Thursday I asked Tim Tebow whether he's saving himself for marriage. The question itself led to more than a bit of conversation, but to me, the answer, not the question is the story. Tebow demonstrated that he lives his life according to his own religious principles. Completely. Even, perhaps, bravely in an era where it's easy to conform and make the popular choice.I asked because I believe it's newsworthy and because, believe it or not, I thought Tim Tebow would answer the question by saying: "Yes, I am." Which is exactly what he did.
Why did I believe this? Because Tebow lives his faith. And I believe that living his faith is not artificial, he's not pretending to be something he's not. Further, I don't believe that saving yourself for marriage is something to hide from. Not in the evangelical Christian faith that Tim Tebow practices in a Southern church and not in the evangelistic Southern church where I was raised.
At my Southern Baptist church, proclaiming that you were saving yourself for marriage was considered an asset, something to be proud of. Mothers bragged about their daughters or their sons public proclamation of chastity until marriage. Saving yourself for marriage wasn't something that people hid. They talked about it openly. In fact, people even wore tangible objects to reflect their purity, bracelets or rings that served as vivid evidence of their chastity pledges.
Tebow himself said that he wasn't surprised by the question. It's a question that I think many fans share. Earlier this week I wrote that it was the most interesting question that could be asked at media days. I was fascinated by the religious implications then, "I think everyone is afraid to ask, but wouldn't this be the ultimate testament to his religious faith?" And then I further wrote, "And if he wasn't a virgin wouldn't this at least prove that Tim Tebow has violated a Bible verse? Something that, to be honest, there is no evidence of thus far. Put it this way, if Tebow got shot and we all thought he was dead, and then he came back to life, wouldn't you be convinced that Revelations was unspooling before your eyes?"
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Florida quarterback Tim Tebow talks about his senior year to the media during news conference at the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala. on Thursday, July 23, 2009. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)
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Florida quarterback Tim Tebow talks about his senior year to the media during news conference at the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala. on Thursday, July 23, 2009. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)
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Florida quarterback Tim Tebow talks about his senior year at the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala. on Thursday, July 23, 2009 (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)
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Florida quarterback Tim Tebow talks about his senior year to the media during a news conference at the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover , Ala. on Thursday, July 23, 2009. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)
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Florida coach Urban Meyer speaks to the media during a news conference at the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala. on Thursday, July 23, 2009. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)
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Florida coach Urban Meyer speaks to the media during a news conference at the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala., on Thursday, July 23, 2009. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)
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Florida coach Urban Meyer speaks to the media during a news conference at the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala., on Thursday, July 23, 2009. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)
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Florida coach Urban Meyer speaks to the media during a news conference at the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala., on Thursday, July 23, 2009. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)
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Florida coach Urban Meyer speaks to the media during a news conference at the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala., on Thursday, July 23, 2009. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)
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Florida coach Urban Meyer speaks to the media during a news conference at the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala. on Thursday, July 23, 2009. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)
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Listen to his reaction, Tebow wasn't surprised by the question at all. Tebow's religion is inextricable from his personality, as good Christians are always taught their religion should be in the evangelical faith. It's how we all know about the mission trips to the Philippines where he circumcised children, why there's a Tim Tebow Bill to allow children who are home-schooled to play for local high school sports teams. Tebow himself chooses a Bible verse to wear in his eye black every time he strides onto the football field, all to spread his personal beliefs.
Put simply, Tim Tebow marches to his own beat, it's what has made him a rock star.
I guarantee you come Sunday across the South ministers will approach their pulpits and use Tebow's virginity as an example to the flock. After all, if Tebow can resist countless girls throwing themselves at him on a regular basis, is it really valid for you or I or countless others to argue that preserving our virginity was just too difficult? Maybe. But I think it's much tougher. Like many things in life, it all comes down to a choice. And Tebow controls his own choices better than most.
That's the real story here: Tebow's willingness to be an individual in a time when it's easy to get lost in the crowd by making the popular decision. Good for him for standing up for his faith publicly, as he's done countless times before.
I've always been troubled by my own inability to root against Tebow on the field, after today, I have yet another reason that I can't. If you're a college football fan, you can't not be a Tim Tebow fan either. Even if, in the end, you know he's going to beat your team by 50.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
7-24-2009 @ 1:28AM
Bob said...
*While I must question the intent behind throwing this at Tebow, given what ammunition it would create for his detractors if he had said no, I do applaud you for having the nerve to applaud him for his convictions, and telling it like it truly is for a man of faith. The world has become so callous, seeing the convictions of a man like Tebow as nothing more than showboating, or being "holier-than-thou", when all it is is a man with the guts to stand for principals higher than himself, and being willing to tell the whole world, even when so many are laughing in his face. No, I don't follow him or his career, but it's clear that he genuinely is a man of the highest character, and that's all we really need to know. Thanks, Clay, for the positive words on Tim's behalf.
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7-24-2009 @ 2:56AM
Jose said...
Mr. Travis, I don't agree with you asking Tim Tebow about his virginity. As great a human being as Tim Tebow is, it's easy to forget that he's still a young kid. Sure, he's an athlete who does wonders on and off the field and with such an infectious personality, it's natural for the public to want to get to know as much about Tim Tebow as they possibly can. However, certain aspects of his life deserve to be respected by allowing them to remain private, rather than putting him on the spot in front of the whole world. Yes, as you wrote in your column, Tebow answered the question about as gracefully as one could under the circumstances, and I'm glad you commended him for that in your column. However, that does not rectify the wrong you committed in trying to delve into his personal life. How would you feel if your son or daughter were asked the same question in front of the nation, only they answered that they weren't virgins? I understand you wish to applaud Tebow for staying true to his faith, and you knew what his answer was gonna be and whatnot, but that wasn't your decision to make. You will get a lot of negative criticism for what you did, and from what I've read on other websites, the Clay Travis bashing has already begun. I pray you will learn from your mistake. Thank you and God bless.
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7-24-2009 @ 5:00PM
Tjeepgirl60 said...
Well said! Where's the privacy factor?
7-24-2009 @ 6:48AM
cwebsterk said...
I've never really understood the public's fascination with the sex lives of other people....especially celebrities. I don't really care if Tebow is sexually active, if a congressman wants to do it in a bathroom stall, if a President has sex with another consenting adult, or who Paris Hilton is banging. To each their own! As long as they do their jobs and stay away from kids it's none of my business. Tim Tebow seems like a good citizen and he's a helluva qb. What's weird is that people somehow find virginity virtuous! As if denying oneself the pleasure of sex makes someone a better man. IMO it's unnatural for a healthy young adult to be celibate. Creepy and certainly not virtuous. Personally, I hope he gets seduced this summer and goes entirely girl crazy, frequents strip clubs, and does nothing else but chase women! That me be the only way the rest of our teams might have a chance against the Gators!
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7-24-2009 @ 6:24PM
slowbeeznuts said...
Well put cwebsterk. Not having sex with women should not be equated with piety, not in the slightest sense. The negative perspective regarding sex is one of the main reasons why I've left Christianity for Judaism. Sex between a man and his wife is the holiest act someone can perform. A man was created to spead his seed, and to be fruitful and multiply by getting married and having children
7-24-2009 @ 7:41AM
solitarythrush said...
It's not shocking that Tebow answered the way he did. It's shocking that people are shocked that Tebow answered the way he did. Somebody choosing to make a responsible choice is met with ooohs and aaaahs, and that says a lot about our culture.
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7-24-2009 @ 7:52AM
yayabats said...
I believe your column was biased, however, if you stand by what you say " to go by a different path" if it is ones true moral conviction is applaudable then I will salute you. This means to follow ones conscience regardless of public opinion. You see in the world of sports it is not unusual to have a strong faith. What would be unusual would be someone in sports who takes opinions by conscience that oppose the majority of the fan base. Tebow is the ideal in the mind of most sports fans, talented, conservative, attractive and a role model for christian conservative thinking. I wonder would you take such a pricipled stance if he were to be ultra liberal whatever that means, and take positions less popular to the leaders of the sports world.
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7-25-2009 @ 7:30PM
ANT456 said...
Your problem is you don't recognize that there are moral absolutes.
7-24-2009 @ 9:04AM
Gainesville Brian said...
Clay: I loved Dixieland Delight and despite your affinity for the Vols and disparaging remarks about Florida girls' arm fat (I'm married to a UF girl who serves as an exception to your observation, as does the wife of UT's new head coach), I'd consider myself a fan. When I read this morning that it was you who asked Tebow about his virginity I was truthfully disappointed. I read why you did it and am appreciative of your reasoning, but I still think it was beneath you to ask the question. Not to sound like your mother or anything, but I was a little disappointed.
You were correct in one thing, however, Tebow will hammer the Vols this year. Hope to see you in Gainesville.
Brian
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7-24-2009 @ 9:36AM
jeromeseybert said...
he is a good boy a great role model for all kids.
and he will go down as one of the great ones. and I am not a religious person but i respect T.T.
as a great human being
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7-24-2009 @ 10:58AM
emubalr said...
Good for you Tebow, you are a true example of how a Christian should live their life and NEVER be afraid to express you love for the Lord.
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7-24-2009 @ 12:12PM
hunny1989 said...
why is it that when the Jonas Brothers announce that they are saving themselves for marriage, they get attacked by the public, ridiculed and called gay? but this guy, he gets all the praise.
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7-24-2009 @ 11:22PM
Yo said...
And wasn't it not solong ago that those same Jonas Brothers announced that they were tossing their Purity Rings? They are just KIDS! Put them near a Miley Cirus or some good looking fan and it all was for nothing. I also don't remember them being booed or anything by other than a few either jealous or those not as upstanding inlife, in faith. Besides, this is NOT about the Jonas Brothers, it's about Tim Tebow, and I believe that he is one of the most upstanding and selfless men I've heard of in one LONG time. It's very refreshing to hear and my prayers go with him.
7-25-2009 @ 1:14AM
hunny1989 said...
well, the jonas brothers are not kids. one is the same age as tim and the other is very close in age. that is two out of three who are adults. they never tossed their purity rings, as you suggest. they choose not to talk about it because they have been sustained so much mockery from mentioning them in the first place.
i know this is not about them, i was just pointing out how easy it was for everyone to doubt and make fun of them once they mention their vow of abstinence and how i noticed that for the most part everyone is praising tim and mentioning what a great christian guy he is. something that the jonas brothers rarely experienced.
7-25-2009 @ 9:31PM
slim36 said...
How the media and other choose to respond to your choice is totally up to them. I commend anyone for standing for what they believe in this world where ANYTHING goes! You can see wht happens to all those who have made other choices. Even though Majic Johnson sems to be doing fine. He paid for the excitement he had in his early days. He sings a different tune now.
7-24-2009 @ 2:21PM
etirps said...
It is obvious by their comments that most of the people here are immature boneheads or over-the-hill jocks who checked their brains and their morality in their jock straps!
Here is a kid who is a credit to himself, his family, his community, and his university. But we still have the idiots whose laughably dinky little penis is still bigger than their brain. Out of pure, unadulterated jealousy, they have to make fun of their betters.
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7-24-2009 @ 2:24PM
instantalarma said...
Clay Travis = Perez Hilton
What an embarrassment. I hope you dont really think you are a journalist.
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7-24-2009 @ 4:26PM
homestudio3 said...
Tebow is the best and he's gonna drop 1/2 a hundred on more teams this year ..GO GATORS
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7-24-2009 @ 4:54PM
marcbarc said...
i wont ask about his virginity and why so dont ask about anyone elses sex lives its as simple as that...sex is private whether you proclaim it or not....I know gay people who are virgins and i also know religious people who are virgins, its no bodies business...enough said!
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7-24-2009 @ 6:22PM
yar2009 said...
I think sex is not a private matter. The very community and society we live in is brought about through sex. The irresponsible use of the genrative and unitive powers of sex cost the nation billions and billions each year. The personal cost and harm to children begars the imagination. So sex is not a private matter no matter how much you want to say it is.