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Deafening shouts of “Tebow Time” have been silenced, as Jesus switched teams last weekend to hand New England a resounding division win over the Denver Broncos.
The popularity of this catchy alliteration in Australia at this time of year is telling.
Any other month, if you dropped the names Tim Tebow, Eli Manning, or Tom Brady, most Aussies would offer you a blank expression. However when January rolls around, closet American football fans emerge with opinions on every aspect of the game.
In years gone by, an Australian Superbowl hope has sparked interest in the playoffs (think punter Ben Graham). This year, however, there are no patriotic reasons to jump on the bandwagon, and Tebow Time has clogged plenty of Twitter feeds in the lead up to the Broncos’ playoff matches.
With limited live television coverage most of the year, many of us are guilty of getting swept away with the hype in the early parts of the year. But to fans who have followed Tebow’s career from the get go, the two cents contributed from these January devotees can get old fast.
In fact, to a lifelong supporter of any team, it can be more than a little irritating when bandwagon experts try to tell you what’s what. The question that this makes me ask is: when are you truly a follower of a particular, sport, team or even just a player?
I have heard some say that you can call yourself a fan of a side when you can name three players in that team. While I don’t know that the distinction is that clear cut, everyone certainly has an opinion about when a fair-weather fan becomes a full-fledged follower.
Is it when you become a member of a team, or just when you watch more than one game on the weekend? Is it when you’ve stuck with a side when they are consistently left watching on during finals times?
Sure, sometimes this sort of line in the sand can lead to sporting snobbery, something of which I am not an advocate. However, I like the idea of someone having the knowledge to back up their sporting trash talk.
So, watch the Ravens, Patriots, Giants and 49ers gun for championship glory this weekend, but when January rolls around again, pay attention outside of Tebow Time.
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