Linsanity vs. Tebowmania: No Real Comparrison

With New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin exploding on to the sports scene in the last week, ESP'Lin' and many other media outlets were too quick to compare the young man to Denver Broncos' quarterback Tim Tebow following the NFL season.

'Lin'sane in the membrane

Again, we as a society have fallen prisoner to comparisons. I will be the first to admit that I am as guilty as the media giants, but why can we not just enjoy their impacts each as its own entity? If you examine more closely at the duo's road to stardom you will notice they have more contrasts than similarities.

Recruitment- It starts early on when looking for the differences in this couple. Tebow was rated as one of the top prospects to come out of high school in years. His recruitment was done early and often, and Tebow had the leisure to choose between two football powerhouses Alabama and Florida, going with the latter. Lin, a California native, was unable to garner enough attention from his hometown school and first choice, Stanford, to merit an athletic scholarship.

College Experience- Tebow won two BCS National Championships, was a Heisman Award winner, two-time SEC Champion and All-American, and named to the All-SEC team three times. He compiled a 48-7 record with the Gators and scored more touchdowns than any previous player in NCAA history. He was the king of college football and is considered by some to ever play at the collegiate level. On the other hand, Lin went to Harvard, where more students have become presidents (5) than played in the NBA (3). More impressive is that Lin graduated with a 3.1 grade-point average and a degree in Economics.

Part of the mania, Tebowing took the nation by storm

Draft- Although he was told "no" by experts over and over during the entire draft process, the Broncos traded three draft picks with the Baltimore Ravens and took Tebow in the first round as the 25th player in the 2010 NFL Draft. Lin was not selected in the 2010 NBA Draft. However, he did earn a contract from the Golden State Warriors, who later cut him. After being claimed off waivers by the Houston Rockets, Lin averaged seven minutes a game in preseason scrimmages. He was cut by the Rockets before the start of the sesaon. The Knicks picked up Lin and sent him the the NBDL, the Association's developmental league. If not for injuries to two starting point guards on the Knicks, Lin would have remained the 12th man on the roster of a sub-.500 season.


Christianity- Tebow is the most polarizing figure in sports because of his well-documented, out-spoken faith. He has taken a stand on many controversial topics. Though not given the same platforms as Tebow  has over the last two seasons, Lin has been given standard answers when speaking about his faith. Lin has been very appreciative to God for his talents during press conferences much like many other athletes after recognition.

Lin is the brightest star in NYC... for now

Individual Production- "All Tebow does is win!" Sure he does have miraculous comeback wins over the Dolphins, Chargers, and Bears and he threw the winning touchdown pass in his first playoff game. However, he had 18 touchdowns and 13 turnovers this season, too. I am in no way trying to discredit his wins and good moments (as I have been so often been accused of), but in football more than any other sport the importance of a solid overall "team" is necessary. Tebow did benefit from a ball-hawking defense and the league's top rushing attack. Since moving to the starting lineup that was missing its two superstars, Lin has led the Knicks to 7 consecutive wins and is averaging 24.4 points and 9.1 assists per game.

Undoubtedly, both athletes have defeated the odds stacked against them and taken advantage of a little good fortune thus far in their young careers, but the sample size is too small. The New York media has helped blow Linsanity out of the water, and more than likely, the madness will cool down, unless we have the next Steve Nash on our hands. Tebowmania will unquestionably crank back up as the NFL's summer workouts begin. Regardless, enjoy their performances, personalities, and let Linsanity be Linsanity and Tebowmania be Tebowmania.

*As someone who loves wit, it was incredibly difficult not to use every Jeremy Lin pun I have heard while writing this. You're welcome.

Spending Money for Tim Tebow? Give Me a Break.

Talk about the possibility of paying players participating in NCAA sports is starting to heat up. The argument of paying players is heating me up. A legal pay-for-play scheme will not work in college sports. The recent wrongdoings of USC, Alabama, even a little further back, the entire Southwest Conference, and the current allegations against Ohio State have not shown the NCAA to learn form its mistakes. If a system is ever set up to allowing players to receive “spending money,” there will be no way to control it. May the floodgates be opened and may the highest bidder get all the top recruits and national championships.

There is not enough money to go around. If the NCAA is going to pay players only participating in the money making sports, good luck. I am sure Title IX, the bill that makes sure women athletes and their programs are given the same opportunities as men, will have something to say about the salaries.  Football and Men’s basketball are the only money making sports and allow for the rest of the programs to exist, but imagine having to pay a backup volleyball player as much as the star quarterback, not happening. The proposed system is flawed.

I am sorry the 100% free education you receive when you sign a scholarship is not enough. Denver Broncos QB Tim Tebow was on the Daily Show with John Stewart and he was talking about the hardships he and his teammates had to go through while at the University of Florida.

“It would be nice to have a little extra money so we could buy scooters to get around campus. The kids in school now don’t even have enough money to go eat at Outback.”

Timmy, I am so sorry you are going to have to walk to class amongst the commoners as you are worshiped for being a national champion and Heisman Trophy winner. (You should have signed at UGA. All of their players are given free scooters to get around campus.)  I am sorry the $500 or $1000 handshakes are not enough to get you from week to week. You can’t go eat at Outback with your buddies? The money you do not have to spend on tuition, books, or anything else for school is not enough? Welcome to being a normal college student.  Go in the already paid for cafeteria and live in the already paid for on-campus apartments. In my experiences athlete housing is usually far superior to the mortals housing.

For me and my buddies, going to Cracker Barrel was a real treat. When it wasn't a big night out we frequented Waffle House or McDonald’s. Outback was only an option when parents came to town or you wanted to impress a date. It is part of the experience. Living on nothing and joking about being broke is part of learning to appreciate the first real paycheck you get, especially when the first paycheck is $9.7 million from the Broncos.