This Post Is Not About Tebow
Tim Tebow has been the biggest source of conversations this NFL season. Everybody has an opinion, and he has generated a lot of controversy. Part of that is due to the fact that he is a bit more open and serious about his faith than our secular society is comfortable with, but that might not be the main reason. What Tebow is exposing and revealing about our culture today is that we have become whole-heartedly committed to the Cult of Self.
The knock on Tebow going into the league is that he was not a good quarterback. The only problem with that assessment is that, since he has taken on the starting quarterback role for his team, they went from a one win and four loss record to winning every game but one. How is it possible for a “bad” player to lead a team to so many wins?
That is where the emphasis on individualism in our culture is exposed. Quarterbacks today are not measured by whether they win or lose games with their team, but on statistical measurements independent of what the team does. This is a faulty way of measuring success in a team sport. Maybe someday the football season will be determined not on wins and losses but on statistical performances of individuals in some “fantasy football” format, but until then, the teams that win the most in the season, and then win out in a playoff system, will be crowned champions.
Tebow is successful because he (a) knows it is not ultimately about him, (b) recognizes he is a part of a team and leads it to bring the best in his teammates, and (c) knows that the ultimate goal is having more points at the end of the game than his opponent. He wins.
The knock on Tebow going into the league is that he was not a good quarterback. The only problem with that assessment is that, since he has taken on the starting quarterback role for his team, they went from a one win and four loss record to winning every game but one. How is it possible for a “bad” player to lead a team to so many wins?
That is where the emphasis on individualism in our culture is exposed. Quarterbacks today are not measured by whether they win or lose games with their team, but on statistical measurements independent of what the team does. This is a faulty way of measuring success in a team sport. Maybe someday the football season will be determined not on wins and losses but on statistical performances of individuals in some “fantasy football” format, but until then, the teams that win the most in the season, and then win out in a playoff system, will be crowned champions.
Tebow is successful because he (a) knows it is not ultimately about him, (b) recognizes he is a part of a team and leads it to bring the best in his teammates, and (c) knows that the ultimate goal is having more points at the end of the game than his opponent. He wins.
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