December 18, 2011
Will Tim Tebow Get 'Better'?
EDGE READ TIME: 5 MIN.
The Boston Red Sox have done it. So have the Chicago Cubs. But no NFL team has yet done a "It's Get Better" video.
Will Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos be the first?
USA Today reported this week that more than 3,000 supporters have signed a petition for God's favorite quarterback to join the "It Gets Better" campaign in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teens.
The brainchild of gay activist Dan Savage, the campaign has already delivered video messages from well-known figures like Justin Bieber and Kathy Griffin as well as Barack and Michelle Obama.
At last year's Superbowl, Tebow participated in a controversial ad for the conservative anti-abortion, anti-gay group Focus on the Family. The pro-life ad featured Tebow and his mother.
It would really be an amazing thing for Tebow and the Broncos to really say 'We may have differences on abortion and gay marriage, but stopping kids from killing themselves is an issue we can all get behind,'" petition organizer and Broncos fan Andy Szekeres told USA Today.
Tebow has yet to express an opinion on gay issues, whether he's for them or against them. He has no qualms, though, with the American public thinking he has no problems with a little man-on-man action, as evidenced by this YouTube clip from an October game against the San Diego Chargers, Tebow landed one on the lips of teammate Demaryius Thomas after Thomas caught a touchdown pass. The Broncos went on to beat the Dolphins 18-15.
According to the Huffington Post, "this wasn't the first time Tebow, who has been referred to as the "Bieber of Football," shared a same-sex kiss on the field: Tebow was pecked by University of Florida teammate Tony Joiner a few years ago.
"Tebow's feelings about homosexuality and gay marriage remain unclear. This summer, when asked about gay marriage by The Washington Post, his publicist jumped in and rejected the question. But, considering his ties to FOTF, he's probably not about to announce he's coming out of the closet (or would support those who have) -- but who knows?"
Tebow has been at the center of a media storm this past week for bringing his Christian beliefs onto the football field. After the Bronco's sixth consecutive win (against the Bears last Sunday) Tebow said to Fox NFL reporter Tony Siragusat: "I want to thank my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ,"
His habit of bringing God onto the gridiron (someone quipped hie can "turn water into wins") led the NCAA to prohibit players from writing messages in their black eye paint. While at Florida, Tebow would put the names of his favorite Biblical verses in his eye paint that could be seen in close-up on television.
According to Wikipedia: "During his college football career, Tebow frequently wore references to biblical verses on his eye black. In the 2009 BCS Championship Game, he wore John 3:16 on his eye paint, and as a result, 92 million people searched "John 3:16" on Google during or shortly after the game. Additionally, later, when Tebow switched to another verse, there were 3.43 million searches of "Tim Tebow" and "Proverbs 3:5-6" together.Tebow stated of the searches "It just goes to show you the influence and the platform that you have as a student-athlete and as a quarterback at Florida".
The NCAA denied that Tebow influenced the ruling. The NFL already had the ban in place when Tebow joined the Broncos in 2010.
Watch Tim Tebow and Demaryius Thomas kiss after a winning touchdown pass in October:
Watch the Focus on the Family Superbowl ad featuring Tim Tebow and his mother: