The End of an Era

Last night, senior Tim Tebow played his last football game at the University of Florida. Urban Meyer coached his last game before taking an rather vague leave of absence. Charlie Strong coached his game as the Gators defensive coach before heading off to don the cap as the head coach of Louisville.

And boy, what a way to go.

As of now, the SEC hasn't been doing so well this bowl season when matched up against some of the other conferences (granted, S. Carolina, Arkansas, and Alabama still have to play), but Florida certainly strutted its stuff last night as it trounced the #3 Cincinnati Bearcats 51-24. Tebow arguably had his best game ever, with 482 yards and four touchdowns, and he and this senior class will be fondly remembered by Gator Nation for years to come. The end of an era for all Gator fans.

That said, I'm always surprised at the rather visceral level of hate directed at the Gators, who are now the first team in FBS history to have back-to-back 13-win seasons. It goes beyond the regular hate reserved for rivalry games; as a friend noted, there just seems to be an across the board hate from many who are not Gator fans. I'm even more surprised when individuals elevate this hate past a team and drape it across Tim Tebow. It's no big secret that after the Gators' devastating 19 point loss at the SEC championship, the camera found Tim with two minutes left, face red and eyes wet. Almost immediately, Facebook groups sprouted up, defaming and mocking Tim for showing his passion. Then, over the following three weeks, I had at least eight or ten people make it a point to find me and gleefully point out his humiliation, reveling in his heartbreak. Of course, I'm sure those folks would would do SO much better if they had put their everything into a team, only to watch its defense crumble on a national stage against an Alabama team clicking on all cylinders.

But I'm sure these persons have good reason. After all, who wants their kid to grow up to have the character of a guy like Tim Tebow? We'd much rather elevate individuals like Kobe Bryant, Michael Vick, Michael Phelps, Marion Jones, and now Tiger Woods, who has more recently added his name to this illustrious list of stand-up athletes. For goodness sakes, guys like these are just ATHLETES and happen to be particularly skilled at throwing around a ball or swimming a couple of laps. But we follow their every move, can recite their every statistic, and pay them like they are gods. They may be physically at their best, but they have no obligation to be the moral lighthouses society often expects them to be. It's not like the kid down the street has a picture of Sir Alexander Fleming on his wall. No, he has Mike Tyson, who bit part of an opponent's ear off, served time for rape, and dealt with domestic violence charges.

So please forgive me if I fail to understand why some who hate the Gators channel their energy to a complete vilification of Tim Tebow. He will go one as one of the greatest players to every play the college football game. And if he's not considered the best college QB of all time (with his 2 national championships and Heisman trophy spearheading the list of his many record-breaking achievements), he'll certainly be considered in the conversation. He was put on a pedestal of expectation by the media and the college football world, and he has been subjected to more hype, coverage, and pressure than few else in recent college football history. And even despite all of that, he still chose to stand unashamedly for the truth in a world and in a particular sector of society where it is so easily rejected. Whether you believe in God or not, he's a man who has used his position and relative fame to minister to those in need, to serve others, and to inspire others to be better. If you do believe in the saving power of Jesus Christ, you should be praising God that He has placed a man in such a position to spread the Gospel and to boldly speak the name of Jesus.

Don't get me wrong; Tim Tebow is a sinner just like the rest of us, and I have never once heard him boast about his merits as though they were the result of his own effort. In fact, I never once heard him boast about anything he's done. He was asked in last night's post-game conference what he hoped people would remember about him. He said he hoped they would remember how much he loved his team and coaches, that he loved other people, and that he loved the Lord.

I'm not naive; people will continue to hate Tebow after all this. But I wonder, at the end of the day, whose poster they'd want on their kid's wall.