Could Tim Tebow Become the New, Garbage Version of Bo Jackson?
The exploits of Bo Jackson are legendary. The 1985 Heisman Trophy recipient excelled in a multitude of sports (including collegiate track and field) and was the first athlete to be named an All-Star in two major American sports — football and baseball. So storied was his aptitude in all things physical that Nike built an entire campaign around him called “Bo Knows.”
Never again did we think we’d see an athlete rise to the magical level of Bo Jackson. When would another franchise be stupid enough to lend out one of its top players? Would jaded spectators ever deign to believe that an athlete could be so good without performance enhancing drugs? Sure, we had Michael Jordan’s perfectly acceptable run in the minors and Deion Sanders made it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but we wanted something bigger, grander and Bo-ier.
And now… well, we’re still looking for that glorious athlete. In other news: forgotten praying meme Tim Tebow is going to try his failed hands at a career in Major League Baseball. Tebow’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, had this to say about his client’s newest venture:
“Obviously we support Tim in his pursuit of a baseball career, as we have in all his ventures. … Tim’s athletic ability, his work ethic, his leadership and his competitiveness were evident in football and will show in baseball. Knowing Tim’s passion and desire, we won’t be surprised by anything he accomplishes.”
Hmmm. Suit yourself, Jimmy. We’ll be pretty damn surprised if Tebow even makes it to the plate for a big league at-bat. The guy hasn’t played a professional sport since his stint with the Jets in 2012, and hasn’t played baseball since his junior year of high school. Be prepared to see a lot more of Tebow Tebow-ing, because it’ll take an actual miracle for him to crack an MLB roster.
But hey, we’re the first to admit that sports are always more fun when Tebow’s in the news cycle. Whether he’s pulling off insane last-minute comebacks, doing his best Sly Stallone impersonation, or inspiring Bill Simmons to envisage a fictional Disney biopic called Fourth-and-God, love him or hate him, there’s something about Tebow that’s undeniably magnetic. Whether he crashes or burns on some Double-A team in Iowa, or defies every imaginable odd and hits a walk-off homer to win the World Series, it’ll be pretty absurd to watch.
Bo Jackson, though? He remains untouchable.
