Commentary
Your Cheek Decals Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore...
- by George Simpson , Featured Contributor, January 16, 2009
Florida Coach Urban Meyer told the New York Times that Tim Tebow will return for his senior year taking advantage of his notoriety to evangelize for Jesus. In a report, Meyer said the two discussed how the verse that Tebow wrote on his eye black (John 3:16) for the Bowl Championship Series title game last week became the most searched item on Google. Said Meyer: "His whole purpose of playing football and being Tebow is to use it as a platform to spread his faith."
Time for the NCAA to throw a flag on face (or any other body part) advocacy advertising. There are strict guidelines to guard against the over-commercialization of college football (with the exception of the Bowl series, which is one long 34-game commercial for Bowl sponsors), but I guess it is OK to use your face to promote Christianity, since about 80% of Americans claim to be one, while a mere 1.4% are Jews and just over a half percent claim to be Muslims.
Interestingly, the PC-conscious NCAA rode to the rescue of a group representing only 1% of the U.S. population when, in 2005, the NCAA executive committee declared that nicknames or mascots deemed "hostile or abusive" (read: anything related to American Indians) would not be allowed on team uniforms or other clothing in any NCAA tournament. But I guess they don't have the political chutzpah to take on Jesus.
One wonders what would happen if a Muslim wide receiver (you know there has to be one out there somewhere), on scoring a touchdown, dropped on his knees, forehead and arms, outstretched towards Mecca and praised Allah for his good fortune. He'd be buried in "excessive celebration" penalty flags. But under the current standards, it would be OK for him to slap Qur'an 56:12-40 on his face, pointing to where Allah condemns non-Muslims to Hell based on their unbelief, while believers are rewarded with the finest earthly comforts in the hereafter, including never-ending food, wine and sex.
The whole idea that God intervenes in football games to produce touchdowns seems pretty bizarre to begin with. Where was God when 53 kids died just playing football over the last 10 years? You don't see blitzing linebackers lay a crippling hit on ball carriers in the name of Jesus. Yeah, they all kneel and hold hands and look somber while the rescue squad carts off a guy who may never walk again, but there was no "love thy neighbor" in the hit that brought the kid to the turf 10 seconds beforehand.
If the NCAA allows Tim to promote Jesus, what is to stop the occasional Satanist (you know if you watched Oklahoma State there has to be one out there somewhere) from putting verses on his cheeks that highlight some of the more controversial aspects of the Christian bible, such as a blanket condemnation of all homosexual behavior (I Corinthians 6:9); selling your own daughter as a sex slave (Exodus 21:1-11); child abuse (Judges 11:29-40 or Isaiah 13:16); and bashing babies against rocks (Hosea 13:16 and Psalms 137:9).
Or maybe two Fundamentalist players on the same team (yeah, there have to be two of them out there somewhere) could battle with highlighted biblical passages that directly contradict each other:
God is warlike: (Exodus 15:3) or (Isaiah 51:15); no, God is peaceful (Romans 15:33) or (1 Corinthians 14:33).
God accepts human sacrifices (2 Samuel 21:8,9,14) or (Genesis 22:2) or (Judges 11:30-32,34,38,39); nope, God forbids human sacrifice (Deuteronomy 12:30,31)
Killing is commanded (Exodus Ex 32:27); check that, killing is forbidden (Exodus 20:13).
Just as the NCAA would have a shit-fit if a player pointed TV viewers to an offending passage in "Mein Kampf"or"Contemporary Voices of White Nationalism in America"or wore a decal for Hooters or Budweiser on his cheeks, they need to rule that college faces that appear on TV representing collegiate athletics are not places for any kind of message -- no matter how well-intended.
Wow, a comparison between God and Hitler. Must be a slow news day.
Faith and football have long been intertwined. It's doubtful that the NCAA could untwist them. Besides, it would be messy. Providence College would no longer be the Friars, Wake Forest the Demon Deacons (a double violation!), Yeshiva University the Macabees and so on. So let Tebow be Tebow and let's focus on more important things, such as what is a Hoya.
You just brilliantly articulated what I had been thinking ever since I saw the game. I mean really Tebow needs to check his god-given ego and stop trying to push his beliefs down the throats of the football watching public. I don't care what he believes, just keep it to yourself and play the game.
As a jewish Gator, I could careless what Tebow puts on his face so long as he keeps winning Championships. Go Gators!
A Jew complaining about something? Well I never.
So lets think about what happened. Tim has John 3:16 under his eyes during a National Championship that makes many curious as to what it means. These curiosity seekers access the web to find out. Low and behold, they find out that Tim is trying to communicate a message from God, in which he personally believes in and wanted to share with others. He did not tell anyone to go on line, grab a bible, go to church, join a religion, don't remember hearing anything like that at all. A simple statement like John 3:16 who would have thought a simple message could carry such weight and make such an impact like this, unless of course their is a real truth to it that makes some feel very uncomfortable, which apparently it has. God Bless Tim Tebow.
People can write on their bodies what they like in America. But call me old school-- under his left eye, he should write: Chevy; under his right eye: Impala...take the millions and...fiill in the blank
Ah, and the game ends when we die anyway. Dust to dust.
" But under the current standards, it would be OK for him to slap Qur'an 56:12-40 on his face, pointing to where Allah condemns non-Muslims to Hell based on their unbelief, while believers are rewarded with the finest earthly comforts in the hereafter, including never-ending food, wine and sex."
I don't know about that. It depends on whether or not he scored first.
Just adding a couple of personal perspectives. First, try thinking of Tebow’s eye black as the visual equivalent of a post-game interview, when a player uses his sound bite as an opportunity to thank the One who saved him. Same premise, different technique. Second, it’s not uncommon for college and pro players to honor a fallen teammate by wearing a black armband or helmet sticker emblazed with a symbol (usually a uniform number) of that player. Same thing’s going on here; the only difference is that this particular Teammate fell about 2,000 years ago. Finally, at a time when it’s all-so-tempting and all-to-easy to make gods out of college football’s most elite players (and I admit I’ve fallen into this trap myself), let’s take this opportunity to celebrate -- rather than condemn -- a kid who recognizes that he’s not the center of the universe . . . and that there’s waaay more important things swirling around him than an opposing defensive lineman. Thanks for starting the conversation, George, and for the opporunity to share a few perspectives.