After his first professional victory, devoutly religious Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow did something that had become a habit for him. He got down on one knee and began to pray with his fist on his forehead and his eyes closed.
Soon after, a video of people mimicking Tebow in unusual places went viral on the internet. Youtube quickly became littered with videos of people “Tebowing.” Everyone from athletes to actors tweeted photos of themselves Tebowing. There is even a website called ‘Tebowing.com.’ For some reason, this seemingly innocent act has become a controversial, sometimes disruptive fad across the country.
In case you’re not familiar with Tebow, he won the Heisman Trophy and two national championships as the quarterback at the University of Florida. Because of his devout religious beliefs, humble personality and unusual playing style, Tebow has developed a cult following after his recent success with the Denver Broncos.
The Tebowing craze stirred up a bit of controversy recently when two students at Riverhead High School in Long Island decided to “honor Tebow” by planting themselves in the hallway. After seeing their display, 40 of their fellow students thought that it seemed like a good time and joined in, causing a traffic-jam in the halls. School administrators weren’t so pleased with their homage to Tebow and suspended the two leaders.
“That’s a stupid reason to suspend someone,” said VHS senior Matt McManus. “It’s totally harmless.”
Obviously, this is a strange reason to suspend someone, and the administrators surely never thought they would have to tackle Tebowing. Tim Tebow himself commented on the suspension, in his usual serious manner, saying that although the students did “show courage” they “have to respect the position of authority and people that God has put as authority over (them).” One of the students defended the act, saying that it is just “the new thing to do.”
It seems clear that while the gesture is one of prayer and devotion for Tebow, there is no greater meaning for many of those imitating him, which makes the craze especially unusual. And it’s not the first time something like this has been popular. Last year, ‘planking’ became the newest internet craze. Planking is when a person lies down, perfectly straight and face down, in some unusual place.
Unlike planking, Tebow and his signature pose may not phase out. With Denver’s surprising victory over the favored Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL’s first round of playoffs Sunday, Tebow is still very much in the public eye. As long as he keeps playing well and selling tickets, Tebowing isn’t going anywhere.
