Well, not literally. Tebow and his mother, Pam, have shot an ad for Focus on the Family that will air during the Super Bowl next month. Details have yet to be released but the commercial is likely to be an anti-abortion message telling the story of Pam's pregnancy with Tim. While pregnant with Tim, she became ill and was urged by her doctors to have an abortion. Pam refused and gave birth to a healthy baby.
Focus on the Family is a non-profit Christian organization that is not a church, but a very active political advocacy group that has been very up front with its stands against gay rights. The group is also against the passage of EDNA, a bill that would prohibit employment based on sexual orientation.
Tebow is known for his tremendous faith, even writing Bible verses on his eye black on game days. Being an outspoken Christian is fine, but doing a promotional ad for a group that vehemently opposes gay rights, an ad that is going to be aired during one of the most watched sporting events in the world could be costly for the future NFL quarterback.
There already is a lot of speculation as to when Tebow will be drafted this April. Being a spokesman for a group that is as controversial as Focus on the Family could negatively affect his pristine public image, his draft status and subsequently his financial health.
While I'm not a Tim Tebow fan, I'm not against him using his star power to spread his faith; Lord knows he's not the first or last person to do so. But he needs to take a step back and realize the effects of his decisions and be ready for the onslaught of criticism he is going to face.
You can listen to me talk sports every Thursday night from 6-8pm Central on www.slaminternetradio.com and read some of my other work on www.bleacherreport.com.
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