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“Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee….”
Many NFL observers often say that they have never seen a player like Tim Tebow before. Well, that may be true in professional football, but not in the sports world. Muhammad Ali’s rise in boxing is similar to what we have seen early on in Tebow’s career. In a weird way, some of their comparisons are also their contrasts. Both athletes are/were the most polarizing figures in their respective sports while drawing attention by making statements on religion with a political overtone. It seems that the media just cannot get enough of Tebow much like Ali. Tim was a Heisman Trophy winner in college and Muhammad won an Olympic Gold Medal, but many often too forget that Ali was highly doubted before becoming Champ.
Ali was by no means a fundamentally sound boxer much the same way that Tebow is such an unorthodox football player. He often pulled straight back to dodge puncheebow being a To has technical starter for the Denver Broncos; here is a tweet of his from earlier last year, “Sitting watching tape off bronco offense from last yea used his speed and reach to his advantage to overcome his technical flaws. Tebow alss and bounced around the ring which is commonly thought of as terrible boxing technique. But he
Ali was a huge underdog before he fought Sonny Liston for the World Heavyweight Championship. In his fight before Liston, he nearly lost against Henry Cooper in the infamous “torn glove” incident that caused a short delay before the fifth round after Ali was nearly knocked out at the end of the fourth. Ali stopped Cooper on cuts in the fifth round of the match. Tebow definitely has many doubters. One of the most known being ESPN’s Merle Hodge. He made harsh comments on ESPN and Twitter about flaws such as his elongated throw, but his intangibles and fullback physicality overcome his weaknesses at quarterback thus far.r! Orton or Tebow? It's embarrassing to think the broncos could win with tebow!!”
Of course, an obvious contrast is that Tebow is Christian and Ali is Muslim, but both are seen in the public eye as spokesmen of their religions. Another difference is that Tebow lives a squeaky clean social life while Ali was known to be extra fond of women. Either way, their personas fit their lifestyles. They are arguably the most controversial sport figures in contemporary history. Whether it’s a Super Bowl Ad or refusal to enter the Draft, you get the point. Please do not misunderstand me when I compare the two since they are also very different and I personally do not agree with Ali’s beliefs. But what they both bring in terms of polarization and representation of their sports and beliefs is undoubtedly similar.
Tebow and Ali have a legion of followers. But both athletes also have a love and hate relationship with fans of their sports. I recommend rather than love or hate just enjoy the ride. We will have to wait to see if Tebow can shake up the world. But for now I say,
“… Rumble Young Man Rumble! “
Many NFL observers often say that they have never seen a player like Tim Tebow before. Well, that may be true in professional football, but not in the sports world. Muhammad Ali’s rise in boxing is similar to what we have seen early on in Tebow’s career. In a weird way, some of their comparisons are also their contrasts. Both athletes are/were the most polarizing figures in their respective sports while drawing attention by making statements on religion with a political overtone. It seems that the media just cannot get enough of Tebow much like Ali. Tim was a Heisman Trophy winner in college and Muhammad won an Olympic Gold Medal, but many often too forget that Ali was highly doubted before becoming Champ.
Ali was by no means a fundamentally sound boxer much the same way that Tebow is such an unorthodox football player. He often pulled straight back to dodge puncheebow being a To has technical starter for the Denver Broncos; here is a tweet of his from earlier last year, “Sitting watching tape off bronco offense from last yea used his speed and reach to his advantage to overcome his technical flaws. Tebow alss and bounced around the ring which is commonly thought of as terrible boxing technique. But he
Ali was a huge underdog before he fought Sonny Liston for the World Heavyweight Championship. In his fight before Liston, he nearly lost against Henry Cooper in the infamous “torn glove” incident that caused a short delay before the fifth round after Ali was nearly knocked out at the end of the fourth. Ali stopped Cooper on cuts in the fifth round of the match. Tebow definitely has many doubters. One of the most known being ESPN’s Merle Hodge. He made harsh comments on ESPN and Twitter about flaws such as his elongated throw, but his intangibles and fullback physicality overcome his weaknesses at quarterback thus far.r! Orton or Tebow? It's embarrassing to think the broncos could win with tebow!!”
Of course, an obvious contrast is that Tebow is Christian and Ali is Muslim, but both are seen in the public eye as spokesmen of their religions. Another difference is that Tebow lives a squeaky clean social life while Ali was known to be extra fond of women. Either way, their personas fit their lifestyles. They are arguably the most controversial sport figures in contemporary history. Whether it’s a Super Bowl Ad or refusal to enter the Draft, you get the point. Please do not misunderstand me when I compare the two since they are also very different and I personally do not agree with Ali’s beliefs. But what they both bring in terms of polarization and representation of their sports and beliefs is undoubtedly similar.
Tebow and Ali have a legion of followers. But both athletes also have a love and hate relationship with fans of their sports. I recommend rather than love or hate just enjoy the ride. We will have to wait to see if Tebow can shake up the world. But for now I say,
“… Rumble Young Man Rumble! “
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