Tim Tebow's success bigger online than on field

From its start on the Denver Broncos gridiron, "Tebowing" has grown into a huge phenomenon online . . . all of which intrigues contributor Conor Knighton:

After every game, Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow famously thanks Jesus for giving him the opportunity to play football.

In just his second NFL season, Tebow has become one of the most popular athletes in the WORLD.

That's thanks, in large part, to the Internet. Online, Tebow performs better than he does on the field.

His overtime touchdown against the Steelers earned him a record-setting 9,420 tweets per second - that's the most tweets EVER about a U.S. event. More than the death of Steve Jobs and - brace yourself - even more than Beyonce's pregnancy.

His name, and John 3:16 (his favorite Bible verse), skyrocketed to the top of Google's trending searches.

By soliciting small $1 donations, the Tebow Foundation has mobilized fans to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars online.

He's even adopted an Internet-friendly slogan: GB2 - God Bless and Go Broncos.

And, of course, there's that hugely popular trend named after him - "Tebowing."

Defined by tebowing.com as "to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different," Tebowing spread virally throughout the season. It seemed like everyone with a digital camera was taking a knee.

When the Mayor of Pittsburgh lost a bet to the Mayor of Denver, he Tebowed.

While it's unclear if the photos are celebrating or mocking, Tebow tweeted that he loves the trend.

Of course he does. Tebow has said that, for him, the NFL is all about the platform it provides. So, while he may have lost last night, he's managed to break through on the biggest platform in the world - the Internet.