With the release of Tim Tebow by the New England Patriots, I believe it is finally time to stop thanking God for achievement on the athletic field.  I mean, for God’s sake, do superstars have to point to the sky every time they score a touchdown, drill a trey, or hit a home run?  It’s like they’re flipping the bird to the defense because God favored them over another athlete.  Let me tell you, God doesn’t work that way. Tebowing may finally be a thing of the past.

I will indeed buy into the concept of God-given talent, height, speed, strength, and by God, Tebow is a helluva football player but I will not believe the Almighty favors one team or one player over another.  Success in sport comes from the words of Fort Minor, “This is 10% luck, 20% skill, 15% concentrated power of will, 5% pleasure, 50% pain, and 100% reason to remember the name!”

The true meaning of sport is to give your best and to be humble in victory and gracious in defeat.  The thrill of victory and agony of defeat is enough to drive men and women to drink, but is God in Heaven really choosing the winners and losers?

I don’t buy it.  We all have our superpowers but in the end it’s how we use them or not use them that determine success or failure on the athletic field, in the gym, in the classroom, in the workplace or at home.  This proclamation isn’t about belief in God, it’s about belief in the human spirit.  I believe in the power of human will.  That man/woman can and will overachieve if he/she wants to.  Winning isn’t just about talent, it’s also about wanting to win and mentally overcoming all adversity real or imagined.

I don’t know what sparked this position.  Perhaps it’s the thought of Tebow right now, in his living room on bended knee praying to God for another chance to be a QB in the NFL when what he should be doing is learning how to read defenses, improve the speed of his release, and recognizing perhaps being a QB in the NFL isn’t in the cards.  He could be a helluva Tight End or Fullback.  Quit praying and start working TT like I know and God knows you can.