Mike Yorkey - Playing With Purpose: Tim Tebow

2012 by Mike Yorkey

Print ISBN 978-1-61626-943-2

eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-62029-189-4
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-62029-188-7

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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the H OLY B IBLE , N EW I NTERNATIONAL V ERSION. NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

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Portions of this book previously appeared in Playing with Purpose: Inside the Lives and Faith of the NFLs Top New Quarterbacks, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Cover image: AP Photo/Mel Evans

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Tim has never been afraid to run over or through an opponent. On the field, he is as relentless as Attila the Hun, as unstoppable as a Mack truck plowing through a roadblock. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)

Here we go again.

Tim Tebow, whoaccording to a Sports Illustrated cover headline, demands that you watchfinds himself starting all over now that hes donning the hunter-green No. 15 jersey of the New York Jets for the 2012 NFL season.

We all wonder what will transpirebut half the fun of sports is not knowing the outcome. When Tim has the ball in his hands, anything can happen. He certainly grabbed our attention as the biggest football story of 2011, taking the reins of a 14 Denver team headed for oblivion and single-handedly spearheading the Broncos to their first AFC West division title in six yearsplus an incredible playoff win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Broncos leadership was so thrilled by the turnaround that they went out and signed free agent Peyton Manning to quarterback the team in 2012.

Dont let the door hit you on your way out of town, Tim. But thanks for the memories, especially that sweet pass you threw to Demaryius Thomas against the Steelers.

Now hes taking his act to Broadway, playing in Americas biggest city, the epicenter of the media universe. Hes always worn his Christian faith on the sleeve of his football jersey, and that wont change in New York. Will the Jets prickly fans and wise-guy New York media mock him, respect his faith, or just be apathetic? Nobody knows which direction the wind will blowbut it was revealing that Virgin Airlines quickly offered Tim unlimited free flights to London, as long as he remains sexually pure. (A virgin, get it?)

Whatever happens in the 2012 season, you can figure that Tim will continue to be one of the most talked-about football players in America. And if he gets a chance to playor even leapfrogs Mark Sanchez for the starting jobwatch out. Hell once again become the most discussed, dissected, and debated athlete on ESPN, the arbiter of whats important in the sports world.

This fishbowl existence has been part of Tims world since he burst on the scene in 2006 as a true freshman quarterback at the University of Florida. When hes in public, hes a compelling figure who draws stares from bystanders, screams from fans, and clicks from cell phone cameras. Hes been called the NFL version of a total solar eclipse, blotting out nearly every other name or topic in the football world.

His smile melts hearts. His demeanor is humble and earnest. His attitude is respectful to elders and authority figures (like coaches), and his faith moves mountains. His work ethic is off the charts. Hes so good-natured and likable that you want to bottle him up and take him home to the family.

Admit ityou cant keep your eyes off him. The camera loves Tim Tebow. His emotions on the field run the gamut: full-throated exhortations to his teammates, fist pumps and bear hugs after big plays and touchdowns, broad smiles and gracious interviews after victories, and emotional on-the-field meetings with youngsters fighting a terminal disease or physical disfigurement.

If football was show business (and, in many ways, thats a good metaphor for a city with Times Square and the Great White Way theater district), Tims charisma and poisethat special itdefines his uniqueness, fortitude, determination, and belief in himself. He has an amazing presence on and off the field as well as a wonderful alliterative roll to his name.

Tim Tebow generates so much heat and attention because his outsized personality broke the mold for the quarterback position during a four-year career at Florida. Things havent changed since hes been in the NFL. Once he plants his feet under or behind the center, he plays QB like its his personal fiefdom. Hes as relentless as Attila the Hun, as unstoppable as a Mack truck plowing through a roadblock. Now if he could just pass a little better.

His agent, Jimmy Sexton, has predicted that Tim will become the most marketable athlete in historyand that seems more likely now that hes playing for a New York team. Even before he was traded to the Jets, however, the endorsement deals piled up like snowdrifts along Fifth Avenue. Jockey underwear. Nike shoes. FRS energy drinks. During his rookie year with Denver, his No. 15 Broncos jersey led the league in sales in 2010 and was second last season to the forest green jersey belonging to the Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers, another Christian quarterback whos at the top of his game.

But nobody seems to have popped out quite like Tebow, said Darin David, account director for The Marketing Arm agency.

Everyone wants to be associated with him. Jockey, the underwear company, featured Tim in catalogs and TV and print advertisements because Jockeys interest in Tim goes beyond football, the company announced. He is dedicated to community service, and his work ethic, positive attitude, and leadership skills are unquestionable.