Tim Tebow works hard at maintaining his image.
He wants to be the guy he has always been, whether he’s talking about his role on the New York Jets or speaking to a crowd of 15,000 — as he did on Easter Sunday at a church in Georgetown, Texas.
He has a warm, infectious smile, looks you in the eye when he speaks and has morals that would make any parent proud. There’s also his extensive charitable efforts with the Tim Tebow Foundation, which helps needy children all over the world.
“Being able to score touchdowns and win games is a way to get that platform,” Tebow said. “But ultimately, if that’s what you do in your life and that’s what your life is based on, I don’t know, I feel like that’s a little bit of a meaningless life.
“But if you can take that and do something with it like a lot of athletes do, then you’re having a life of success, a life of meaning. It’s not about the games that you can win. It’s about the lives you can touch.”
Tebow figures to get his first snaps of the 2012-2013 season on Sunday, 9 September, in the Jets opener against the Buffalo Bills. While Mark Sanchez is the incumbent starter, the Florida native could well take the reigns early on.
He has a rock-star type of following. Even people who don’t follow sports know all about “Tebowing,” the pose the quarterback made popular by praying on one knee on the sideline during big moments in games. The fact that many do it for laughs doesn’t offend Tebow. At least, he says, prayer is being talked about.
“Maybe beyond anything else in my life, I want to be a great role model. I don’t want someone to say they regret what they did because they followed me. If anything, I want them to say that I was someone who led them in the right direction, was a good role model and because they knew me or watched me, their life was better. That’s my goal.”
That approach is a big reason so many people love Tebow. It’s also why there are plenty who dislike him. There are sceptics who say he’s too good to be true and his image merely a well-designed public relations touchdown.
“You just want them to meet those kids we help, you know? And you want to see how it makes them feel. Honestly, I can’t let people like that affect me or worry about them. Those are few and far between, and honestly, they should be more worried about something else other than why they’re mad at me for trying to help someone.”
There are constant questions and rumours about his sex life and who he’s dating and people trying to play matchmaker. Going out in public is also a challenge, where having a quiet meal is preceded by scouting missions to find a restaurant with seating that’s more private than most.
He doesn’t complain about it. He accepts who he is and what everyone expects him to be.
“It definitely can be tough, but at the same time, I don’t want to let the media or the world affect how I live. I really feel like it hasn’t to this point, and I don’t want to let it start.”
There are some who have their doubts about whether Tebow can maintain his lifestyle while playing in New York, a tantalizing city with bright lights and huge distractions. He laughs at that suggestion because temptations are everywhere, he says and his faith is strong enough to withstand every test that comes his way.
“When I became a Jet I looked at it like, besides the fact I’m going to a great team with coaches that I like and players that I respect, I’m going to a city where I’m going to have a platform to hopefully do a lot of great things and maybe change a lot of people’s lives and put smiles on kids’ faces and brighten some days.
“When it comes down to it, that’s what it’s all about.”
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