Human’s obsession with professional sports is very perplexing. We regularly dish out hundreds of dollars for uniforms, autographs, tickets and spend hours sitting around watching games that have no relevance or consequence to our everyday lives. It is a multi-billion dollar industry which provides with us no tangible service or product, yet is one that is still wildly successful. Many would look upon man’s obssession with pro-sports with pity and view our interest as a psychological envy of those humans superior to us, whether it be on the court, rink or field. However, occasionally a sports story comes along that transcends society, regardless of the sport it takes place in or which team the focal point of the story may be focused on. It is when inspiring tales such as these come about that our obsession for sports becomes all the more understandable. It is stories such as these that give people reason to believe that great change can come about with great effort; it’s a message that we so often need to be reassured of. Tim Tebow and Jeremy Lin are both wondrous examples of the inspiring stories I speak of.
Although each play entirely different sports, the stories of Tebow and Lin are similar in many aspects. Both were looked upon as losers and “band-aids”. Tebow was put in his place with what many thought was the intention to lose games for a higher draft pick. Tebow lost the only four games of his rookie career. Lin had shown absolutely no success at any pro or semi-pro level in basketball before his arrival with the Knicks a few months ago. He was undrafted and a rarity as a player of Asian decent in the NBA. The odds were overwhelmingly against both athletes. Beyond this, both are ultra-religious players who clearly show their faith throughout the course of the game. Both created nationwide followings, with ‘Tebowmania’ and ‘Linsanity’ becoming trending topics.
Tebow and Lin provide a message that transcends not only the sporting world, but also society in general. The point is people beat the odds. They may not be heroes, but they are inspirations. Suffering and let downs are a part of life, and sports do not just serve as an escape from these bumps in the road. Athletes such as Lebron James and Kobe Bryant will have their place in sporting history, but it is the underdogs that give sport meaning. Tebow and Lin prove to us what we long to hear, that greatness is always within reach, and that is why sports will forever remain an important part of our society.
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