You might think that now that Tim Tebow is through with the NFL, where some mocked him for his open display of Christianity, and playing minor league baseball, he would be free from those mocking his faith.
Last Friday night, as Tebow’s Columbia Fireflies played in Charleston against the Charleston RiverDogs, the RiverDogs targeted the man whose strong Christian faith is exemplified in many ways, including his Foundation, which annually hosts Night to Shine, a prom that has invited as many as 75,000 high schoolers with special needs to go to a prom.
Here are some of the ways Tebow was targeted:
They played the “Hallelujah Chorus” every time Tim Tebow came up to bat Friday night.
Charlie, the RiverDogs mascot, continually “Tebowed,” mocking Tebow’s tradition of kneeling and thanking God when he scored a touchdown, dating back to his Heisman-winning days at the University of Florida, where he won two national championships.
Not only that, but Charlie wore black patches under his eyes with “John 3:16” written in white, something Tebow did in college.
As The Post and Courier noted:
During Friday night’s game, the giant video screen in right field read “Not Tim Tebow” every time a batter stepped to the plate for the Fireflies, the New York Mets’ Class A affiliate. And behind the picture of the player, the RiverDogs displayed the picture of Tebow crying after his Gators lost to Alabama in the 2009 SEC Championship game. Also, the announcer would call for a strikeout when Tebow came up to bat and encourage applause when a strike was called against him.
You would think Tebow would get more respect, especially since the three games he played in Charleston were sold out.
Dave Echols, the general manager of the Charleston RiverDogs, apologized later, telling The Post and Courier:
While we believe that our promotions were poking fun at Mr. Tebow’s celebrity status rather than his religion or baseball career, our intent was not to offend anyone, and for the fact that we did offend, we are sorry. … Of the many promotional pieces that we executed, there were a handful on Friday’s game that some construed as in poor taste, and we made it a focus to remove those elements and celebrate Mr. Tebow the remainder of his time in Charleston.
