I Hate to Admit It, but...

I uttered a comment yesterday that I'm not proud to admit, but I am a man of principle and therefore must share. It was in regards to an athlete I have spent the last 5 years damning his name. His name is Tim Tebow. I won't say the totality of my ire toward him has been completely vanquished, but a connection and appreciation for his plight has hit me in the heart like a poorly thrown jump-pass.

Tim is a young man who had the audacity to write an autobiography at the age of twenty-three. He all but admitted to Jon Stewart on The Daily Show that if he didn't write the book now, he could quite possibly miss his opportunity to cash in on his fame. I understand that. His skill set as a quarterback in the NFL does not automatically put him up on the same pedestal on which he was placed while he attended The University of Florida. His fame as a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback at the collegiate level has yet to fully flourish in the professional ranks. There is more than a good chance that he could wash out in the NFL and end up in the same sentence as a Ryan Leaf (the epitome of an overrated athlete) or a Sam Bowie (known best as the guy selected before Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA Draft). However, his college fame and possible professional downfall aside, he is known also as being a devout Christian and son of missionary parents. That is what the bulk of his new book describes in detail. His interview on The Daily Show was unlike many others I have seen. Jon Stewart did not sit across the desk with doe eyes and ask him easy questions. In fact, he tried to catch Tim off guard a few times. Each time, Tim was quick-witted himself and retorted confidently but without arrogance or stutter. Tim held his own across from an interviewer who has made numerous politicians and self-proclaimed historians look foolish. I found myself laughing out loud (but not LOL-ing) at some of the comments made in the interview, and more than once it was in reaction to something that Tim himself said. Keep in mind, I am a fan of Tim's Alma Mater's #1 rival Florida State University. My admitting that I enjoyed this interview is akin to a Boston Red Sox fan saying, “That Alex Rodriguez fella is a class act” or to take it to the Nth degree, a Palestinian National saying, “Well, I guess the 1967 borders would be a good compromise.” Either way, I have to admit it, Tim Tebow seemed like a nice enough guy in that interview. He stayed with Jon Stewart in both pace and wit, and he never came off as the Bible-thumping prick I called him so many times before (including my comments on The Daily Show's Facebook wall when the interview was announced).

I hate to admit it, but I gained a little respect for Tim yesterday. Don't worry, I still have plenty of room for that respect next to the undying hatred for most other things that hail from Gainesville. Oh yes, I also have the ever sustaining entertainment of a gaff-riddled Sarah Palin to keep me warm at night.