Tim Tebow and the "Are you a virgin" question

What would you ask a Unitarian?

 

Why can't you make up your mind?

 

Dollar says the word "jihad" wasn't mentioned in questions at SEC media days. Just a hunch.

 

To pretend that Clay Travis' giggly question for Tebow was some kind of enlightened practice of "journalism" is a joke. (As Ty Webb said, the fact he asked it in the radio room, rather than elsewhere, is telling.)

It's not our job to quiz anyone on how closely they adhere to their religion, and it's profoundly disturbing to see that so many very smart people on this board think otherwise. And the idea that anyone would or should interrupt a preseason press conference with Gabe Kapler to ask if he keeps kosher is laughable on its face.

 

I don't know of any religion that has a philosophy of "Go forth and screw the second you have periods or erections." So it's not as if virginity is strictly a big deal for Christianity. So Tebow shouldn't have been an exception to some rule as far as it being our business. Now, if he were active in Promise Keepers or something like that, different issue.

 

It was a legit question when Steve Young was asked if he was going to play on Sunday's.
I'm still not bothered by the question. Given what Tebow has said on previous occasions when asked about his faith.
It seems that people are more bothered by the intersection of sports and religion as it relates to coverage.

 

Steve Young = athlete

"Will you play on Sundays?" = sports question.

Not exactly the same as asking Tebow a personal question.

 

"Hey Steve, you fucked anyone lately?"

 

Let's not pretend Steve Young wasn't beaten up by the media. Hell, he was rumored to be gay because he wasn't married by the time he turned 30.

If you ask 99.99 percent of athletes the virgin question, it's grossly inappropriate. But when UF holds Tebow up like he's the second coming of Christ and trumpets every religious thing he's ever done, he's fair game.

 

If the question were asked in the framework of Tebow talking about his religion, then yes, I think it's more than fair to ask Tebow whether or not he's a virgin. Especially since he put his faith out there on more than one occasion.

Is it a question I would have asked in either the print room or the radio room? Absolutely not. Is it a question I would have asked at all? If the conversation between me and Tebow went in the direction of our personal lives, I wouldn't rule it out.

For example, if Tebow were making a comment about another athlete being caught with a hooker, that would make "are you a virgin" fair game. If I'm doing a preview on SEC football or the Gators, it's nothing more than a passing thought that I do my best to ignore.

 

How does UF hold him up like he's the second coming of Christ and trumpet every religious thing he's ever done? I'm not around the program every day, but every time I've dealt with him and with Urban Meyer, they seem to take the opportunity to answer any questions about religion and public service, etc., but I've never been struck by UF taking the initiative in bringing up those subjects on their own.

Maybe someone who covers Florida can speak to this issue?

 

I wish it hadn't been asked. I'll be honest, I wish we didn't care so much about what Tebow thought other than football, period.

Reading his story in SI this week somewhat annoyed me, because who cares what Tim Tebow's dad thinks about abortion? Because his son can throw a ball?. They actually came off as pretty judgemental, and to be honest, Tebow's not the only 21-year-old college student or athlete who does good things and stays out of trouble, even if seems to think so. Just ask Myron Rolle.