Is there a Tebow double standard, and if so what is it?

[indeedproceed]

And so it's clear, eja isn't the only offender here, just the most recent and modding from your phone is hard.

[Eja117]

So basically Troy is a good little Christian that keeps his mouth shut.  So yeah the media probably won't make fun of him, because he doesn't challenge the status quo.

That's a condescending misrepresentation of what Moranis said, and comments like that are gonna get this thread locked in a real hurry. Official heads up.

I'm not trying to mischaracterize what Moranis said and I'm not taking any offense to "Tim's fans are rabid and crazy".

I'm drawing a conclusion from what he said about why the media likes Troy and not Tim. It's all about double standards

[indeedproceed]

Eja, the media freaking loves Tim Tebow. They won't stop talking about him, and just because they always show one guy sayin 'he's the real deal' and one guy saying he's not does not mean he's not just cherished like a binkie by the media. It just shows how polarizing he is.

And your comment absolutely was condescending and misrepresenting, or you did not get what Moranis was very clearly saying. And, by using the term 'good little christian', I'm guessing you knew exactly what he was saying. Just play nice that's all I'm saying.

[Eja117]

Eja, the media freaking loves Tim Tebow. They won't stop talking about him, and just because they always show one guy sayin 'he's the real deal' and one guy saying he's not does not mean he's not just cherished like a binkie by the media. It just shows how polarizing he is.

And your comment absolutely was condescending and misrepresenting, or you did not get what Moranis was very clearly saying. And, by using the term 'good little christian', I'm guessing you knew exactly what he was saying. Just play nice that's all I'm saying.

I get that Moranis is saying that Troy is treated better than Tim even though he is just as Christian because Tim puts himself way out there and therefore Tim isn't being treated bad because he's Christian, but because he puts himself out there (slightly similar to people saying Tim puts his faith in people's face, but more nuanced). I get he's saying that.

It's not Moranis saying Troy is treated better because he meets with media approval in the way that he comparatively keeps his mouth shut. It's me who said that. I took what Moranis said and explained it in a disagreeing way that preserved my world vision of Tebow having a double standard, which I think there is.

I think Moranis is making a good point. You can be a devout Christian and not have SNL take a dump on you. But if you even borderline make Christianity cool the fix will be in.

I agree with you that there are probably many in the media that like Tebow. He generates a lot of money.  I get that they try to generate debate.  I agree that he is polarizing.   

I still think there's a Tebow double standard where no matter what he achieves or how humble he is or how much credit he gives to his teammate he will never be treated the same.

I'm actually a little surprised people aren't bringing up Kurt Warner.  I still think it's different.

[OmarSekou]

Tim Tebow is wholesome, religious, white, and squeaky clean so he gets preferential treatment (and criticism because of his preferential treatment).

The other part of the criticism is that he's a non-traditional QB having success in the NFL. There's a large group of people who dislike him because he doesn't fit the mold (he's a bad passer).

The last thing is that he's a spectacle based off of what he did in college. He's been in the public eye for a long time  and there's always been a debate about whether he could succeed in the NFL. He's still in a gray area about whether he can really play and there's some resentment because he gets more attention than he deserves (based on his performance) because of everything that makes him popular/interesting/hated/whatever.

[GreenFaith1819]

I don't think Tebow's race, IMO, has anything to do with it.

Back in the day, a man by the name of Darell Green was well-known to be a Christian, and he still is one.

He played for the Redskins as a safety, and was known as the fastest man in the NFL at the time. I loved the man.

Darell happens to be Black.

Same with David Robinson (Black)...well-known Christian, similar case as Darell, too.

[indeedproceed]

GF18, I think your comparison is off here. Darrell green, in all his yrs in the NFL, was never anywhere close to as popular or controversial as Tim Tebow.

[guava_wrench]

I don't think the hype on the sports pages has anything to do with his religion. The jokes on SNL are, but his press is mostly due to the fact that he was an amazing player in college, because he plays so oddly in the NFL, and because of the drama of the games he has played in.

Having a lot of comebacks leads to hype in the NFL. Nevermind that the reality is that the Denver offense is extremely erratic, disappearing for halves at a time under Tebow. People like to create mythical narratives in sports.

Just talking about whether a QB with his skill set can succeed is an interesting discussion in itself, even without the comebacks. I don't see a double standard at all. It is just a perfect storm at the moment.

[GreenFaith1819]

GF18, I think your comparison is off here. Darrell green, in all his yrs in the NFL, was never anywhere close to as popular or controversial as Tim Tebow.

...But I don't see where Tebow's race has anything to do with the controversy.

Do you honestly factor in Tebow's race as adding to the supposed controversy?

[Donoghus]

GF18, I think your comparison is off here. Darrell green, in all his yrs in the NFL, was never anywhere close to as popular or controversial as Tim Tebow.

...But I don't see where Tebow's race has anything to do with the controversy.

Do you honestly factor in Tebow's race as adding to the supposed controversy?

Not race.  Tebow is a quarterback in the NFL.  The most prominent position in football.  Its front & center when it comes to media coverage of the sport.  The position under the most strutiny.  Also, Tebow was a Heisman winning National Championship quarterback in college which has added to his cache as a celebrity-type.  His unorthodox style of playing the position at the professional level has made him a lightning rod for those who see his play as unorthodox.  The religion factor is also at play for some.

Green was a heckuva CB and returner but he was never near the level of spotlight that Tebow has been under.   Also throw in the fact that today's environment is a 24/7 news cycle that didn't exist for much of Green's time and you get a professional athlete under the microscope nearly day in and day out.

[GreenFaith1819]

IP - you are right. I was off as far as Darell and David vs Tebow comparison.

Don - you are correct, too. I was wrong in introducing Darell and David here.

Someone had earlier introduced race into the equation with Tebow, and it made me curious as to how that factored in.

That was the one wildcard that I didn't see as being a factor in the Tebow controversy.

 

[nickagneta]

GF18, I think your comparison is off here. Darrell green, in all his yrs in the NFL, was never anywhere close to as popular or controversial as Tim Tebow.

...But I don't see where Tebow's race has anything to do with the controversy.

Do you honestly factor in Tebow's race as adding to the supposed controversy?

I do because there were many similar style quarterbacks to Tebow that were black that never got the media darling attention that Tebow did. Tebow was on the cover of Sports Illustrated after less than 11 NFL starts. He was the leading most dominating story on just about every show on ESPN for about 6 weeks this season.

Players with similar results and similar styles that were black NEVER got that type of attention. I think the media knows that a huge portion of America associates with Tebow and so they played it up both positive and negative to drive ratings. The media has never given a similar player that was black that much attention or air time so early in their careers or when they were having such mediocre results.

The drama of the Broncos winning in the fashion they did helped. Oh boy, it helped. But ultimately the media didn't tell the story of the dysfunctional Broncos that went on a remarkable streak of last minute victories. They happily played up to the nation the story of Tim Tebow, the ultra Christian, southern white boy, college football hero, unorthodox QB that is playing a style of football that is totally against the trend the game has taken over the last 30 years.

Does it matter that he's not the first to do so? No. Does it matter that none have ultimately succeeded and won a Superbowl? No. Then what's the difference between Tebow's story and the others. He's white and more easily sold as a story to a very large portion of America because of it.

That, to me means double standard.

[vvps]

Are there examples of other quarterbacks where the media was in such a rush to judgment so early in their careers?  and with such venom?

I'm no football historian, so I'm honestly asking.  Let's put this in historical context.  Or not.

[GreenFaith1819]

GF18, I think your comparison is off here. Darrell green, in all his yrs in the NFL, was never anywhere close to as popular or controversial as Tim Tebow.

...But I don't see where Tebow's race has anything to do with the controversy.

Do you honestly factor in Tebow's race as adding to the supposed controversy?

I do because there were many similar style quarterbacks to Tebow that were black that never got the media darling attention that Tebow did. Tebow was on the cover of Sports Illustrated after less than 11 NFL starts. He was the leading most dominating story on just about every show on ESPN for about 6 weeks this season.

Players with similar results and similar styles that were black NEVER got that type of attention. I think the media knows that a huge portion of America associates with Tebow and so they played it up both positive and negative to drive ratings. The media has never given a similar player that was black that much attention or air time so early in their careers or when they were having such mediocre results.

The drama of the Broncos winning in the fashion they did helped. Oh boy, it helped. But ultimately the media didn't tell the story of the dysfunctional Broncos that went on a remarkable streak of last minute victories. They happily played up to the nation the story of Tim Tebow, the ultra Christian, southern white boy, college football hero, unorthodox QB that is playing a style of football that is totally against the trend the game has taken over the last 30 years.

Does it matter that he's not the first to do so? No. Does it matter that none have ultimately succeeded and won a Superbowl? No. Then what's the difference between Tebow's story and the others. He's white and more easily sold as a story to a very large portion of America because of it.

That, to me means double standard.

Wow Nick.....I just don't see the race card, here.

If that's how you feel about it, then I can't change your mind.

But, to me - the vast majority of the controversy vs Tebow has been because he was/is a project as a QB in the NFL. "Was" is because I have seen improvement in the man as a QB this season. "Is" because he IS still improving and working hard.

But the race introduction, here, with Tebow, is just off, to me. I think the vast majority of the attention towards him has ranged from "curious" to "negative."

Also add in the fact that DEN has accomplished some noteworthy things this season certainly adds to the mix, too.

But not due to his race. To me, that is just a sad comparison.

"Media Darling?" Well.....not according to the Maher fellow.

[guava_wrench]

Considering the number of young white QBs whose excellent performances were ignored this season, I don't see how race is the differentiator. The difference is the drama of the comebacks, that he runs like a fullback (not like a halfback), his embarrassing throwing technique, and the winning streak.

Cam Newton had plenty of hype until Tebow started his side-show. Stafford on the other hand got no headlines despite being younger than Tebow, tearing it up, and bring success to a joke of a franchise.

Tebow's NFL prospects were very controversial coming out of college to a degree rarely matched.