Does God Care About Football?

I’ve been a fan of the Denver Broncos for as long as I can remember – even when they were irrelevant in the world of professional football.  And, since John Elway retired in 1999, the Broncos have not been a consistently relevant team – they’ve had ups and down, some good years and some really bad.

But the 2011-2012 season has certainly been a memorable one for the Broncos.  After starting out 1-4, the Broncos benched then-starting Quarterback Kyle Orton in favor of their #1 draft pick from a year ago – Tim Tebow.  Tebow was a stellar QB in college for the Florida Gators, setting NCAA passing and rushing records in the very tough SEC Conference, contributing to Florida winning 2 National Championships, and becoming the first Sophomore ever to be awarded the Heisman Trophy.  Despite critics saying he could never be a successful NFL QB, time and time again this year, Tebow has found a way to help his team win, and often in dramatic comeback fashion.  Last Sunday, the Broncos took all of 11 seconds in Overtime to upset the heavily favored Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wildcard round of the playoffs on an 80-yard TD strike from Tim Tebow to Demaryius Thomas.  The Broncos will advance to play the New England Patriots next week, and as a Bronco fan – I’m loving every minute of it!

Every game, whether win or lose – Tim Tebow gives thanks and praise to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, something that seems to make NFL fans either love him or hate him.  Many people seem to think that what Tim Tebow is saying with this is that when the Broncos win it’s because God loves him.  So, I ask you my friend - does God really care about football?  Moreover, does God really care if Tim Tebow's football team wins?

Now, to be fair, Tim Tebow has never actually said that his team won because God loves him.  What he does is kneel to pray before and after every game (incidentally, the word “Tebowing,” which is often used to describe this act, was officially recognized as a word in the English language by the Global Language Monitor in December).  He's also known for singing worship songs like "Our God is an Awesome God" during warmup, and when being interviewed, he usually says something along the lines of “I want to give thanks to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because I could not do this without Him,” or “I just want to thank God first and foremost because without Him I wouldn’t be able do any of this,” and then subsequently goes on to thank his teammates as well.  Such outward displays of faith spark no end of mocking and ridicule from scoffers.  But let’s first and foremost analyze these type of statements (with a little more background on Tim Tebow), to try and understand what he really means.

“I just want to thank God first and foremost because without Him I wouldn’t be able do any of this,”

Are statements like this putting God in the place of favoring the Denver Broncos?  As a Bronco fan, I might be inclined to say “Of course God favors the Broncos – why else would He make sunsets orange and blue?”  But let’s be reasonable.  Looking at it rationally, all Tim Tebow is saying is that he is grateful for his life, his opportunities, and his God-given abilities to play football at such a high level.  The fact that he’s so outspoken about his faith makes a lot of people feel uneasy – but then again, I don’t think a lot of people know about Tim Tebow’s background.

Tebow’s Life Almost Never Was

Tim Tebow was born in Makati City in the Philippines to American parents who were serving there as Christian missionaries.  Raised as the son of a baptist Pastor, Tebow was brought up in a Christian home and had Biblical values instilled in him as he grew up.  But while his mother was pregnant with him, she suffered a life threatening infection with a pathogenic amoeba.  Because of the drugs used to rouse her from a coma and to treat her dysentery, the fetus experienced a severe placental abruption.  Doctors predicted about a 90% chance of a stillbirth, and strongly urged her to have an abortion to protect her own life.  Despite strong pressure from the doctors, Pamela Elaine Tebow felt that abortion was wrong, and decided not to have one.  The result was Timothy Tebow (not stillborn against all odds), the youngest of 5 children in a missionary family, some one who has done missionary work in Croatia and the Philippines, who has setup charitable organizations to help the less fortunate, and who uses his public platform as a NFL QB to do good and share his faith in Yeshua Ha’Mashiach (Jesus the Christ).

So, understanding some more about his background, I hope you can now see, my friend, that when Tim Tebow makes statements every game (and likely every day) along the lines of “I want to give thanks to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because I could not do this without Him,” - he is showing gratitude for the opportunity to even be alive, let alone be playing football in the NFL.  He is not saying “Oh, we won because God loves me.”

Karl Marx once said that "religion is the opiate of the masses.”  At this point in history, one would have to say that sports are the current opiates of the masses.  Large numbers of sports fans are willing to shell out multi-million dollar salaries to men who are good at throwing, catching, hitting, or kicking various size balls on different sports teams.  In a world where millions of children are starving, it seems like a poor use of available resources, does it not.  Still, partly due to my own Y-chromosome, I enjoy watching football and basketball and baseball and hockey.  There are always a number of sports figures who give credit to God for their victories (but not usually their loses).  So, does God really care about sports and who wins or who loses?

Despite God's probable indifference to competitive sports, there is a biblical principle that dominates life in general. The Apostle Paul said "...whatever you do, do all to the glory of God,” (1 Corinthians 10:31).


So, although God probably doesn't care whether or not the Denver Broncos win football games, He does care that people fulfill the two great commandments—to love God and love our neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40).  Because of God's great works on our behalf, we are told to "continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God" and "give thanks to His name" (Hebrews 13:15). This is exactly what Tim Tebow does, both on and off the field.  Will the Boncos continue to win?  I hope so.  Whether the Broncos win or lose, will God continue to bless Tim Tebow?  Most likely.

Yes, God does love Tim Tebow.  However, He doesn't love Tebow simply because he is always praising God.  The fact is that God loves all human beings, including those who spend most of their time watching sports and drinking beer (although He probably prefers they do other things).  God loves all people because He created them.  He wants them to choose to return His love and live with Him forever.  The only thing God asks of us in return is belief in His Son, whom He sent to provide the model of living for us, the sacrifice to pay for our sins, and whom He raised to life again to intercede on our behalf.

It sounds like a deal too good to be true, but it is true. Once you believe, you’ll be able to let God's love flow through you as does Tim Tebow (and many other Christians I know personally, BTW).

Tim Tebow loves Jesus.  It clearly shows in his attitude, in his work ethic and in the way he treats other people.  Is Tebow perfect?  That's not possible, since all have fallen short of God’s perfection.  However, God will treat you as though you lived the perfect life that Jesus lived in return for your faith in the sacrifice Christ made for your sins.  God loves Tim Tebow, but no more than He loves you or me, my friend.  And it is only through faith in Jesus that we may enter into the joy that He offers.

And, I tell you it’s much better than beer and football. 

Thanks for reading, and until next time – don’t drink and drive, don’t text and drive, and God bless America, it’s a beautiful country.