Hannity Hearts Tebow

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

~ John 3:16

I caught some of the Sean Hannity radio show a few days ago and heard the conservative talk show host extolling the virtues of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, calling him a fine, upstanding man who conducts himself admirably as opposed to getting tattoos, cavorting at strip clubs, stabbing people and engaging in other apparently typical NFL behavior. The NFL should be placing Tebow on a pedestal, Hannity insisted, not allowing him to be ridiculed for praising God every time he crosses the goal line.

Tebow has received special attention because for years he’s chosen to wear references to passages in the Bible on his eye black (the grease football players wear under their eyes to reduce glare). In a championship game in 2009, he wore “John 3:16” on his eye black; within 24 hours, 90 million people had googled the term. (In 2010, the National Collegiate Athletic Association instituted what the media dubbed as the “Tebow Rule” banning eye black messages, although officials deny it was in response to Mr. Tebow.)

He’s also known for taking a knee and placing fist to forehead after scoring touchdowns in gratitude to the Creator – an act that’s added “Tebowing” to the national vocabulary and has caused copycats of all ages to be photographed tebowing in all sorts of settings, including underwater and at Stonehenge.

I don’t begrudge young Mr. Tebow his right to profess his faith. And since he’s 6’3” tall and weighs 236 pounds, I sure wouldn’t try to tell him what he can and can’t do. But his religious grandstanding, his in-your-face gridiron proselytizing strikes me as contrived, excessive, brash, even cloying, and something other than a genuine expression of gratitude to one’s higher power.

My dad disagrees. He told me he assumes it’s real and he respects the guy for being willing to risk ridicule to be who he is.

Tebow’s over-the-top religiosity can’t be a bid for attention since he enjoys the adulation of stadiums full of fans and millions of television viewers. I thought maybe it was an attempt to distinguish himself from the other 30+ starting quarterbacks in the NFL – including such big names as Tony Romo, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Eli Manning and the infamous Michael Vick – but his passing and rushing stats are nothing to sneeze at. (The “double threat” quarterback, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2007, has amassed a slew of awards.)

Speaking of his stats, after scaring me with his insistence that God knows how many hairs are on my head (Matthew 10:30), Hannity made a big deal about Tebow throwing for exactly 316 yards in last Sunday’s NFL AFC wildcard playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. (The Broncos won 29 to 23 in overtime.) According to TIME magazine:

“But then the facts and figures emerged, and the Internet verily exploded: Tebow threw for exactly 316 yards in the 29–23 upset win, presenting an eerie allusion to the Bible’s John 3:16 passage — whose number Tebow famously wore in the black under his eyes when he led the Florida Gators to victory in the 2009 collegiate national championship game. What’s more, that event took place exactly three years ago on the same day as his latest miracle comeback. And that wasn’t it for the coincidences: Tebow set an NFL playoff record with, you guessed it, 31.6 yards per completion and the TV rating on CBS peaked between 8:00 – 8:15 pm ET with a rating of, say it ain’t so, 31.6.”

Hannity and his guest, fellow right-wing talk show host Mark Levin, author of Ameritopia and former chief of staff to U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese (who was charged with complicity in the Wedtech scandal and resigned in disgrace), were sure this proved something. I didn’t get exactly what, but something. (Hannity calls Levin “The Great One.” ‘Nuff said.)

Incidentally, I had never listened to Hannity before. He sure gives Gingrich, Limbaugh, O’Reilly et al a run for their money in the off-puttingly bombastic department. He makes Keith Olbermann seem meek and introverted.

Hannity’s idolatry aside, there are of course more important issues on which to focus than why a millionaire quarterback feels the need to praise the Heavenly Father every time the pigskin makes it into the end zone. I just hope the fans’ hero worship of Tebow doesn’t become excessive. In Exodus 20:3, God commands us thusly: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

Sources: TIME magazine, Hannity.com, Holy Bible (New International Version).