Those who believe that Tim Tebow’s baseball career is a giant publicity stunt have just received a huge new round of ammunition to support their theory.
Tebow signed with the New York Mets on Thursday, and the team announced that he would be assigned to the instructional league. However, general manager Sandy Alderson acknowledged that Tebow was not giving up his ESPN analyst gig, and thus would not be available for his baseball career every day.
Sandy Alderson acknowledges that Tim Tebow won't be available every day in instructional league because of Tebow's ESPN broadcasting job
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) September 8, 2016
ESPN on Tebow “Tim is committed to his role @SECNetwork and ESPN this fall. (full statement below) pic.twitter.com/ufx7Zdl9Vl
— Gracie Blackburn (@Gracie_ESPN) September 8, 2016
Even more glaringly, on Thursday’s edition of The Herd, Colin Cowherd claimed that ten teams offered Tebow a contract, but he joined the Mets because they were the only one willing to let him continue doing his TV work.
“Ten teams offered Tim Tebow a contract,” Cowherd said, via Kyle Koster of the Big Lead. “You’re hearing it here first. Ten teams were interested in Tim Tebow. Only one team — the New York Mets – was willing to let Tebow also do some television work.”
I would like to give Tebow the benefit of the doubt here. He has a contract with ESPN, and perhaps he simply couldn’t get out of it for financial reasons or otherwise. Perhaps the Mets really are fine with it. But how can anyone take Tebow’s baseball career seriously if he’s treating it like some sort of second job?
Here’s ESPN analyst and former MLB pitcher Dallas Braden reacting to that tidbit.
Wonder how the kid who doesn't get to go to instructs feels about Tebow breaking down a defense as opposed to taking hacks or fly balls…
— Dallas Braden (@DALLASBRADEN209) September 8, 2016
I have been generally indifferent with regards to Tebow’s attempt at a baseball career thus far. He probably won’t ever make it to the majors even if he does give it everything he has, but he’s well within his rights to give it a shot if he wants to. That said, baseball is a difficult sport, and it’s even more difficult when you haven’t played in a decade. Does Tebow expect us to take his efforts seriously when it appears that he isn’t doing so himself?
The only thing one can glean from this is that Tebow simply isn’t totally serious about a baseball career. He’s not even willing to fully commit to it, despite his insistence that he’s all in. He’s not. Actions speak louder than words, and making it a point to go to a team that allows him to split commitments indicates that he’s either not all in or he simply has little faith in the endeavor to work out. Maybe it’s not actually meant to be a publicity stunt, but when you look at it, it really does reek of one. The accusations that he’s disrespecting the game by trying to take a shot at it are still a little over the top, but it’s a bit disrespectful to treat a full-time sport like this and expect to be rewarded for it — if that’s even what Tebow is trying to get from it, that is.
