No I am not being sarcastic with this question. It's a legitimate question in that his career can be measured by something other than what happened on the football field. His influence is matchless among any other athlete. After two preseason games with the New England Patriots, he has looked awful so far. He was held out of the third preseason game. His roster spot appears to be very much in jeopardy unless he contributes at some other position. If he doesn't make the roster, his NFL career will be in jeopardy as well as it is not likely that he will be given another shot. Stranger things have happened with Tebow so I could be wrong. Despite his recent lack of success as an NFL QB, I still say his overall football career has been a success thus far and here is why:
1) His college career was outstanding. He is considered one of the greatest college football players of all time. He has a Heisman trophy and 2 national championships and numerous records. Unfortunately his game has not translated to the NFL besides the one great run he had in Denver.
2) He was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft. Despite the fact that most QBs with his playing style have struggled to even get drafted as a QB (see Eric Crouch), Tebow getting drafted in the first round was a miracle. What it did was force Denver to play him.
3) His awesome 2011 run with the Denver Broncos was one for the ages. Despite his critics and lack of traditional QB skills, he led the Broncos to a playoff spot and a first round victory against the Steelers. Who could forget the fact that in that game he passed for 316 yards averaging 31.6 yards per completion. Also the Neilson ratings for the game was 31.6. This of course invoked references to John 3:16. Also the receiver that caught the winning touchdown, Demarius Thomas, was born on Christmas Day.
Since that playoff victory, Tebow's career on the field has been dismal at best. Some his doing the rest due to the incompetence of the NY Jets staff but that is another story. I'll admit that many Tebow supporters can be over the top which leads to a lot of resentment toward him from others. However his success on the football field has led to a much greater success.
Before it was banned by the NCAA, Tebow wore patches under his eyes with the verse John 3:16 during the 2009 National Championship game. The verse became the most highly searched term on google within the next 24 hours with over 90 million searches. He once wore the same patches with the verse Proverbs 3:5-6 which generated another 3.43 million searches. I already referenced the Steeler playoff game above and the references to John 3:16. That verse once again became the top google search term after that game. I remember watching his next playoff game against the Patriots and I saw John 3:16 commercials during the game. Tebow's games were always among the highest rated games drawing millions upon millions of viewers. It was clear that Tebow understood his influence and used it to promote Christ as Lord.
So why was he successful? Jesus tells us in Matthew 28: 19-20 to go and make disciples of all nations. Well Tebow definitely has tried to do his part in that area. However, there is greater significance in the platform he was given. With the advancement in technology, it has become much easier to reach people with the gospel in different parts of the world. The NFL is a global phenomenon, seen all over the world weekly. With Tebow's games drawing such high ratings more people were impacted with the gospel. Matthew 24:14 states that the gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. In other words the return of our Savior for His people will not occur until everyone has heard the gospel. God clearly intended to reach people who probably have not heard the gospel through Tebow's success despite his lack of traditional NFL QB skills. it is that trait that made his run so mesmerizing. In other words God chose the weak to put the strong to shame (1 Corinthians 1:27) in the NFL and in the process created a true underdog story which reached millions for the gospel. God also thrust into the spotlight around this time an NBA player by the name of Jeremy Lin whose story, although not as celebrated and scrutinized, was very similar. Lastly, I hope people will stop with the God doesn't care about sports thing. God can care about whatever He wants, He made everything anyway (John 1:3), so who are we to say what He can and cannot care about.
The success of Tebow's career was not all in what he did on the field, but in being obedient in God's call on his life. I am sure his work for The Lord will not be done once his playing days are over. Regardless of the outcome, he had been a success I believe in God's eyes. He may never see his name in the NFL Hall of Fame, but it may very well be in the Hall of Faith.
The perfect soundtrack to this story is Sho Baraka's "Famous." Click on the link and enjoy and God bless!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU2zdxRjKPA
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