Tebowing: Everyone’s Doing It!
Tebowing is a new word that has recently come into use to describe the actions that Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos takes when he demonstrates his gratitude on the field. Tebow has become famous for his quarterbacking skills, but even in college he was known for his strong commitment to Christianity. His famous pose is a way to represent his beliefs.
Tebow will do his pose several times during most games. It is a fairly simply maneuver. He kneels with one leg on the ground and places his elbow on the bent knee. Then he puts his forehead onto that hand. This stance is supposed to represent humility and his gratitude to God for everything that has happened.
This action is becoming famous and other people are starting to copy it. Some Christian football players do it too, because they think its a good way to show their thanks. It has also been parodied on TV shows like SNL. In one episode, someone playing Tebow talked with Jesus about Tebowing and the effect it was having.
People are also doing the move who are not athletes or actors. A Long Island school took disciplinary actions against three students for Tebowing on school property. There was a lot of misunderstanding about what actually happened. Some people were very angry because they thought students were in trouble for demonstrating Christian beliefs. School officials however said they students got in trouble because they were blocking hallways between classes because they were kneeling on the ground and were difficult to walk around. The students were suspended, but that decision was overturned for two of them when administrators figured out that the students had not actual received warnings that their behavior was unacceptable in that setting. In this scenario, it is important to remember that the students were disciplined for disrupting other students, not for the actual stance they were doing. The school was not persecuting the students for their religious beliefs and certainly had nothing against Tim Tebow, the Denver Broncos, or the NFL.
Tebowing is becoming a trend worldwide. A fast google search shows how popular this pose is. Fans of the team have sent out Christmas cards with their kids doing the pose, and dressed in Tebow jerseys. Hardcore fans have even taught their pets how to do the pose. Some travelers thought it would be funny to do the pose in front of famous landmarks all around the world.
Tebowing is an odd trend. It is being done not only by athletes, but by fans, kids, comedians, and people just caught up in the general sensation. The act is supposed to demonstrate gratitude, but it has spawned thousand of imitators. Some are doing it out of a sense of pride for their favorite athlete, some are doing it because they like what it represents, and others are doing it to be funny. If you see someone kneeling down with their head on their hand, you know the origin of the pose.