a feeling that he is disingenuous. 

Jones, on the other hand, may not be the funniest person in the world—for the record, I don't know if she is. I have never met her. But when you are able to be open and honest like that, as well as be able to tell jokes then you are going to get some slack from people who want to tear you down. 

Plus, invoking the name of Tebow is a great way to ensure that you get publicity. Jones is focused on London right now, and her sense of humor, as well as inviting Tebow to church, are sure-fire ways to make sure that you are able to stand out in a crowded field of elite athletes in the Olympics. 

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