Cleverly dubbed “Flori-Bama-geddon” by Dr. Saturday, the “game of the century of the year” is finally upon us. What can we add to the cacophony of the well-coifed heads at E-SPIN and the other media outlets that hasn’t been said already? Not much.
The teams look roughly equal on paper and no one has much sense about what is going to happen in the ATL today. The Gator plaudits, naturally, think Tebow is the difference between 2 teams that are otherwise symmetrical reciprocals of one another. Maybe they’re right. The ‘Bama loyalists, conversely, feel that Ingram and their defense, which is admittedly a frightening sight, will put them over the top. And, for the most part, the E-SPIN heads have quit “Tiger Woods-ing” their hot interns just long enough to voice a consensus pick for Alabama.
Since we at SNL are a small operation, incapable of matching blows with the marginally talented but highly overpaid heads yapping on cable, we’ll use this space to talk about something novel, perhaps even revolutionary: Tim Tebow’s legacy and more specifically, how Tiger Woods has helped define it.
What? How? Sit back flock, and have a listen.
Tebow’s star has shone brightly since the day he signed with Florida and has brightened since, prompting Dr. Satuday to dub him “The Tebow Child” and countless others to promulgate some variation of the Tebow-is-Jesus-meme’. The natural by-product of the “Tebow phenomenon,” of course, has been a smaller, but equally vociferous cadre’ of Tebow haters.
This is easy enough to understand because it is the way of things. For example, we at SNL have little more than a cursory interest in baseball, but will stop on occasion to root against the Yankees. The difference, however, between the casual dislike of teams or individuals that are showered with adulation and the seemingly ubiquitous love for Florida’s quixotic QB is that Tebow has earned the right to be admired by us, the fans.
How he has done this is perhaps best explained by the litany of athletes and other public figures who have parlayed their fame and fortune into a self-indulgent buffet wherein they are free to worry only about themselves, names such as Pitino, Burress, Irvin, Jordan, Barkley, Lewis, Ewing, Thomas, McNair, Huggins, everyone talking head at E-Spin, not to mention Letterman, countless politicians, CEO’s, and bankers.
Put another way, at every turn we are let down by people we admire, trust, and look up to; gambling, boozing, drugs, theft, adultery and the list goes on. In general, the moral malaise of the privileged is a simple equation: “I take what I want, without concern for others.” The latest embodiment of this ubiquitous covenant of the famous is Tiger Woods, whose fall from grace has taken the world by surprise, but only because Tiger has been such an enigmatic figure outside of the golf world. In the end, Tiger is just another person who has exploited his exalted status for personal gain without concern for those that would be damaged.
This is the point where the cynics patronizingly tell us that “athletes are not role models” etc… While this may be true, it doesn’t mean that athletes can’t be role models, and it damn sure doesn’t mean that we don’t wish they were. And every so often, they are.
What separates Tebow from his peers and makes him such a transcendent figure is that we can count on him. No, not to win every game or make every pass, but to make decisions according to a core set of values, values that we all aspire to, but don’t always live up to. For those with young children, this is doubly true. Sure it’s corny, cliche’ and wistful to hope want our heroes to be just that, but it’s who we are. And, Tebow could, like Tiger, parlay his fame into a revolving door of beautiful co-eds, actresses, and other celebrities. He could parlay his fame into a narcissistic world of self-gratification. But he won’t.
So today, whether you be a fan of the Tide, the Gators or neither, you should also be a fan of Tebow, he won’t let you down. He never does.
-So Sayeth the Shepherd
Phew…we at SNL have been running amok about the state of Florida this week. Why you ask? To bring you the very best in breaking CFB news and information? Which you, loyal members of the flock can then parlay into a nifty nest egg to be frivolously spent on booze, rims, and Affliction gear that matches your barbwire tattoo? Not even close.