What Writers Can Learn from Tim Tebow

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[NOTE: John Ramsey Miller and I are switching posting days this weekend, for reasons that will quickly become apparent. – JSB]
“There were ten guys in my writing class at Williams College who could write better than I. They didn’t have what I have, which is guts. I was dedicated to writing, and nothing could stop me.”
—John Toland
Did you really think Tim Tebow wouldn’t show up in a Kill Zone blog post?
How could he not? America’s favorite athlete is the talk of the sports nation. Unless you’ve been collecting moon rocks at their place of origin, you’ve read something about him over the last few weeks.
But for anyone who just got back from Mare Tranquillitatis,let’s summarize: Tim Tebow is the young quarterback of the Denver Broncos who, this past season, has been pulling out miracle wins all over the place. This in spite of the fact that virtually all NFL prognosticators said he couldn’t succeed in the league.
Yet, lo and behold, Tebow has led the Broncos into the playoffs, and last week to their first playoff victory since 2005. And he did it in stunning fashion.


Last Saturday against the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers, big favorites to win, all Tim Tebow did was carve up the league’s #1 pass defense for 316 yards. The last 80 of those yards will be celebrated forever in Bronco’s history.
It was the first play of overtime. Tebow had played a great game, his best so far, but the Steelers had come back and tied it in regulation. Well, it took Tim Tebow all of 11 seconds to win the game in OT. He sold a fake run, got the Steeler linebackers to bite, then threw a strike to receiver Demaryius Thomas. Thomas caught the ball in stride, issued a sweet stiff-arm to Steeler defensive back Ike Taylor, and carried the rock all the way to the end zone for another miracle, magical finish.
I’ve been a Tebow fan since he played at Florida (which is a very hard thing for a USC Trojan to admit). What I love about the kid is that he harkens back to a time when athletes really did take role modeling seriously. Tebow, a devout Christian, does not act like an idiot off the field. He does not go to nightclubs with loaded firearms. He does not get hammered and sexually assault co-eds. He does not think, just because he has been blessed with amazing athletic talent, that he is immune from standards of civil conduct. He is, in short, what young men used to strive to be at one time in our society––a gentleman. (Even typing that sounds quaint nowadays, which does not reflect favorably upon “nowadays”).
But make no mistake. On the field Tim Tebow will cut your heart out. He will find ways to beat you. He will drive you crazy. Tebow, like all champions, is a fierce competitor in his arena of battle. I loved the shots of him on the sideline during the Pittsburgh contest. He had his game face on––intense, focused. And all this with the pressure of a lifetime on his shoulders.
You see, Tebow had played three mediocre to lousy games in a row. He was being counted out by the know-it-alls. He was a flash in the pan. He had no future in the NFL, let alone with the Broncos. So he not only had a playoff game to deal with, but possibly his whole future.
And yet he didn’t fold, falter, or play scared. He took it right to Troy Polamalu and the fearsome Pittsburgh secondary and shredded them. (And yes, props to his coaches and teammates, of course. Tebow would be the first to point that out).
So why do I bring this up for writers? Because we can learn something of the utmost importance from Mr. Timothy Richard Tebow. We can learn that it’s not a matter of what other people say about you that counts. It’s a matter of your heart and determination and guts. During his phase of getting criticized all over the place, Tebow never lashed out. He was full of humor and modesty.
Plus, he worked his butt off. He spent extra hours with his coaches, practicing his mechanics, giving every last ounce of energy to getting better at what he does.
The same should be true for you. You will get jeerers and critics in your writing life. You will endure negative comments and reviews and people – maybe even in your own family – telling you that you stink, or that you’re deluding yourself with this writing thing.
Maybe you have the dream of being published by an established company. Perhaps you want to go it alone in the new world of digital self-publishing. Or some of both. Whatever your profile, if you care about writing, if it’s a burning passion within you (I have nothing to say to those who are just out to make a buck), then you’ll get your share of blowback, much of it unfair.
So are you going to let that stop you? Or are you going to keep working, keep typing, keep studying the craft?
In short, are you going to dig down and find a way to win?
This post appears on the day the Broncos play the New England Patriots to determine who will take the next step toward that ultimate prize—the Super Bowl. I have no idea how the game, or Tebow’s performance, will turn out. But I don’t have to. Because I know something already: Tim Tebow will never give up, no matter what happens today. He doesn’t have any give up in him. He will keep on finding ways to astonish us, both on and off the field, despite anything the doubters have to say.
Go thou and do likewise.

29 thoughts on “What Writers Can Learn from Tim Tebow”

  2. We’ve all got a limited amount of time on this marble and a certain talent to use while we’re here. Some folks take the whole time trying to figure out what that talent is, while others charge in doing whatever comes to hand.

    God didn’t call us all to win, but he did call us all to die trying.

    Whether or not I ever gain fame and fortune for writing, narrating, or radio talking matters little in the long run. The important part comes on that day when, having shed this mortal robe of flesh, sheathed the sword, and unstrung the bow I stand before the Almighty King and He says, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter your rest.”

  3. Fabulous post, James, for more reasons than I have time to go into. I am going to forward this to a group of friends and bookmark it for myself. Thanks so much. And Basil, your comments are for keeping as well.

  5. Jim, thanks for the reminder–yet again–of what it takes for an athlete, an author, a surgeon, or anyone else to do credit to themselves and their Creator.

  6. Great. I was going to write about how God took a talentless vessel, filled it with angel breath and won a football game because football is His favorite sport and Denver Hie favorite team because it is physically closer to heaven…

    Great post, JSB

  8. Since Denver’s road to the Super Bowl goes through either my friends’ favorite team (the Patriots) or my hometown heroes (the Ravens), I can’t be too fond of Tebow this January. 😉

    But he has a virtue that’s important in great men, and that’s humility. I’ve never seen someone more gracious in victory. I think he knows as much as anyone how improbable a lot of his victories are (hence the attribution to his Savior), which makes him easier for opponents to admire. No bragging, no showboating, no righteous or indignant press conferences.

    That makes him easy to like, whichever side of the ball you’re on.

  9. I respect genuine, not smarmy, humility and Tebow seems to possess it in great quantities.

    Also, who can’t love a comeback kid story? And while I don’t mind my heroes having a little style, the endless parade of mug shots has become tedious. Someone who is just plain nice is refreshing.

    As for football, my attention will be farther west to see what my 49ers are up to. Back in the day, they had a skinny guy running the show that no one said would ever amount to anything . . .

    Terri

  10. Jim, great encouragement at a point I really needed it. Rough week here in Putman writing land, but I will do the work to keep going. Deeper, always deeper 🙂

  11. I really enjoyed this. May I also say that no one is above temptation and, as Christians, it would be good to pray for the Tim Tebows of the world who are in the spotlight, no matter what their occupation.

    Okay, since my Panthers were nowhere near the playoffs (wait for next year), all I have to say is “Go Broncos!”

  12. I grew up in Steeler territory. But I love Tebow because he represents everything a real hero should be. He cares about others as he pursues his dreams and he shows it in his actions.

  13. I love that you focus on my favorite thing about Tim Tebow–the kid works hard to improve. Constantly. He doesn’t let the praise go to his head or let the criticism defeat him. He focuses on the task God has called him to. We need to be the same as writers.

  15. I am not generally a fan of those who wear their beliefs too much on their sleeves, but I like Tebow. I was going to say it’s because there doesn’t seem to be anything phony about him, so I’m more prone to respect his displays than I am from someone who I feel is exploiting them for cynical reasons. He’s also more fun to watch than anyone playing football today.

    Then I read your piece here and thought, “Yeah, that’s it.” Someone once asked baseball pitcher Orel Hershiser how he could pitch inside and knock batters down. He replied, “Just because I’m a Christian doesn’t mean I have to be a wimp.” Tebow reminds me of that.

    I grew up in Pittsburgh and still bleed black and gold for all three teams, but last week’s game didn’t bother me nearly as much as it usually does to lose a big one. We got beat by a class act.

  16. God doesn’t expect us to never fail, he just asks that we continue to try.

    Tim Tebow is a good example of that. So are the writers who hang out here.

  20. I admit anything football related makes my eyes glaze over in bored disinterest, but even I can get takeaway for writers from this. Thanks.

  21. Tim Tebow has held it together through some brutal criticism & despicable mocking – never responding in kind. He’s a great kid, a truly caring human being, quiet & humble yet unafraid to stand up for his beliefs – without showboating. I think he would freely admit that football success, though he works hard at it, is not his ultimate purpose – or his god. He is a fabulous role model. On another note, Tim is from my hometown of St Augustine, so folks from this area have watched the real Tim Tebow with great pride & enthusiasm for quite a while. (Go Gators – Had to sneak that in. Sorry, Jim.)

    THIS was a fantastic post. Thanks.

    And GB2 y’all!

  23. Well, it was a good run, an exciting season. Tim Tebow will respond to this setback as advertised–he will work hard in the off season and do everything he can to get better.

    He will also continue his charitable work, convinced as he is that football is not the only thing in life, and not nearly the most important.

    So, too, for us. Let’s write and write well, and rise to write another day. And when we have the chance to some good in this crazy world, do it.

    Thanks for all the great comments.

  28. I was intrigued by the 316 yards as he is famous for John 3:16 – I am glad he does all with excellence and gives God credit, win or lose.

    Re, my writing – I’m not giving up and I’m making sure that God guides. Thanks for your post and for your writing helps. I’m currently reading Fire in Fiction.

    Have a blessed day.

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