Faith Matters: Tebow's Influence on HS Football Players

Even though his team lost to the New England Patriots on Saturday, Tebow mania is still alive and well especially in the hearts of young people. Tim Tebow's devout faith and beliefs have also won him tough critics. Some don't believe him, others say it's just too much and on a football field no less. But for players at Arkansas Baptist High School they say Tebow's critics help their faith matter even more.

Just before Tim Tebow won the Heisman, he was quoted as saying, "When I'm walking down the street I want when people see me to see that there's something different about this guy he has a relationship with Jesus Christ."

And in the eyes of some players at Arkansas Baptist High School (ABHS), Tim Tebow is accomplishing that goal.

Ryan Perkins is a senior. He says, "he's in one of the toughest spots you could be in. He's always under the microscope and people are always looking at him to see if he's doing the right thing and he's always living the way that Christ would want to."

These players who admitted they've been practicing their 'Tebowing' also have some skills of their own on. They say how Tebow handles himself under the public eye is teaching them lessons they are taking on and off the field.

Drake Newkirk is a senior. "You hear people constantly just kind of talking down on his skill set and his faith and he just blows it off and he just doesn't care and he's so bold in his faith and it's really encouraging, it encourages me to be bold in faith as well."

Arkansas Baptist High School junior Nathan Rogers adds, "All he's done is win and you can't take that away from him."

About his faith Tebow says, "God gave me the ability to play football. I'm just trying to go out there and honor him with it."

The teens add, it's how Tebow stands before his toughest critics that makes them a fan.

"Anytime you have somebody that's that firm in their beliefs and so grounded in his beliefs I think you're going to have a lot of people that are not believers in what he's saying but just seeing how he stays so firm in his beliefs is really encouraging." said Perkins. Rogers adds, "Gotta learn right now to be firm and to not back down."

Arkansas Baptist High School head coach Brad Helm says at a school where Christianity is the foundation, what Tebow does on and off the field helps reinforce what they are already teaching. "These kids are being taught how to be Christian athletes at this school and being able to see a Christian athlete in the public eye as much as he is, it's tremendous for these kids to be able to see that and to kind of use him as a role model."

Newkirk says, "I think it's great that he's so bold in his faith. He doesn't really care what people think about him."