Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow with his National Championship Trophy (Google images)

Tim Tebow is the greatest college football quarterback of all time. He has two national championships, was considered for a Heisman trophy three times, and won it once as a sophomore. The Heisman is the award given to the best college football player each year, and this award is usually won by seniors. In addition to his football career, he preaches to the less fortunate in countries around the world. As a fifteen year old, he preached to 10,000 high school students in the Philippines (Brennan). He spends his time and money on missions in other countries. Tim Tebow was born in the Philippines to missionary parents. He grew up in the United States but spent any extra time he had in other countries, mainly the Philippines, helping others. He was home schooled until he switched to a public high school in his sophomore year. He went to college at The University of Florida and made the football team as a 6-3, 225 lb. back up quarterback. He became a starter as a sophomore and later was recognized as the greatest college football player in the country. Now he is a professional quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Tim Tebow is more than just a great quarterback. He is a humanitarian, charitable, and one of the greatest leaders of all time.

Tim Tebow (Google images)

Tim Tebow is more than just a great quarterback. He is a humanitarian, charitable and one of the greatest leaders of all time. Tim Tebow is a great leader and an unselfish person who would save the world if he could. But he can’t, so he tries to do the best he can do to make the world better for others. Tim Tebow’s accomplishments make me think about what I have done with my life. Nothing, compared to what he has done! It has made me think about how I can help others. I see Tim Tebow as an inspiration, a role model, and a hero. Tim Tebow Has more than enough deserved the title Hero.

Thamel, Pete. "Or Tim Tebow?" New York Times 30 Aug. 2009: 1(L). Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 10 Jan. 2011.

Whiteside, Kelly. "Odd couple give Gators their bite." USA Today 24 Aug. 2007: 01C. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 10 Jan. 2011.

"Chargers seek bolt of better fortune." USA Today 19 Apr. 2004: 01C. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 10 Jan. 2011.

"Leaf is dndicted." New York Times 22 May 2009: B12(L). Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 10 Jan. 2011.

Weir, Tom. "Which great speech gets your attention?" USA Today 24 Mar. 2009: 03C. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 10 Jan. 2011.

Brennan, Christine. "God, sport a natural mix for Tebow." USA Today 15 Jan. 2009: 03C. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 10 Jan. 2011.

Jonsson, Patrik. "Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad: an astonishingly bold stand; The Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback says he stands up for what he believes. Even so, the Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad against abortion threatens to politicize 'Super Sunday' and turn some fans and NFL coaches against him." Christian Science Monitor 27 Jan. 2010. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 10 Jan. 2011.

Gardiner, Andy. "Florida's Tebow on a special kind of mission." USA Today 24 July 2008: 06C. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 10 Jan. 2011.

Tim Tebow on a mission in the Phillipines (Google Images)

Tim Tebow is a famous quarterback, but instead of spending his off season partying, he spent his time in multiple foreign countries on missions to help the less fortunate. “He spent his summers on missions for his father’s ministry that took him to the Philippines, Croatia, and Thailand” (Gardiner). He spends his free time with his family and trying to make a difference around the world. Some celebrities spend their life becoming famous then destroy their reputation by doing something stupid. Michael Vick, a famous NFL quarterback, destroyed his reputation by fighting dogs then spent time in prison. Miley Cyrus, a famous singer songwriter and actress destroyed her reputation by smoking marijuana. Tiger Woods, the number one golfer in the world who made more money on advertisements than by playing golf, cheated on his wife with a lot of women. As a result, Tiger lost most of his sponsors. Tim Tebow is not like these celebrities because he uses his fame in a positive way by helping others. His happiness comes from seeing the smiles on the faces of the people he helped. “When his football career is over he would like to follow his father in the ministry and work with children” (Whiteside). His father said, “I asked God for a preacher and God gave me a quarterback” (Jonsson). His father runs a mission and an orphanage in the Philippines. Tim Tebow excels in every aspect of life. He’s great on the football field, the classroom, and in his work helping other people. “Even more than playing football to the next level,” he says, “My ultimate goal is to make a difference and to do something that matters. Football is just an opportunity for me to do that on a bigger platform, for me to make it bigger” (Brennan). Tim Tebow is saying that being famous is a way to raise money to help those who have lost their way or are less fortunate. A hero is defined by how you characterize them. I see Tim Tebow as a charitable man who cares more about helping others, than partying with other celebrities who are mainly concerned with their own popularity. The work that he does across the world is so amazing you won’t believe it is real. None of his teammates or coaches was convinced that he was real. "I'm a people pleaser," Tebow says by way of explanation. "I want to please people, and I want to do the right thing and everything, but sometimes people are not going to see it for that, they're going to see it as, 'Oh, you're faking, you're just trying to make people like you,' and whatnot. So that sometimes can be hurtful. But at the same time, my parents have really helped me with that. They'll say if you know that's the right thing to do and you're happy with it, then you shouldn't let those people say that. No matter what you do, there's going to be people who are going to try to bring you down, so that's human nature and that's what people try to do" (Brennan). Tebow does what he does for a reason and that is to help others. He did his mission work in 10th grade before he was famous. Why would he do it now? He does it because he wants to help. Meyer at first was skeptical. When he initially met Tebow he wondered, "It can't be that good. Where's the chink in the armor? Your dad's a missionary and your mom's a teacher of five children at home. (All the Tebows were home-schooled.) C'mon, say a bad word or something. But they are very real people. It's legit. It really is.” (Whiteside). All of the work he does is amazing. As a teenager he did things that no kid, teen, or adult, would ever think of doing in their lives.

Tim Tebow losing at the Ole Miss game (Google Images)

A hero must have the characteristic of leadership. This is the most important characteristic for defining a hero’s credibility. A hero must be a leader, not a follower. Heroes need to take charge and fix problems. Tim Tebow gained this quality from being a quarterback. When his team, the Gators, lost to Ole Miss, a game they should have won, it put them one loss away from being out of the championship game. His team needed to go undefeated the rest of the season. “You will never see any player in the entire country who will play harder than I will the rest of the season. And you will not see someone push the rest of the team as hard as I will push everybody for the rest of the season, and you will never see a team play harder than we will the rest of the season”(Weir). Tebow gave this speech after the Ole Miss loss, when they were so close to losing their chance of being in the BCS national championship. The rest of the season they went undefeated and also won the National championship game. He kept his word and led his team to a national championship. Tim Tebow showed his excellent leadership skills by this speech and his actions afterwards. A quarterback takes the glory for the wins and takes the blame for the losses, even if he isn’t the reason they won or lost. “The former San Diego Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf has been indicted by a Randall county, Tex., grand jury on drug and burglary charges”(New York Times).” “He’s the future,” Alex Spanos said of Leaf at the time “but Leaf turned out to be a disaster on and off the field and probably the definitive example in many years of a horrific draft bust.” “A.J. Smith, who was working for the Buffalo Bills when Leaf was selected is intent on avoiding the mistake the Chargers made-- placing too much emphasis on talent not enough on character”(USA Today). Ryan Leaf was greatly skilled and qualified to compete in the NFL, but he didn’t have the leadership skill required to be a quarterback. He wasn’t a leader, and he ruined his career by his choice of drugs and stealing. He was picked before Peyton Manning in the draft, but he didn’t have the leadership skills. Now Ryan Leaf is in jail! Leadership is a necessary quality for a quarterback. Tim Tebow has this skill which is a reason he is successful.

Many Christians say they are very religious just because they go to church and sit there for an hour once a week. Tim Tebow took what he learned in church as a kid and took it to the next level. Since Tebow arrived in Gainesville, he has received about 200 speaking requests across the country, from prisons to Boy Scouts. At two prisons where he spoke this offseason, Tebow says 195 inmates came forward and decided they wanted to change their lives and "receive Jesus Christ" (Whiteside). He as a good Christian spoke about the word of God to prisoners who lost their way, and gave them a new look on life. “To find the source of Tim Tebow's inspiration, it takes three days, four planes and two hours of driving on roads so bumpy they rattle the spine. The journey leads to Uncle Dick's Home, an orphanage in the Philippines so remote it has no mailing address. More than 9,000 miles and a world away from Florida's campus, Uncle Dick's, a home for 48 orphans, is the best place to gauge Tebow's reach as a college star and what it is he wants to accomplish with the platform his athletic success has afforded him. Tebow has inspired the orphans personally -- they easily break into Florida's signature cheer, the Gator Chomp, despite not understanding football. One young boy is called Richard, after Tebow's middle name. Tebow has also helped them financially. Some of the more than $300,000 Tebow has helped raise while at Florida has enabled the children to get their own beds, drink clean water and stock their shelves with groceries” (Thamel). Tim Tebow wants to help people who are less fortunate make it to the next day. He devotes his time and money to helping those who aren’t as lucky. "It gives me a sense of purpose of how to handle things knowing that football is not the most important thing," he said. "People always ask me how do you handle the pressure, and how do you handle this or that? Being places where I've been with people who are there trying to fight for their next meal, I think that's pressure, not trying to win a football game" (Brennan). He understands that being famous is not the greatest thing in the world.