As football fans can attest, Tim Tebow can run. But will he run?
In a recent interview with Rich Cimini of ESPN New York, the most popular and polarizing backup quarterback in the NFL was asked about a possible future in politics.
"I haven't ruled it out," Tebow told Cimini. "Whatever avenue I feel like I can make a difference in, I'd love to do. I haven't ruled out anything like that. It won't be anytime soon in my future, but it'll be something I'll at least look at and consider one day.
As noted by The Hill, Tebow's answer is a bit more firm than one he had previously given to a similar question asked by David Feherty of Golf Channel.
"I don't know -- it could be something in my future," Tebow said of politics shortly before Super Bowl XLVI. "If it's something I care about, possibly."
Assorted Tebow watchers (as well as anyone considering a future run for office in the quarterback's native Florida) take note, he's upgraded from "If it's something I care about, possibly" to "it'll be something I'll at least look at and consider."
Given how sparingly the Jets have deployed Tebow since acquiring him via trade, who knows how he'll feel about his NFL career by the time that Super Bowl XLVII arrives? Citing an anonymous source after the Jets' season-opening win over the Buffalo Bills, Gary Myers of the Daily News reported that Tebow would want to move on to another team after the season if he cannot supplant Mark Sanchez as the starting quarterback.
Not long after Tebow delivered an Easter sermon to 15,000 in Texas in April 2012, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggested that Tebow "needs to hang up his cleats, peel off his eye-black, put on a suit and begin his second career." Tebow's religious beliefs informed his most political act thus far. He starred, along with his mother, in a commercial for Focus On The Family, a pro-life organization, that aired during Super Bowl XLIV.
"I think he'll run for public office once he's done playing football," Tebow's high school football coach, Craig Howard, told Rapoport. "Look at the disillusionment our public has with our political candidates. He's a kid people trust."
For those wondering, Rapoport wrote that Tebow "could, theoretically, become President" despite being born in the Philippines, as he and both of his parents are U.S. citizens. Reuters conceded that his candidacy could be complicated by his overseas birth when reporting that Tebow topped a poll asking which quarterback would be the best fit in the Oval Office. Of course, there are plenty of offices for Tebow to run for even if he never sets his sights on the White House.
That Tebow could eventually hold public office would come as no surprise to Joshua Green of Bloomberg Businessweek, who has been tipping the Heisman Trophy winner for greater success in politics than football ever since the Broncos selected him with the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.
After watching Tebow deftly handle the New York media during an odd press conference, in which he appeared by himself without coaches or team staff, after being traded from Denver, Green was inspired to write an article entitled "Why Tim Tebow Will Make a Great Politician."
All told, Tebow proved impervious to the most aggressive and adversarial press corp in professional sports and finished the day looking even better than he had when it began. These aren’t just the skills of a talented athlete. They’re qualities that will make Tebow a successful national politician, and—who knows?—maybe one day, a president.
While a run for office is merely something that the 25-year-old would "consider," current politicians have courted him and compared themselves to him as they have campaigned over the past year. Rick Perry went as far as to proclaim himself "the Tim Tebow of the Iowa caucuses.” Seemingly every candidate involved in the Republican primaries wanted his endorsement. Although President Obama was not a huge fan of the Jets' move for him, he recently said that "Tebow seems to be a wonderful young man."
Given his feelings for Tebowmania, perhaps Charles Barkley would finally get rolling on that political career that he has talked about over the years if Tebow were ever to run for office.
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