Tim Tebow, Child of Privilege And Evidence For Equal Opportunity
by Andy Hutchins on Dec 13, 2011 4:01 PM EST
in Tim Tebow
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PrintWarning: This post contains politics.
Tim Tebow's been a success at every level of football so far. State titles at Nease High School begat national titles with Florida, which, in turn, begat a first round draft pick and an improbable run of comebacks in the NFL with the Broncos. That's both because he's grown up with almost every advantage an American could want and because he's been given equal opportunity to succeed at almost every juncture; he's a powerful symbol both for how privilege aids everyone and how equal opportunity is what we should strive for.
Did you grow up with knowledge of what a world beyond you was like? Tebow did, as a child in the Philippines and a son of missionaries. As a result, he knew how to interact with all sorts of people from an early age. And his family's certainly not poor, given that they ended up on a massive tract of land in Duval County after returning to Florida post-missionary work.
Did you grow up without the pressures and worries about conventional schooling that Tebow did? Home-schooled throughout his childhood, Tebow got into Florida as an athlete despite reporting an 890 on the SAT, a score that would only barely qualify him for the state's vocational merit scholarship if he were a current prospective student and would almost assuredly not be good enough for admission to UF if he were not an athlete; his 3.5 GPA, though, made up for virtually any SAT score he could have received. Also, Tebow's dyslexia was almost certainly better-suited to home-schooling, considering the flexibility afforded by it.
Did your parents rent an apartment for you to play high school football for a specific coach and offense? Tebow got his shot at Nease by exploiting a loophole in FHSAA by-laws and living with his mother in an apartment closer to Nease, and was only eligible to play for a public school as a home-schooled player because of a rule put in place a decade earlier.
Did you play football with all of the great players Tebow did at Florida? For Urban Meyer 1.0? At a school that has Nike and ESPN and SEC affiliations that made for all sorts of attention and helped you pass on your message to the world?
All of these comprise what we can loosely call privilege, or status that is granted by social class and race and gender and all of the other social constructs that make up our world. And, usually, privilege helps those who have it; Tebow's no exception. But Tebow's made about as much as possible of his privilege and opportunities.
Tebow's experiences with missionary work before college made him a compelling guy, one who would be the subject of an ESPN documentary in high school because of it. He leveraged his prowess as a thrower and a runner into scholarship offers, and chose the school that would both best fit him as a player and best magnify his reach. He got coaching and game-planning tailored to him that helped him succeed, and turned that into two titles and a career of staggering achievements.
I can't remember another player who had a coach brought in to make a college player a better pro prospect like Scot Loeffler was supposed to do for Tebow in 2009, but Tebow even working with Loeffler was a sign that he wanted to do what was necessary to be an NFL quarterback; the hype about that attempt to prepare for the draft was so massive that he was the subject of another documentary, Everything In Between, filmed by the son of one of Florida's biggest boosters, which aired on ESPN and has become another piece of Tebow lore.
And, of course, you know a little bit about what Tebow has done as a pro this year, with wins that are often attributed in part to his grit and inspiration and less frequently noted as results of a lackluster schedule and the improvement of his team around him.
But all that just speaks to one of the fundamental pillars of the Tebow movement: Where there is a will, there's a way. It's a pro-equal opportunity stance, at its core, and Bob Tebow articulated as much when talking about his son's education back in 2006:
"People ought to be able to choose to go where they want to go for whatever reason it is," Bob Tebow said. "We're talking about the basic freedom to pursue happiness and succeed at whatever it is.
"Nobody would put restrictions on a tuba player finding the best tuba program that matches up with their child or finding the best piano program for their daughter.
"People are not dumb; they know that if they find the right place with the right coach, their kids have a better chance at succeeding and learning what they need to learn to advance instead of being married to a program that doesn't fit them."
Tying up equal opportunity and the Constitution's guarantee of the rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is a really potent idea, and one that many who see equal opportunity as a goal for American society to push toward would probably agree with. Those same folks, myself included, would probably disagree that finding the way to play football for a public school is analogous to finding the best tuba possible, but that's where Tebow's privilege and his optimization of opportunity should meet to create a powerful point.
If we give citizens as many privileges possible, and they enjoy equal opportunity to do the things they want, their successes can be dramatic. Just check out Tim Tebow in the fourth quarter.
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More money=More opportunities
I obviously support Equal Opportunity but in my opinion the evidence from Tebow’s life just proves how unequal our society is when it comes to opportunities for people with money and people without.
As you pointed out(home schooled, apt. close to school), even athletes have a better chance to succeed if they come from a family with money. Just like a student has a much better chance of going to a prestigious college and eventually a better job that earns more money and the cycle continues with their kids.
"When you argue correctly, you're never wrong."-Nick Naylor
by Hook85 on Dec 13, 2011 4:29 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
I think you’re on target. I would also add that Bob Tebow is a damn good businessman and Tim is following in his foot steps. We all love the way Tebow plays, but off the field, he is a well groomed marketing machine. The difference between him and his father is that Bob’s audience was churches and donors for his ministry, not millions of sports fans.
mlmintampa
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by mlmintampa on Dec 13, 2011 4:38 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Which one of the reasons
I believe Tebow is so collected. He was taught by his parents to collect his thoughts and point his concepts in a way that point to truth … very well construed sentence development to go with his supreme marketable image.
Tim Brando: Let's head to Gainesville with Coach Will Muschamp who's live on the scene with an exclusive. Coach Boom?
Boom: Gator Watch. The mood is tense; I have been on some serious, serious reports but nothing quite like this. I uh... Whiz... Weis is inside right now. I tried to set up an offense with him, but they said you can't do that he's a live walrus, he will literally rip your face off.
[to the walrus]
Coach Boom: Hey, you're making me look stupid. Get out here, Walrus Weis!
Tim Brando: Great story. Compelling, and rich.
OK, he's a great athlete and I can certainly understand why gator fans adore him.
But have you listened to him speak? He’s an inarticulate goof who speaks primarily in cliches. I’m not saying he’s any worse than most athletes, just don’t let his MANY positive attributes glitter so brightly that they blind you.
I'm just saying
what he says usually is not negative nor can it be construed as such.
Tim Brando: Let's head to Gainesville with Coach Will Muschamp who's live on the scene with an exclusive. Coach Boom?
Boom: Gator Watch. The mood is tense; I have been on some serious, serious reports but nothing quite like this. I uh... Whiz... Weis is inside right now. I tried to set up an offense with him, but they said you can't do that he's a live walrus, he will literally rip your face off.
[to the walrus]
Coach Boom: Hey, you're making me look stupid. Get out here, Walrus Weis!
Tim Brando: Great story. Compelling, and rich.
On that point I totally agree.
He’s a very positive guy, and that is great attribute.
Great post Andy
It’s a tricky balance between having the opportunity and taking it. With Tebow you have someone that’s done both.
I witnessed the Kentucky - Western Kentucky derpfest of '11 and survived to tell the tale
Interesting Article
There certainly is alot to be said for the advantages Tebow was afforded.
As a side note, while I understand this is an opinion piece my bias wouldn’t let me overlook the comment regarding home-schooling, specifically, “Did you grow up without the pressures and worries about conventional schooling that Tebow did?” I was home-schooled through high school and played football for my local public school, though not with the success Tebow did. ;) I have to strongly disagree with the underlying notion that being home-schooled means you have no worries or pressure regarding school. I would say that the pressure on the vast majority of home-school students is equal to if not greater than the public and private school counterparts. The point about Tebow’s SAT scores is irrelevant, take a look at the other public and private school athletes who make it to the college level and there is likely very little difference.
Because I didn't make note of this in the post:
Tebow also reported a 3.5 GPA, which is a rather high number for someone who scored an 890 on the SAT. And that makes me wonder if his academic schedule was less rigorous than the one taken by a typical Florida public high school student. I suspect it was, but I have no way of knowing.
Also, I meant to work the time commitment of the public school student into that. Gotta go back and edit now.
by Andy Hutchins on Dec 13, 2011 8:50 PM EST up reply actions
That’s a good point, but with grade inflation the way it is now I would venture to say that a majority of high school students have that same dichotomy between test scores and GPA. Of course, it could be as simple as Tebow not being as skilled test-taker, in relation to taking the SAT or ACT. My point being it is easy to fixate on Tebow being home-schooled and ignore other possible explanations/reasons for his test scores or GPA. The same can be said of the time commitment, the assumption would be that Tebow minimized his school time and maximized his “football time.” Granted, we don’t have any specific information on what his schedule was like in high school, again, I highly doubt he was outside practicing plays and passing while all of his teammates where locked away in school diligently studying.
by LightingGator on Dec 13, 2011 9:14 PM EST up reply actions
Tebow Academics
First Tebow has a learning disability related to writen information that might explain some of the lower scores.
Second every student at UF has to take selections from core courses, no exceptions.
Third Tebow did take an appropriate major for his future, but it is not one that is very difficult.
Home schooling has to meet certian criteria so you can’t just goof off or exercise, not that his Mom would have let him.
As far as privilage being born in a foreign country does not count for me and I think that he had a typical middle class farm life including all the work that goes with having a farm.
by Barry L Alexander on Dec 13, 2011 10:40 PM EST reply actions
I went to a rival of Nease HS during roughly the same time that Tebow was there.
We heard all sorts of rumors, almost all of them obviously false. The only one that stuck to me was that they didn’t actually live in that apartment. It’s not enough simply to have a residence in district, you have to live there. Tebow’s claimed residence during the school year was that apartment, but I highly doubt they’d bother moving for most of the year just to reside in the zone of a school he didn’t even attend.
I’m no particular fan of Tebow more or less than any other former Gator (although there is still a lingering dislike from the HS rivalry, I admit), but it’s worth pointing out that Tebow was probably the most decent, honest, and down-to-Earth person in the entirety of Nease High School. Apparently the new Ponte Vedra High School is where all the rich kids go now, but back then Nease was like the physical manifestation of monied white privilege.
Unlike Nease, my school had a significant black population, and a number of Nease friends I had made it clear that they would never attend the rivalry game at my school, for fear of being shot or something. At a Nease party, I had it explained to me that my school shouldn’t receive equal funding to Nease’s, because “it’s not like you guys use it, anyway.” One of them tried to argue that a 16 year old getting a BMW for their birthday was entirely normal in America. Another one (she’s now a second year med student — sweet baby Tebow, help us), honestly believed that the average house price in the United States was around a million dollars.
I don’t like how the Tebow’s exploited the homeschool athletics rule, but frankly I’m glad he never went to Nease. That place creates unearned arrogance and privilege like nothing I’ve ever seen.
Oh, come on. Don't leave your uncle T-bag hangin'.
This goes back to equal opportunity
I don’t begrudge Tim Tebow or his family taking advantage of that loophole (but I graduated from a high school in Seminole County a few years before Tebow entered high school). I’m not a parent, but I can imagine that, when I do have children, I would do anything in my power to give them the best opportunity to succeed. Tebow’s parents were in a position to exploit a loophole to allow him to go to a school with a program that helped him succeed, but why shouldn’t other parents be able to send their children to a school with a program (be it athletic, academic, or arts) that gives them the best chance to succeed too? By forcing students without the financial means of escaping it to go to a school based on geography rather than students needs or abilities, the public education system illustrates the inherent unfairness and inequality of a program that takes choice away from individuals and gives it to the government. Would you let a county board tell you where to grocery shop, or service your car? Florida is better than some states at offering magnet programs and school mobility, but any student should be able to seek out the the school that best meets their academic, athletic, and social needs. /endofrant
by NC_Gator on Dec 14, 2011 8:15 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
This comes sort of full circle to my point:
Any student/family should be able to do that. Not every one can.
by Andy Hutchins on Dec 14, 2011 10:01 AM EST up reply actions
But
How do you accomplish that sort of fairness that basically eliminates the family economic status?
Tim Brando: Let's head to Gainesville with Coach Will Muschamp who's live on the scene with an exclusive. Coach Boom?
Boom: Gator Watch. The mood is tense; I have been on some serious, serious reports but nothing quite like this. I uh... Whiz... Weis is inside right now. I tried to set up an offense with him, but they said you can't do that he's a live walrus, he will literally rip your face off.
[to the walrus]
Coach Boom: Hey, you're making me look stupid. Get out here, Walrus Weis!
Tim Brando: Great story. Compelling, and rich.
You can’t eliminate privelage, but you can give underprivileged students a better shot by ending the public education system in it’s current form, and empowering parents and students to find the best school for their needs. You can do this with vouchers, charter and magnet schools, or some combination of these. In many parts of Europe, their public education money is granted to the school the student chooses to attend, rather than giving money to a school and telling parents where their child will go. You can’t build up the underprivileged by tearing down the privelaged, but you can level the playing field by removing obstacles that keep them from succeeding — even if those obstacles are purported to help or protect them.
by NC_Gator on Dec 14, 2011 1:32 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
empowering parents
Parents are the result of roughly 50% of the problems with schooling here in the United States. The other 50% is unions, tenure … that kind of like.
And yes, I’m fully qualified to speak on such matters in case anyone wanted to wonder or ask.
Editor at Alligator Army.
All you can do is open the door, you can’t make people walk through it. All else being equal, if Tebow’s parents weren’t as active in putting him in a position to succeed, Andy wouldn’t have cause to write such a great post.
by NC_Gator on Dec 14, 2011 2:27 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I agree about parents
And I get the concept of allocating the money to school the student/family chooses. My next question is what is the obstacle to stopping this?
Coach Boom: Emperor Palpatine, I mean Saban, when I get to Florida who should I get to run my offense?
Emperor Pal ...err Nick Saban: Charlie Weis is better. He goes in first and screws the offense. Mike Shula is better. He leaves the fanbase devoid of hope and life. Oh, really, fool? Really.
[Notices Kerwin Bell walking up.]
Nick Saban: Stop looking at me, Bell.
You can do this with vouchers, charter and magnet schools, or some combination of these.
To some, it already seems a little unfair that public taxes are currently going to private schools because of vouchers and Charter schools. Also most private schools deal with religion so that creates another issue. The theory is, “Most of our kids go to public school, so why are you taking away our tax dollars to fund a private school?”
In many parts of Europe, their public education money is granted to the school the student chooses to attend, rather than giving money to a school and telling parents where their child will go.
I think the evidence shows that vouchers lead to parents choosing independent schools over public schools. So that goes with the issue above about taxes and how federal dollars should be spent.
"When you argue correctly, you're never wrong."-Nick Naylor
Charter schools are iffy. Most of them do nothing but fraud the taxpayers.
Editor at Alligator Army.
by FlaGators on Dec 15, 2011 8:30 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
but why shouldn’t other parents be able to send their children to a school with a program (be it athletic, academic, or arts) that gives them the best chance to succeed too?
The reason the way it is now is to actually help equal opportunity. The lower class students would all end up going to the local school, while the privileged students would all go to the best school in the county.
"When you argue correctly, you're never wrong."-Nick Naylor
I've always wondered how the narrative would have been different had Tebow simply gone to one of the private HS in Jax.
Obviously, he couldn’t have been home-schooled or maybe he could, I’m not sure where or how the bylaws are written. I do know that we had a member of a public HS compete with our HS team in a sport that was not offered at their respective school (but they had to do some paper work).
Would this have shattered the image of poor missionaries son? Seeing Tebow at Bishop Kenny, Bolles, or Episcopal would have just made him into another privileged white kid?
The Tebows were not stressed for money while their children were younger (not even going to comment on them now with Tims contracts and the advertising/prosthelytizing he’s brought to his parents charities). So they did what they saw would be best for him and his athletic future.
Please do not take this as any sort of attack on the Tebows. They do a lot more good for the world than I can currently hope to complete myself. They have sacrificed parts of their lives and their own safety to try to help those less fortunate. And for that, I am in awe. But Presidents/Chairpersons of most charities are not in the same boat as those they help. I know a local President of a charity who sent multiple kids to private HS, UF, and now has them on the company role to the tune of $60k+ the day they graduated. It’s hard to be blunt and call nepotism or that they aren’t handling the donations in the most effective way because it’s a well respected and well received charity around town. No one wants to be the one to point to corruption, but I guess I’ve had a weird experience when my church had to run a former pastor out on rails for skimming off the top.
...I can count my years in scars...
If we give citizens as many privileges possible, and they enjoy equal opportunity to do the things they want, their successes can be dramatic.
But we can’t just give people opportunities “just for the hell of it” or because “hey, they might make something of it”
Sometimes, privileges are earned. It’s just like going to college. College is a privilege…NOT a right.
Editor at Alligator Army.
Sometimes, privileges are earned. It’s just like going to college. College is a privilege…NOT a right.
College is a right, if you earned it. But not all who earn it have the opportunity to take advantage of it.
I think ECFIVESTER is asking the right question
How do you accomplish that sort of fairness that basically eliminates the family economic status?
Like I said in another thread, I wont go into all that.
"When you argue correctly, you're never wrong."-Nick Naylor
Very good post Andy
I enjoyed reading it.
Listen to them, the children of the night. What sweet music they make.
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