Difference between disagreement, persecution lost on some

“You’re not going to believe what Tim Tebow was caught doing, and how it’s got liberals outraged.”

This looks like click-bait. But why is it controversial ... did he yell at the paparazzi, shoplift something, marry Kim Kardashian?

I clicked, and there Tebow was, praying with coworkers on the set of the SEC Network before the show. So the controversial thing was what Tim Tebow does multiple times per day? Oh, click-bait.

The “outrage” was negative comments on Facebook, which is a low bar. Post a photo of a ham sandwich on Facebook, and watch somebody attack or get attacked because they’re Jewish, vegetarian or eating gluten-free.

I consider myself liberal, and I’m not outraged. Not even if I click my heels together and chant, “There’s no place like Portland.” I’d have missed this photo if it wasn’t for a half-dozen Christian friends who said they posted it because of how angry it made me.

Their story? Tebow was drummed out of the league for his faith.

Never mind Kurt Warner, who wrote a book about his faith and then played nine more seasons. Or Russell Wilson, who’s got a Super Bowl ring and a big contract extension on the way. The difference is they could play quarterback at an NFL level, and do it more consistently than the next guy.

That’s why Tebow’s fans in Denver abandoned him. “Why won’t we sign Tebow long-term? That playoff run is just the beginning. What, Peyton Manning’s a free agent? Could we get a first-round pick for Tebow?”

Off the field? Tebow’s the kind of person we should strive to be.

While we cheer Marshawn Lynch for being uncooperative with the media, we have volumes of interviews where Tebow is gracious, even finding polite ways to sidestep uncomfortable questions.

While we debate whether Adrian Peterson was right to take a switch to his son, Tebow’s a hero at the orphanage his family started in the Phillipines.

While we laugh about Florida State’s Jameis Winston stealing food from a grocery store, an archived Daily Show interview has Tebow understanding the NCAA position on amateurism but noting, “you're having a lot of athletes that work extremely hard and make millions and millions for universities, and they’re still struggling just to go out to Outback and get something to eat.”

The Tim Tebow problem is not and never was Tebow. It’s people who reflexively turn Tebow into the hood ornament for their religious war, but in really simply can’t differentiate between disagreement and persecution.

The Kevin Wilson problem? He reads too much click-bait.

Kevin Wilson is a columnist for Clovis Media Inc. He can be contacted at 575-763-3431, ext. 318, or by email:

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