Faith on the Field

Today it is common to see athletes professing their faith on the field and the court, but Tim Tebow has taken this to a new level. Some take knee in the end zone to pray after scoring a touchdown, others point to the sky as they step on home plate after hitting a home run, and others cross their chests before shooting a free throw. All of these examples are designed to give glory to God, but I have always found myself questioning the motives of these athletes.

While preaching about Paul’s letter to the Philippians, David McQueen, the preacher at Beltway Church, used Tebow as an example because he wrote “Phil. 4:13” on his eye-black before the University of Florida’s football game against the University of Alabama. In its perfect form, eye-black is applied in a strip on the upper cheek to prevent stadium lights or the sun from reflecting into a player’s eyes, but Tebow found a way to make it a billboard for his faith.

It is difficult to question the motives of this 6’3”, 240-pound quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner because eye-black is not the only way that he professes his faith. A recent special on ESPN described Tebow’s passionate faith in detail as it followed him on a mission trip to Asia to get a firsthand look at the life of this quarterback off the field. Many will also note how Tebow always humbly acknowledges God’s power in his speeches and post-game interviews.

I find myself critical of on-the-field evangelists because, as an athlete, I am not one to take a knee or point to the sky after making a big play. Some may call it humility, but I simply never felt comfortable doing it. I pray before each game, but I do it standing behind the bench or in the pre-game huddle. My failure to understand the purpose of expressions of faith on the field should not discount its significance in the world today. Because of Tebow’s willingness to put “Phil. 4:13” on his cheeks, some young kid now has a good role model to look up to, and some grown man dusted off his Bible to see what Phil. 4:13 was:

I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.