Guess you gotta cuss to be successful?!?

I was reading a story at lunch today about Tim Tebow, the Florida freshman quarterback playing in the NCAA Football championship game tonight against Ohio State. Within the story is one key section that was so irritating on many levels.

"There is the small issue of how competitive one can really be in football without blurting out the occasional cuss word. Tebow doesn't, so do teammates take him seriously? His father, Bob, is an evangelist. Tim was born in the Philippines, where he has been the past four summers with his family helping orphans.

Bob asked God for a son, after four daughters, to carry on his ministry. Touchdown! In a divine sense. Obviously there is a reason Tim throws more passes than he accepts on those beer-less nights out.

"You have to have faith in everything you do," Tim said, "playing football out here for God."

Meyer smiled.

"I haven't heard him cuss yet. I'm sure we'll get one out of him before he's done."

I spent many hours on the football field in high school and college and can attest that, yes, cussing does happen (it happens at my place of employment too). But I can't figure out where in the football guidelines it says you have to cuss to be competitive. Whose "issue" is it the writer is referencing anyway??

The player at Alabama who lead me to Christ in 1979, Steadman Shealy, was as good a player at Alabama as you will ever know. Ask any Bama fan who he is and they know. Steadman went 34-2 as a QB, won a national championship in 1979. While he wasn't perfect (who is??) he was an absolute class act on and off the field, which didn't include cussing during my year around him. Now he is a lawyer... and still doesn't cuss I'm sure!!

I've heard this argument before way back in the 1980's (and hints in recent years) with my beloved Astro's. The team had several Christian players and the sports writers and pundits started to bad mouth the team as weak and lacking drive since there were so many 'religous' people on the team. Hogwash, those teams were competitive and very successful. The current ownerAstros owner, Drayton McLane, is also an outspoken Christian. He doesn't hire only Christian ballplayers but he does have a clubhouse standard he expects, class and a sense of pride in yourself and your organization.

Tebow's current coach shows no class, in my opinion, when he states that "he's sure he will get one out of him", the one referring to a cuss word. Why in the world would the coach want something like that?? He's probably kidding around when saying something like that but a reporter loves stuff like that and will spin it how he wants to.

Go Tim Tebow, knock down the opposing defenders tonight, help them up then pat them on the fanny and head back to the huddle

You have a fan for one night this year.