Tim Tebow: Why He Should Be the Most Respected Man in the NFL

Regardless of how you feel about Tim Tebow, he has your attention. There probably isn't a person in this country that hasn't heard of Tim Tebow orand his fourth quarter comebacks and his religion.

Not only is Tebow attention-grabbing, but he is also polarizing. You can't be indifferent to Tim Tebow. You're either with him or against him, with the latter faction growing quickly after yet another comeback victory.

But how can people root against Tim Tebow?

In terms of character, Tebow is the most genuinely good person currently in the league. He has the kindness and good citizenship of Walter Payton. But, as was revealed in the recent controversial book Sweetness by Jeff Pearlman, Payton wasn't all sweetness, as hard as that was to digest for many who idolized Payton. Tim Tebow on the other hand, appears to be no more than a good guy.

He founded the Tim Tebow Foundation, using his fame and money to aid hospitals and orphanages, among many other causes. How can you not root for a man who plays football by day and works to help orphans and physically disabled children by night?

Just recently, Tim heard of a young boy, and a fan of his, who was battling a brain tumor, and within ten minutes of hearing this, he placed a call to the boy and talked to him for some time. He promised to meet the kid and once he becomes less occupied with football, I have no doubt that he will honor this promise.

That story, among countless others, such as when he invited a twenty year old fan also suffering from a brain tumor to be his date to the College Football Awards, helps paint a picture of a man whose sole goal besides winning on Sunday is helping others.

In today's day and age, Tebow's goodness is such an anomaly in the NFL and professional sports that some people don't know what to think about it. There are at least ten convicts in the NFL for every genuinely good person like Tebow.

Before Tebow, the most polarizing and talked about player in the NFL was Michael Vick. The excuse for disliking Vick was obvious, he killed dogs in his free time. The excuse for disliking Tebow isn't as clear-cut.

Some cite his over-religiousness as a reason to dislike him. Sure, even the Bible warns against wearing your religion on your sleeve, but maybe Tebow is just a modern-day prophet spreading the word of God.

Back when real prophets were spreading the word of God, they did so in the most efficient way they could. They went from town to town, and from country to country preaching. In our modern times, however, doing so would not only be inefficient, but also highly unpopular. Think of what your reaction is when a Jehovah's Witness knocks on your door.

But Tim Tebow is on to something. Like prophets thousands of years ago, he knows the best way to increase God's relevance, and that is through football. In this day and age, not only do most people go to church on Sundays, but perhaps an even larger amount of people watch football on Sundays. Tebow isn't flaunting his religion to make fans for himself, he is doing it to make fans for God.

He may not have the same religion or beliefs as you, but you have to respect him for his pride in his religion and having the fortitude to spread the word of God in this modern, judgmental society, especially in the position he is in.

And he is not the first athlete to ever profess his religion in sport, nor will he be the last. Tell me which came first, "Tebowing" or David Ortiz pointing to the sky after a home run. And Tim is certainly not the first to thank God for his athletic success, and again, nor will he be the last. Tebow's expressions of religion have just been better documented and more blown out of proportion.

And would it be overly ridiculous to suggest that Tebow may have received some divine intervention late in games in return for being a good Christian? Tim insists that God does not care about football and perhaps he is right.

But regardless if it is by God's hand or not, what Tim Tebow has pulled off in the past few games has been nothing short of a miracle. It is true that he plays subpar for three quarters, but if he becomes a super-hero in the fourth quarter and wins games, then why should anything else matter?

Regardless of how he does it, a 7-1 record as a starter is impressive. The goal in all sports, football especially, is to win games. Tim Tebow does just that. It would be ridiculous to suggest that he does it on his own; he has significant help from a good defense and running game, but his fourth quarter performances are the differences between winning and losing.

All in all, the animosity towards Tebow is certainly not by any means justified. This man is one of the few genuinely good people in the NFL, he dedicates himself not only to the sport of football, but also to helping others, particularly those less fortunate than him, and is not afraid to express his love for God. If anything, hate him as a player, but not as a person. And if you are to hate him as a player, keep in mind that you are hating on a winner.