Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Assignment 1


I’m In Love With Tim Tebow
Written by Katie Hogue, US Magazine Journalist

   Atheletic.  Passionate. Christian.  Kind-hearted.  All these words describe my ideal man.  I had almost decided that such a remarkable man did not exist until one day when I was a junior in high school I found my perfect match.  My newfound love was a college quarterback who is passionate about living out his faith whether on the football field or halfway around the world serving at his dad’s orphanage in the Philippines.  He has done all this while keeping respectable grades, becoming the first sophomore to receive the highly coveted Heisman Trophy, leading the University of Florida football team to two national titles, and being drafted into the NFL by the Denver Broncos during the first round of picks.  He seemed almost too good to be true.  Yet, this is exactly who Tim Tebow is.  As a born-and-raised Tennessean, falling for a Florida Gator was traitorous.  Then again, for a seventeen year old such forbidden love only intensified the thrill
       At 6’3 and 236 pounds with beautiful brown hair and striking blue-grey eyes Tim Tebow is everything any girl could want in a man and more.  I make it known to anyone who will listen that he and I are clearly destined for one another.  My relatives found out about my crush my senior year of high school and give their whole-hearted approval.  After all, how could I possibly do better than Tim Tebow?
      My freshman year of college, my dad bought tickets for he, my brother, and I to go to the Denver Broncos verses the Tennessee Titans game in Nashville, Tennessee.  I was thrilled beyond belief.  Since it was his rookie year in the NFL, Tim was still benched as second string quarterback to Kyle Orton.  I watched Timmy run up and down the sidelines, cheering for his teammates, deliberating with the coaches, and keeping his body warmed up in case they decided to play him.  Dad and I even walked down to the front row of the stadium to snap a quick picture and I swear I couldn’t have been but ten feet away from my true love.  Unfortunately, that is as close as I’ve ever gotten to him, but I am certain that my day will come.
       My family members aren’t the only ones on board with my Tebow infatuation.  The mission director at my church found out about my love for Timmy.  He is trying to get Tim to come in for a conference, but apparently my football player’s schedule is pretty packed.  This past summer, Danny even suggested that I “accidentally” fall off a ladder I was using to paint the side of a house as part of a mission project.  Clearly if I were in the hospital, injured while serving others, my knight in shining armor would come rushing to my bedside. 
       Of course, I have had to deal with my fair share of skeptics.  There will always be those who have to remind me that he might not be as wonderful as he appears.  Even if he is, our personalities might not connect.  Athletes are nothing but trouble—have you SEEN the latest on (insert athlete scandal here)!  The reasons go on.  Personally, I think these are mostly just people who are jealous of our clear connection.  There are also those who think I’m just plain crazy.  They think my celebrity crush is completely ridiculous.  How many girls though, have guys like John Mayer, Taylor Lautner, and David Beckham covering their computer screens, bedroom walls, and cell phone screens.  My crush is clearly much deeper than these shallow infatuations.  Tim Tebow is more than just a pretty face who can sing or act.  I’m convinced that if he and I ever met, we would fall instantly, deeply, madly in love with each other.  The Denver Broncos will inevitably win Super Bowl XVIII, and when they ask Tim Tebow what he’s going to do now that he’s won the Super Bowl, instead of selling out to Disney World he will get down on one knee and propose to me.  We will then spend the rest of our lives together, saving the world, becoming the inspiration for the greatest rom-com movie of all time. 
        Okay, so maybe it is all just a LITTLE far-fetched.  Chances are, even if I ever meet Tim Tebow, we will not get married.  In fact, we probably won’t ever even have a real conversation. I cant help but think though, that in a world though where girls are constantly being told they aren’t sexy enough to attract a man, that they need to lower their standards and lose a few pounds, is it such a terrible thing to be reminded that guys like Tim Tebow can and do still exist?  Even celebrities are starting to notice that there is something different about this Superman of a quarterback.  Pop singer Katy Perry, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, and former playboy bunny Jenny McCarthy have all recently revealed that they have crushes on Tebow.  Anyone who knows anything about his standards knows that the chances of his actually dating any of these girls is about the same as Prada putting out a line at Wal-Mart.  The fact remains, though, that Tim Tebow is clearly a different sort of celebrity than we are used to.
       Tebow realizes that he is a prominent public figure, whether he asked for it or not.  He recognizes that he is a role model for millions around the globe.  He uses his whole life as an inspiration.  When his mom was pregnant with him, she was advised to abort her baby in order to save her own life.  As adamantly pro-life Christians, Tim’s parents refused to end the pregnancy.  In what could only be described by doctors as a miracle, Tim was born a healthy baby and his mom survived as well.  His entire life, Tebow is constantly told that he is not “quarterback material”.  His body type, athleticism, and style do not match up with the conventional quarterback model.  Many skeptics thought he would not be drafted into the NFL, but first round the Denver Broncos decided to take a chance.  He ended up being their starting quarterback halfway through his second NFL season.  This year he led his team to many last minute fourth-quarter victories that make spectators feel more like they are watching the newest Disney movie than a football game.  Tebow has been defying odds his entire life, and always gives God the glory.  The name Timothy means “honoring God” and this is something he takes very seriously.  The world needs more people like Tim Tebow.  There is something seriously wrong with a society where scandals such as Tiger Woods,  Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Charlie Sheen are more the rule than the exception. 
        In his memoir, “Through My Eyes” Tim explains that he doesn’t have a girlfriend because incredible women in his life—his mom and sisters—set a bar that is hard to measure up with.  Realistically, I probably won’t marry Tim Tebow.  The effect though that he has had upon me and so many others is radical and inspiring.  Tim’s life inspires us to raise standards both for others and for ourselves.  Tebow refuses to be held back by society’s status quo and is constantly pushing boundaries.  He openly lives out what he believes with no apologies.  He’s only 24 years old but he’s had more impact on the world than most people do in a lifetime, and I can’t wait to see what he does next.  In the words of former football coach Tony Dungy, ““Football though, has never been the biggest part of his life.  His leadership and Christian values set an example not just for his teammates, but for all young people.  Tim has already demonstrated that he is a young man of uncommon ability, determination, and, most of all, character.”  I can only hope that I will one day marry a man like Tebow, but more importantly that I will be half the inspiration and witness to people in my life that he has been in mine. 

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