In a country that puts a huge amount of emphasis on professional sports, it's hard to avoid the excitement caused by Tim Tebow's fourth-quarter heroics.
When a person is in the spotlight as much as Tebow, it's easy to get tired of hearing about him. The media tends to focus on Tebow the football player and often overshadows his philanthropy, which is what makes him a hero.
It's not uncommon for pro athletes to give money to charity or to visit sick children in the hospital, but Tebow has taken his generosity to a higher level. Before every game in the 2011 season, Tebow flew a different sick person and their family to wherever the Broncos happened to be playing. He paid for their hotel and meals, got them great seats, and spent time with them before the game. And when the game was over, win or lose, Tebow walked every family to their car and thanked them for spending their day with him.
On Jan. 8, after Tebow threw a game-winning pass in overtime against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he didn't go out and celebrate with the rest of the Denver populous. Instead, he found Bailey Knaub, a 16-year-old girl suffering from Wegener's granulomatosis, and made sure her and her family were enjoying themselves. In his postgame press conference Tebow focused more on Knaub and how she inspired him, rather than the fact that the Broncos were advancing in the playoffs.
If you've ever seen a postgame interview, you know athletes often come across as arrogant after big wins, so it would have been easy for Tebow to brag about the pass he made or gloat about beating a good Pittsburg team. But Tebow's shout out to Knaub makes it clear that Tebow is special.
His generosity doesn't end with making Broncos fans' dreams come true. He also has a foundation that works to make the lives of disadvantaged children better through various programs. One of the programs funded by the foundation, Timmy's Playrooms, builds play areas in children's hospitals. The overall message of the foundation is, "Bringing faith, hope, and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need."
Tebow also pays all of the salaries of the foundation's employees, which allows for all the money earned to be used to help others, instead of donations being used to fund the foundation.
No matter if you like Tebow or not, his generosity can't be overlooked, and his philanthropy is inspiring. It may be hard to believe in Tebow the quarterback, but it's not hard to believe in Tebow the humanitarian.
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