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Daniel Johnson
Staff Writer
You know, there are just some people in our society that makes newspaper writing a little easier; Donald Trump is one, the Clintons, or anything on the dozen or so Kardashians. It seems that on any slow week in the world, a simple Google search or news report will produce solid gold from these special individuals. In the world of sports journalism, that person over the past five years has been Tim Tebow.
From the days of the superstar QB at the University of Florida, the questionable first round draft choice and eventual postseason hero of the Denver Broncos, backup QB that has trouble just making the roster with the New York Jets, New England Patriots, and Philadelphia Eagles, to now minor league baseball player in the New York Mets farm system, the Christian boy with a heart of gold, arm of mold, and body that could potentially land him in the Mr. Universe contest always find his way back on ESPN’s leading story.
After the National Football League seemingly exiled Tim Tebow from their game, he spent the next year working out with only a few advisors and former players to attempt to go pro in Major League Baseball. To his credit, in his last year of baseball as a junior in high school, he put up numbers that caught the attention of D1 college and pro scouts, despite the fact they knew he had his heart set on the gridiron and not the baseball diamond.
That being said, it’s damn near impossible to not face game pitching and situations in any sport for a decade, then believe you could go pro in it, especially a sport that requires the repetition and technical perfection that baseball requires. Putting down a bat for a week will mess up your swing, let alone a decade. So already, Tebow is entering his new career behind literally everyone else he will go up against who has not had a lapse in time where baseball was not their primarily focus. Also he’s not really helping his case by apparently staying a member of the SEC Network as an analyst. Though Michael Jordan wasn’t as good of a high school ball player as Tebow was (and only time will tell who was the better minor leaguer) Jordan cut back on the guest appearances and commercials in 1994 when he played for the Birmingham Barons.
That being said, Tebow finds himself in an interesting position almost no celebrity ever finds themselves in. Despite seemingly never leaving the spotlight, for the most part, people still tend to like and root for him. Sure they question his sanity, but I don’t notice the same negativity around Tebow when he begins a new venture as I do around a Kardashian or the one of the two future Presidents whose negativity ratings are higher than a television rating for any game Tebow is in. A large reason is that anyone you ask who met or personally know Tim Tebow says he’s one of the nicest human beings around. Very outwardly religious, but doesn’t alienate a large demographic who may not identify with his faith. .
At the end of the day, the lack or abundance of skills that Tebow shows on the baseball diamond will determine whether or not he moves on to the big time in New York or stays on bus rides
It is interesting that he choose the Mets, a team that is coming off a World Series berth last year and despite recent struggles, is still seen as an elite team in the MLB. However, hitting has been a large hole in the Mets lineup for years. And with David Wright’s best days seemingly behind him and the Mets looking ahead into the future for anyone that can put the ball on the bat, maybe Tebow is that X factor that can help heal up their hitting issues. All I know is that every major sports network will start to show more minor league games than they ever had before.
Categories: Pro Sports, Sports, Uncategorized
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