Tebow, not as satanic as thought

Much to my chagrin, it appears that Tim Tebow is not only an amazing athlete and record-breaking college QB (see: Heisman as a soph and about 1000 combined TDs last year), but he's also a good dude. Man, just typing that sentence hurt my fingertips... not to mention my pride. But I try to call it like a see it, and Timmy Touchdown appears to be one of those guys that's as good as advertised.

This spring, Tim accompanied his father on mission trips to the Phillipines, where he helped administer vital aid to the malnourished and impoverished children of the area. Not only that, but he (along with his brothers) also helped his father at the orphanage the Tebow family operates in Southeast Asia. Tim has said that trips like this help keep him grounded, and that it reminds him just how lucky he-- and moreover all of us-- truly are. Good lessons to learn, but not many in his position-- sporting "gods" who have the world by the balls-- seem to learn them, and certainly not at his young age.

Compare "Dr. Tebow" to some of his contemporaries in the sports world, and it pretty quickly starts to make you queasy. On one end of the spectrum, you have the superstars who want nothing more but to be a normal college student every once in a while. Take this pic of UNC hoops all-everything Tyler "Psycho T" Hansborough taking part in some fraternal shenanigans as proof positive that the allure of normalcy can be intoxicating. And anyone who's ever been to the bars along High Street in Columbus after a Buckeyes home win can tell you that this college-age euphoria isn't limited to Tobacco Road. Kids will be kids, and to a certain extent, I'm more than fine with that. I played small school college sports, and I lived for Saturday nights after home games... to either celebrate a hard-fought "W" or drown a devastating "L."

On the opposite end of thi spectrum you have the likes of OSU's inprisoned former RB Maurice Clarrett, LSU's idiotic former QB Ryan Perrilloux, and former USC star and current Arizona Cardinals QB Matt Leinart. Guys like this never seem to realize their lucky lot in life, don't care enough to alter their crash courses with infamy, or simply prefer to rock the casbah and take advantage of every privilege afforded them. Interesting character studies each, but that's not where I'm heading with this. That's another post at another time.

Bottom line, college football needs more people like Tim Tebow. Plain and simple. I only hope that the Terrell Pryor's of the world can grow into not only formidable players but also (and most importantly) admirable men.