The Tebow Effect

((Background: I have always loved sports, and I was raised to be a Steelers fan.
I loved playing (one thing I miss the most about my life pre-RA), and now I love watching. I really believe the cliche that 'athletics reveal character.' ))

Of course, I'd heard his name all season. But I was keeping up with Pittsburgh (my team) and Baltimore (my son's team) and had not even watched a Denver game all season. I knew people loved Tebow (I have a facebook and a twitter account...).

My daughter's friend was talking about him, and the passion was what intrigued me:  He HATES Tebow. He was vehement: Tebow was grandstanding, arrogant...so I was thinking it was something like Kurt Warner or Tony Dungy and how they give glory to God after games.

A friend of my son's said the funniest thing -- that Tebow is going to turn out to have severed heads in his freezer or bodies buried under his house. Again, I still had not seen him play or speak or read any articles.

A different friend of my son's was fervent: "He's a winner. He wins." was the phrase I remember. I don't think of this particular young man as eloquent, and I was struck that he sounded poetic when he talked about Tebow.

Another friend of my son's, who is eloquent and who I think should be a sportswriter said, "I would like to have Tim Tebow's babies." (He's male, it was funny.)

SO -- I made it a point to watch the Chicago-Denver game. I made a facebook status and got interesting comments.

In the first half, I could see why people like him. He runs a lot, and he's brave - he puts his shoulder down and doesn't slide to the ground like most QBs.  He throws, too (I had heard he never passes) But his passes are wobbly, no spiral.

Then the fourth quarter happened. Everyone in the world knows what happened -- it was nothing short of amazing.

And the parts that confused me happened aftward -

He rightly gave credit to the kicker (whose name I know now - Prater -he had  59 (!!!!) and 51 yard field goals- he was a hero))) and his o-line and his defense.  When he says the 'believe' stuff, he's talking about his teammates belief in each other.

I only saw him "Tebow" once. ((My favorite player crosses himself in the Orthodox manner after EVERY SINGLE PLAY, so I don't understand the big deal about this QB kneeling a few times a game.  Christians/people of all faiths  pray when they're struggling/playing sports, big deal.))

So -- why do his haters think he's arrogant?

There are a million articles out there on this phenomenon. They are so interesting...I think the secular sports writers are saying the best things.

Here's where I may sound crazy, but reading all of those articles is having an effect on me personally.
((I'm a person who likes the dark side. I am familiar with struggle. Cynicism is comfortable to me. The glass isn't just half-empty...it may be full of something toxic. Villains in stories are always more interesting/attractive to me.))

Reading about Tebow is making me feel like experimenting with optimism.


((Also - I am as excited about the Denver-Boston game as I am about Pittsburgh-SF. ))

JOYLIST Dec 9, 2011

1. DVR - after a hard week of work, I got to catch up on missed TV - Glee (SIGH) made me a little emotional..I love when Ryan Murphy preaches.

2. STEELERS WIN after a rollercoaster ride of a game. In case you didn't hear, Ben played with a high ankle sprain, the young cadre of receivers was stellar, the offensive line was inspired, everyone contributed something. Granted, they should've killed the Browns, but from the time Ben got hurt to him hobbling to take the field in the 2nd half, to Brown's TD...it was like watching a movie.



3.  My friends - Jane and Donna, who encouraged me to start limping/walking/jogging...

4. I HAVE NO DECORATIONS UP, NO COOKIES BAKES AND NO PRESENTS PURCHASED YET I FEEL IRRATIONALLY OPTIMISTIC THAT I WILL SOMEHOW MAGICALLY FIGURE EVERYTHING OUT

RA/Anger/Precious

I was reading another blogger's post - she was having a hard day due to the RA. Christmas is enough to put most women over the top with the insane expectations:

decorating
parties
gift buying: family, friends, teachers, coworkers, service people, random droppers-in (seriously, my sister has a closet with marked, wrapped gifts for this situation)
cooking/baking
being spiritual
serving
looking festive
being super joyful

Now add in a chronic illness that doesn't care what month it is. In fact, holiday induced stress is probably aggravating it.

((Brief lesson: RA is *not* the kind of arthritis your grandma has or the kind that you suffer in your pinkie when it rains. We'd love to have that kind. It's systemic, it's chronic, it has more to do with your immune system than your actual joints.  That's why stress affects it.))

Anyone would be a little blue.

I do terrible with holidays in general, and Christmas, being the most extravagantly-observed holiday, particularly highlights my suckiness. I care less and less, which is a good thing.



I was trying to encourage her, and I don't know if she'll approve my comment, but I included the line from Precious:

"The other day I cried. But you know what? Fuck that day. That's why God, or whoever, makes other days."

Brilliant. This should be embroidered on pillows, stenciled on walls.
My wishlist includes having coffee with Sapphire, and finding out what other wisdom she's willing to dispense.