DENVER — It’s strewn all over the sports landscape. Some relish it, some tune it out and some are offended by it.
Athletes asserting their religious beliefs in public have become as commonplace as touchdown celebrations, home-run trots and jump shots.
The religion of Tim Tebow has made the Broncos quarterback one of the most polarizing athletes we have ever seen — worshipped in some circles and scorned in others with few landing in between.
Gary Schneeberger, the vice president of communication for Focus on Family in Colorado Springs, a religious group for which Tebow participated in a pro-life Super Bowl commercial two years ago, yesterday called this time with Tebow such a visible religious force “an exciting time for Christians.’’
“Not because of the results on the football field,’’ he said, “but because of the seeds Tim is planting and the results that will come from that 20 years after he completes his last pass.’’
Responding to those who recoil at Tebow’s public displays of religion, Schneeberger said, “Tim Tebow is a Christian whose job happens to be playing football. What he does when he prays on field in midst of the game is no different than what millions of Christians do across the globe.
“I just did it before I called you. I was facing an important situation — doing an interview with the New York Post — and I bowed my head and said a little prayer before I called you. Tim’s workplace just happens to be a football field with 327 cameras in his face when he does it.’’
For the Tebow detractors, consider the following quote and guess who authored it:
“When we place our dependence in God, we are unencumbered, and we have no worry. . . .This confidence, this sureness of action, is both contagious and an aid to the perfect action. The rest is in the hands of God — and this is the same God, gentlemen, who has won all of His battles up to now.”
Those words came from Vince Lombardi in a speech he gave in 1964 to the First Friday Club in Los Angeles. They’re cited in a book titled “What It Takes To Be # 1” by Lombardi’s son, Vince Jr.
Would Lombardi be persecuted today for speaking in such religious tones?
Because Tebow wears his Christianity on his sleeve like a sponsorship logo, religious organizations have come out of the woodwork to use him as a vehicle to spread their word.
As an example, hours before Sunday’s game at Mile High, a group of hundreds from a religious sect called the Church of God — wearing black robes with purple scarves and carrying a sign that read, “He has come already’’ — marched around the perimeter of the stadium chanting for Tebow.
Minutes after the game, still breathless from leading the Broncos to their stunning wild-card win over the Steelers, Tebow opened his post-game press conference by saying, “First and foremost I just want to thank my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ; He’s done so much in my life.’’
An hour after the game, Tebow celebrated with his family and friends outside the Broncos’ locker room. Among that group was a teenage girl named Bailey Knaub, who was a special guest of Tebow’s as part of his foundation. She’s had 73 surgeries for a rare condition called Wegener’s Granulomatosis that grows tumors in vital organs.
“I’ve followed Tim since he was in college,’’ Bailey said last night. “He’s always been so inspiring and we connected right away. He was everything I could have hoped for and more. It was an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience.’’
Tebow sincerely sounded as excited to be her host as he was euphoric about the improbable upset he had just engineered out on the field.
“I’m just very thankful for the platform that God has given me . . . because I have the opportunity to affect people,’’ Tebow said. “Football is amazing, but the real win is being able to comfort a girl who’s gone through 73 surgeries and get a chance to hang out with her. That’s the biggest win of the day. That’s what I’m even more proud of.’’
Cynics might scoff at such a notion, Tebow feeling more gratified about being host to that young girl in need than authoring one of the most memorable victories in Broncos history.
That’s what makes him such a complicated and confounding figure — one we cannot take our eyes off of.