Tim Tebow Bringing Football, Faith To The Twin Cities
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Vikings season may be all but over, but there will still be a lot of national interest in their opponent this weekend.
The Denver Broncos are coming to town and with them comes "Tebowmania." Tim Tebow is the Broncos quarterback, and he's known for celebrating his faith as much as Bronco victories.
Katelynn McBride is a Broncos fan and a Colorado girl living in a Minneapolis apartment. She's got a Broncos jerseys dating back to the early 1990s, but her favorite of all-time is already her pink Tebow jersey.
"I think the reaction in Denver is that if the Broncos can continue to win like this, any of us would be happy to personally hold a Bible study every week," said McBride.
Maybe that's what Tebow wants. He's 5-1 since taking over as Denver's starting quarterback. This despite averaging just 85 passing yards a game with an unorthodox throwing motion- something critics have pounced on.
But the most controversial thing about 'Tebowmania' may be his faith. An extremely devout Christian, he talks about his religion at every press conference and his genuflecting on the field is now known as "Tebowing."
"I think people are attracted to values that are similar to theirs. I think people are happy to see a religious person succeed on the field without being embarrassed about it. I say good for them," said McBride.
Love him or hate him, Tebow's popularity has soared even outside of Bronco nation. At Pro Image at the Mall of America, his jersey has surged into a top-five seller.
"We will probably sell-out by 2 p.m. Saturday. We have all day tomorrow and Saturday morning. It will be early Saturday," said Jesse Fronek, manager at Pro Image.
To some he is the best and worst thing that has happened to the NFL. To Greg Coleman of the Vikings Radio Network, he's comparable to Tony Dungy, a coach who also put God before football. Despite the critics, Dungy won a Superbowl.
"We would much rather trade records with the Broncos instead of being 2-9. Is he good for the league? Absolutely. And he's even better for the Denver Broncos. I hope he continues to be strong in his faith, but I hope he flounders like crap at the Mall of America on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings," said Coleman.
