New York City is often cast as a modern-day Babylon, but Tim Tebow’s trade to the Jets made him another marquee Christian in the Big Apple’s sports circus until his April 2013 firing. The media buzz revealed a deep evangelical presence in the city but raised questions about sports and faith.
While Tebow’s popularity among his fellow evangelicals in particular was briefly eclipsed by “Linsanity” and the sudden emergence of Lin as a star and a devout Christian, “Timsanity” is now ruling the sports pages.
But there have also been scandals and ethical issues related to big-time sports.
The New Orleans Saints, for example, have been heavily penalized for a “bounty” program that targeted opposing players to put them out of the game. There was also the child sex abuse case in the Penn State football program, and recruiting violations in college programs and multimillion-dollar contracts for coaches that call into question the disparity between those who profit from the game and those who play it.
In football and other contact sports, concerns over player safety — from teens to pros — have emerged as links between hard hits and brain and other injuries are being documented.
Developments
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“Tim Tebow fired from Jets: The New York Jets have released QB Tim Tebow”
Read an April 29, 2013, article from the Associated Press about Tim Tebow’s firing from the New York Jets.
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“The Last Evangelical Celebrity? Tim Tebow’s Firing May Signal A Recession Among The Faithful”
Read a May 7, 2013, article from Salon.com about what Tim Tebow’s firing means for the Christian celebrity movement.
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“Tim Tebow is by far the best-known religious athlete in the U.S.; awareness is high even among people who aren’t religious and don’t follow sports”
A March 2012 survey by Grey Matter Research showed that Tebow is by far the best-known religious athlete in the U.S., among believers as well as those who aren’t religious and don’t follow sports.
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“Where Will Tim Tebow Go to Church?”
An article at Slate explores the huge number of evangelical churches in New York and where Tebow might worship.
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“NYC churches praise Tebow’s arrival”
A March 24, 2012, Fox News story recounts how New York churches are already angling to get Tebow to come preach from their pulpit.
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“Faith Often Has a New York Accent”
The New York Times compiled a list of big-name athletes who have played in New York City and are also well-known believers in this March 21, 2012, article.
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“Denver Christians mourn Tebow’s departure, say they’ll root from afar”
Christians in Denver, where Tebow played last season, mourned his departure but said they will root for him from afar. Read about it in this March 21, 2012, article from CNN.
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“Tebow, Manning and Pat Robertson”
The Rev. Pat Robertson said on The 700 Club show that because the Denver Broncos signed star QB Peyton Manning to supplant Tebow, it would “serve them right” if Manning were injured. Read about it in a March 23, 2012, article from the New York Times.
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“Mark Rypien is lead plaintiff in lawsuit against NFL over head injuries”
More than 100 former NFL players filed a mass-tort lawsuit in federal court in March claiming that the NFL was aware of the risks of repetitive traumatic brain injury but did nothing about it. Read a March 27, 2012, article from the Washington Times about the suit.
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“Don’t blame the NFL Commissioner for today’s punishment, it all belongs with the New Orleans Saints: Jeff Duncan”
In March, the NFL levied serious penalties on the New Orleans Saints for their “bounty” program targeting opposing players. Read a March 21, 2012, article from the Times-Picayune about the situation.
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“Super Bowl XLVI: Real Battles Off the Field”
Read a Feb. 2, 2012, column at Sojourners about some of the social justice issues that might get short shrift amid the “super excess” of the Super Bowl.
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“Prayer, Tebowing and the Super Bowl: The evolving relationship of sports and religion”
Read a Jan. 31, 2012, essay on sports and religion by David Briggs, posted on the Ahead of the Trend blog on the Association of Religion Data Archives website.
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“Like a Player”
Read an April 5 essay at the online Jewish magazine, The Tablet, titled “Like a Player.” The column, by Elli Fischer, explores the development of the relationship between sports and faith, with a particular emphasis on the Jewish perspective.
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“Why We Riot: How Fans Turned an Egypt Soccer Match Into a Bloodbath”
The phenomenon of deadly sports rioting is in the news again after violence broke out at a soccer match in Egypt. A Feb. 3, 2012, column at The Daily Beast explores the reasons that sports rioting occurs.
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“Cultural Conflicts, Playing Out on the Football Field”
Read a Jan. 27, 2012, “On Religion” column in The New York Times by Samuel G. Freedman about how cultural conflicts are reflected in sports.
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“Taking On Soccer Violence, One Derogatory Chant at a Time”
Read a Jan. 27, 2012, story in The New York Times about efforts to defuse the deep religious divisions in Scotland that are played out in confrontations in the stands at soccer matches.
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“Big win, big scare: 12 hurt at Oklahoma St. game”
A dozen fans were injured in an on-field scrum after a Dec. 3, 2011, game between Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma, an intense rivalry whose annual matchup is known as “Bedlam.” Read about the incident in a Dec. 4, 2011, article from the Associated Press, posted at USA Today.
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“Would Jesus love football?”
Read an essay in the Oct. 10, 2011, edition of Christian Century magazine. Author Rodney Clapp writes about his ambivalence toward the sport – his love of the game, and his dislike of the violence and the “shady” elements of collegiate sports.
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“Jim Tressel tenders resignation”
Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel resigned in May 2011 after a series of sordid revelations about the program that he led, often citing his Christian faith as inspiration. Read about Tressel’s resignation in a May 30, 2011, article from Espn.
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“My Take: Jim Tressel should make us rethink sports evangelization”
At CNN, Tom Krattenmaker, author of the book Onward Christian Athletes, wrote that Jim Tressel’s fall “should make us rethink sports evangelization.”
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“Tim Tebow’s Gospel of Optimism”
Read New York Times columnist Frank Bruni’s Dec. 10, 2011, essay about Tim Tebow.