Tim Tebow won’t be speaking at this week’s Republican National Convention.
Despite rumors to the contrary, the former Heisman Trophy winner dismissed any such claims. But for one day — Wednesday — rumors of his impending speech swirled.
And as a college student plugged into a largely liberal network and being fairly liberal myself, the reaction I saw for that one day was overwhelmingly negative.
On Medium.com, for example, a post titled “An Open Letter to Tim Tebow” gained traction. In it, Dan Wunderlich, who introduces himself as a United Methodist Minister and UF alumnus, urges Tebow to reconsider speaking at the RNC.
“While I no longer serve in college campus ministry in Gainesville,” he wrote, “your support of Donald Trump will make the jobs of those who do harder.”
I think he’s got a point there. For those involved in religious work, a Christian as professed as Tebow supporting an antichrist like Trump would make evangelization grueling.
But to dismiss what Tebow — or other athletes, or anyone — has to say just because he supports Trump — or any politician — is shortsighted and unfair.
Compare the reaction to his rumored speech to the reaction that followed the ESPYs speech by NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade calling for social change, specifically against violence. When they did that, the same crowd furious with Tebow was thrilled.
And on some level, I understand why. I, too, am far more sympathetic to the cause of the players than to the conservative causes Tebow was likely to advocate. But that isn't a good reason to tune him out entirely. The hypocrisy of those decrying him while applauding more liberal athletes for "using their voices for good" is astounding.
And yes, there are times when such blockage is appropriate, but just because he was going to speak doesn’t mean he was going to get up there and spew hatred in Trump’s volcanic style. He’s the poster boy of civility. If anyone could make the Republican party sound more grounded, it’d be him. It’s really a shame that he won’t be there because that’s exactly what the party needs.
Now, some might say that even if his ideas are presented civilly, he’s still there to build support for Trump, which is the ultimate sin.
But ignoring him outright because of who his party nominated for president is a grave mistake.
Doing so results in being swept away into echo chambers, where we only hear what we want to hear. And then, when we hear something we don’t agree with, our response isn’t to legitimately consider it, but to consider ways to argue against it.
I do this all the time. Many of you probably do, too. It’s normal.
But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t at least try to resist.
And what better way to do so than by listening to Tebow, who you might not agree with on much (I certainly don’t), but who’s thoughtful enough to inspire contemplation rather than making you feel like a dog that just got scolded.
Again, disagreement might happen. In fact, when it comes to politics, it should happen — regardless of which side you’re on and who you’re talking to. No political party’s views have a monopoly on the truth. I think we often forget that in our echo chambers.
Nevertheless, I find myself siding squarely with the Democrats on most issues. As a result, I really (truly, emphatically) don’t want Donald Trump to be our next president. As freelance sportswriter Jeff Pearlman put it, “Trump is what we’re warned about in history books.”
But that doesn’t mean his supporters — Tim Tebow or not — should immediately be rendered voiceless.
Ethan Bauer is the assistant sports editor. Contact him at ebauer@alligator.org or follow him on Twitter @ebaueri.
Former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow (left) speaks during the SEC Nation broadcast on Sept. 26, 2015, on UF's Plaza of the Americas.
