Former NFL quarterback of the Denver Broncos, Tim Tebow and former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kaepernick have a lot in common. Not only did they both play professional football, but also have both made kneeling during football games pretty infamous, both men of Christianity, but for different reasons.
During his college football career, Tebow won the Heisman Trophy which is the highest and most prestigious award in college athletics/football. Tebow was often seen putting Bible verses on his eye black such as, "John 3:16," and, "Psalms 23:1." Once Tebow reached the pros, his views started to show on the field. Tim would often kneel and pray to the Lord with an elbow to the knee and a fist to the forehead after he would score a touchdown... this became known as "Tebowing." He was even pictured "Tebowing" for abortion after stating his pro-life views.
After Tebow had a good season or two with the Broncos, he ended up becoming apart of the Jets and the Patriots. Eventually leaving football and becoming a professional baseball player with the Mets. Tebow was one that really showed how much religion meant to him, a lot of people applauded him for that, although there were others on the other end of the spectrum that basically stated that professional sports isn't for flaunting your beliefs around. He never really was what America wanted him to be, hence why Tebow thought baseball would be a better fit for him. Many people were getting upset when Tim was scolded for showing his beliefs out on the field because it is his First Amendment right.
We then take a look at Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick is infamously known for kneeling during the national anthem during gamed days. He was a solid player during his college years, just like Tebow was. Colin was and has been known as religious as well, just not displaying it like Tebow had been. Colin has religious tattoos that range from Bible verses to sayings. Back in 2016, people started noticing and it became a national news story that Colin Kaepernick was kneeling during the national anthem. It then was revealed that he was doing this to honor the Black Lives Matter movement due to the uprising videos of police brutality to people of color.
Colin has stated, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder." After all of this circulated for a while, Kaepernick was sent death threats, people were videoing themselves burning his football jersey and then became known as the most hated player of the NFL.
If you take a look at both of Tebow's and Kaepernick's stories, they relate... on very different levels. Both of these men are firm believers of their faith and they both showed that, yet Kaepernick got the bad end of the stick. Tim was making people aware of private protests such as abortion and Colin was trying to get people aware of general public protests like racial discrimination and profiling. Kaepernick was kneeling for protesting while Tebow was kneeling for personal prayers. Both different, but both the same concept. One is simply riskier than the other.
So much has been brought onto the NFL regarding what Kaepernick has started such as new rules regarding that you have to stand during the anthem otherwise your team will be fined and penalized. Tim Tebow was trying to get others aware of private sins while Colin Kaepernick was trying to bring attention to the American people about what the country was doing, which were basically public sins.
You may agree to disagree, but in reality, Tebow and Kaepernick were both protesting for different reasons, but with the same context. I am forever thankful of all the opportunities we are able to get here in America and will forever be proud to be an American and we should all look deep into anyone that would like to use their First Amendment rights to make people aware of something unethical going on in our country so we can all fix it as a whole.
