Unbelievable…..”Tennessee Fan Cheers For Tebow And Florida”

Breaking news……newspaper headlines read as follows:  “Boston Fans Pull For Yankees“……”IBM Buys Apple Computers For All Employees“………”Southerners Forget War Of Northern Aggression“………”Dr. Oz Eats A Cheeseburger“……..”Democrats Scream For Tax Reductions“…….”Bill O’Reilly Asks Question And Allows Respondent To Answer“……..”Hell Freezes Over“.  Are you kidding me….these things would NEVER come true.   Well, they are equally as likely to occur as is the title of this post.

I was raised in the hills of East Tennessee.  The University of Tennessee was known as “the Hallowed Hill” and its football team was, and still is despite its mediocrity in recent years, a revered institution.  When I was a kid we didn’t have the quantity of orange paraphernalia that is available today……shortage of orange dye I suppose.  I didn’t have enough money to buy any even if it was available.  My how I love that Tennessee orange!  My wife may be the only “Big Orange” (aka Tennessee) football fan who hates it.  Along with the fight song,  ‘”Rocky Top”, non Tennessee fans unilaterally hate Tennessee Orange but Tennessee fans, by and large, love it.

In addition to loving the color Tennessee orange, I was taught to pull for Tennessee and against Georgia Tech.   Said differently, Tennessee supporters were “for Tennessee and whoever played Georgia Tech”.  Those were the days when Tech was in the S.E.C. and a formidable opponent of my Vols.  Bobby Dodd, an ex Tennessee All American and native of Kingsport , Tennessee, was the Tech head coach….a traitor….what’s not to be against!  Tech, in an idiotic executive decision, moved from the S.E.C. to the Atlantic Coast Conference and Tennessee fans turned their ire toward another arch rival, Alabama.  “We don’t give a d____ ’bout the whole State of Al-a-bam”…..well you know how that goes.  Georgia then raised its level of play and became Tennessee’s arch rival on the field and in the recruiting wars.  And then came the Florida Gators!   UUUGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!  For almost two decades the Gators have been the nemesis of the Volunteers….tough to beat and even tougher to take…..you know what I mean.

With that as a 6 decade backdrop one can see how hard it is for me to say that I am going to pull for Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators in the S.E.C. Championship in Atlanta on Saturday.  There, I have said it.  It hurt a little but having said it I feel better.  How could anyone pull against Tim Tebow.  OK, I have done it for the 4 times he played against my beloved Vols.  But I couldn’t pull against family could I?

Amid the current plethora of swaggering, street dancin’,  struttin’ players that fill the rosters of college and pro teams alike, and the ones who find it necessary to stick up a Seven Eleven, Tim Tebow wafts as a true breath of fresh air.  No one can challenge his tremendous ability as a football player. ….but there are many with tremendous athletic ability.  What truly makes him stand out is his outspoken stand for Christ and his Christian worldview.  Last year’s three finalists for the Heisman trophy, Colt McCoy of Texas, Sam Bradford of Oklahoma and Tebow said that the thing they had in common for which they were most grateful was their faith.  Very little was made of that.  The A.P.  didn’t carry it.  ESPN didn’t play it up.  But I guess we would be asking too much to expect the Christian worldview to be heralded by the  “mainstream” press….what ever that means.

Well, Saturday night I’m going against my Tennessee tradition and pull for Tim Tebow……and the Gators too.  I neither like nor dislike the Tide in this situation….they are a good team with a smart coach.  I’m just pulling for the good guy!  Don’t “go Tiger” on us…Tiger Wood that is…..and let us down Tim.  Chomp-Chomp…..Go Timmy!