Bad sports, good sports: Tebow is a virgin, so he must be better than you
At a press conference this week for the SEC Media Day, Tim Tebow, the Heisman-winning quarterback from the University of Florida, was asked if he was a virgin. If you are not familiar with Tebow, that might seem like the oddest question you have ever heard of from a football press conference. Even if you know all about Tebow and his very overt and devout Christianity, you still might think that it was a question that never should have been asked. After all, what could a player’s sexual history have to do with his plans for the upcoming season? Nevertheless, Clay Travis, writer and blogger on all things Tennessee Volunteers, asked it. And Tebow answered. And the answer was yes.
Overt religion in sports is something I have a big problem with. I just feel like it has no business there. As a non-Christian, I have always struggled with the idea that I wasn’t supposed to mind the constant reminders of my outsider status in the world of religion. Whenever I have seen Tebow, among others, talking about his religion, I turn immediately cynical. I know… me…. can you believe it? I often wonder why athletes who credit God with giving them the victory don’t consider the fact that they are suggesting that the other team somehow was not worthy of divine intervention.
The thing that really gets me is that Tebow’s virginity can somehow now be held up as further example of his perfection. Don’t get me wrong… he seems like a genuinely good guy. Do I believe, though, that his abstinence makes him a better person than if he had indulged? No, I really don’t. Treat others well? Check. Don’t cheat? Check. All good stuff. Don’t have sex? Ummm…. I don’t care? Now there are limits here. Travis Henry, former NFL running back, has at least eleven children by ten different women. Do I judge him harshly for that? Absolutely. There is an awful lot of ground, though, between Travis Henry and Tim Tebow. I am even pretty sure that my own personal beliefs on the subject would fall much closer to Tebow-land than to Henry-ville. I just don’t see that I should think more of Tebow because he has not had actual intercourse. I don’t see that it should matter to me in any way at all. Nor should it have mattered to Clay Travis.
Bad sports, continued:
2) Speaking of Tebow, a big stink was made recently because he was not a unanimous selection as the first team, all-SEC quarterback. Turns out that Steve Spurrier was the dissenter. He fessed up, saying it was an oversight. Did people really not consider it possible that one of the coaches had selected someone else? I mean, I know Tebow is a virgin and all, but having a manhunt to find who had voted for someone else seems a bit over the top.
3) Terrell Owens announced that he thinks it’s ridiculous that the NFL is considering a suspension for Michael Vick before reinstating him. Owens thinks that Vick has served his time, and the NFL is way out of line for even considering adding its own punishment. Terrell Owens. That’s right. I don’t even need to add a commentary. This is good enough on its own.
Good sports:
1) I, like many of you, assumed that Lance Armstrong would win the Tour de France. Nevertheless, considering his time away, the fact that he finished third is pretty impressive.
2) The unstoppable Jimmie Johnson won his second straight race at the famed Brickyard, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and his third overall at the storied oval. He certainly looks like a very strong contender to win his fourth straight championship, which is something no one in NASCAR history has ever done.
3) Mark Buerhle, of the Chicago White Sox, threw the 18th perfect game in the history of Major League Baseball this week. He had previously thrown a no-hitter. Any time you do something that has only been done 17 times previously in a sport that has been around for over a hundred years, it’s pretty impressive.
Bad Sports, Good Sports appears every Monday
Latest posts by Alan Spoll (Posts)
- Pereira comments on “Philly Special” a total waste of time - February 14, 2018
- BSGS News Brief: Tom Brady beats the NFL - September 3, 2015
- BSGS News Brief: Geno Smith gets his jaw broken by a punch - August 16, 2015
- BSGS News Brief – Oh, Vanderbilt. Really? - August 6, 2015
- BSGS News Brief – Sheldon Richardson hits the Bad Sports wire in a big way - July 31, 2015
Print This Post
Regarding Buerhle’s perfect game: what was almost as amazing was Dewayne Wise’s unbelievable home run-stealing catch in the 9th. This proves once again how important good defense is to even the very best pitchers in baseball. (A generous strike zone also helps!)