For me, that's Tim Tebow (and of course I love my little sister who plays soccer at Mercer University).
Well, I like Tim for various reasons. Mainly because he gives all the glory to God, but he isn't bad looking either…
Back at the University of Florida, Tim was widely known for his eye black that sported a few different Bible verses each game he played. According to examiner.com, Tebow's tendency to wear these verses on his face was so common that the NCAA banned messages written on eye black in 2010.
The most special part of his messages was that around 100 million people ended up searching each verse on Google during each game. How incredible is that? Someone may have never read one Bible verse until Tim wore one on his face for millions of people to see.
Romans 1:16 states, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed, from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."
Tim Tebow displayed that unashamed faith. That is why he is my favorite athlete.
This is Tim with a 4-year-old leukemia patient after being released from the New York Jets.
In the past few years, I have become very disappointed in the world of sports. In today's group of "popular" athletes, the lack of sportsmanship and role models are way too widespread.
In my opinion, everyone wants the followers, likes, retweets, subscribers, etc. because they love all the attention. They love feeling like everything they do or say is fascinating to millions of people.
Well ya know what? It is. America is fascinated by sports and the players. Most of us watch or attend a sports' event almost every week. We love to sit on the couch or sit in the stands and lounge while being entertained. Or for some of us, we are cheering our brains out for someone to score a goal, make a free throw or hit a homerun.
In my opinion, what is done off the field is what's most crucial. I love to see athletes who work on their soul just as much as their physical capabilites. How can someone exhibit good sportsmanship if they have an ugly spirit to begin with? Well, they can't. They are probably using foul language after every play or at the end of every game when they lose.
How are we so incredibly passionate about a sports' team, but not just as enthused for Jesus? We have all been guilty of turning on the television before opening up our Bible. If we had more athletes standing up for God, like Tebow does, we could all be just as excited about a sporting event as we are to learn about God.
We need more games to end in a prayer huddle between both teams.
We need high fives at the end of each game to be genuine, not half-heartedly done.
We need athletes to stand up for what they believe in.
We need athletes to stand up for God.
I would like to praise organzations like FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) and CRU (Campus Crusades for Christ). CRU has a ministry called Athletes in Action. Their mission statement is, "building spiritual movements everywhere through the platform of sport so that everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus".
So next time you decide to look up to someone for their athletic abilities, make sure you first know
who they are following.
Most importantly, who are YOU following?
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind…"
– Luke 10:27
