Cross route

90 million.

This statistic was revealed by New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow over a week ago in Cincinnati.  There I sat in the audience of about 500, all packed into the small gymnasium of Cincinnati Christian University, listening as the man I see daily on ESPN sat right in front of me, calm and laughing with his on-stage interviewers.

Every sports analyst, writer, player, and coach has his or her opinion about Tebow, and everyone is sure to make it heard. “He wins games,” “He has no accuracy,” “He’ll never make it in the NFL,” “He’s redefining the position,”: all arguments have been expressed and exhausted.

In Cincinnati, he was asked, “How do you deal with the negative criticism from the media?”

“Negative criticism?” Tebow said with a grin. “Is someone talking bad about me? What did they say?”

Now that I have seen the man speak in person, it is time I throw in my two-cents on the quarterback who has influenced so many.

For one moment, let’s forget football. What has he done as a person who is adamant about his faith? Tebow has been blessed with a gift that has put him in the American national spotlight. He is an anomaly in today’s world because he does not covet this paycheck as an athlete, but uses the opportunity to convey an image of a Christian lifestyle. With so many watching his every move, a genuine man of faith has a pulpit able to reach an audience never before touched. By just living out what he believes, the media has created a mania that shows what it means to spread love unconditionally and use God’s blessings to bear fruit.

Many fear this boldness, as we have been trained to keep our religious views to ourselves in an effort to be politically correct. Tebow is not pushy though, and never intends to force his views upon anyone. He leads only by example, truly a “do as I say, and as I do” figure.

To show the impact he has, Tebow told a story on stage that is also shared in his autobiography, Through My Eyes. During his junior season at Florida University, he began wearing the bible verse Philippians 3:14 below his eyes. In the 2009 BCS National Championship, though, he felt called to change the verse.

After that game, the UF director of public relations later told Florida head coach Urban Meyer that John 3:16 was the highest trending Google search in the country, generating over 90 million searches. These statics made John 3:16 the highest-ranked Google search term over a 24 hour span—ever.

Now, lets remember Tebow again as a football player. A two-time BCS National Championship winner, Heisman Trophy recipient, and AP Player of the Year, number fifteen is, quite arguably, ranked with the greatest collegiate quarterbacks in the history of the game. Yet with all of these honors, doubt circled Tebow before the 2010 NFL Draft had ever begun.

If you define a NFL quarterback by his passer rating, than no, Tebow is definitely not one of the professional elites. Define a NFL quarterback by his ability to win, however, and an argument that rages daily on ESPN First Take is born. Most memorable is Tebow’s statement game on January 8, 2012, of the NFL playoffs, as he threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns do defeat the heavily favored Pittsburgh Steelers.

A new chapter is opening in New York, and many hope he will soon rise to the starting position, prove doubters wrong, and post numbers that may solidify his legacy as a professional.

To me, however, the most important statistic in career is, and always will be, 90 million.

Madson not the first

2012 has brought hope for the Cincinnati Reds.

With an offseason full of trades and free agent acquisitions, the oldest professional baseball team in America has stacked its bullpen and strengthened weak spots in its defense. All is looking bright for the club that made the 2010 postseason and is a favorite to play deep into October this year. An exceptional pick-up for the Redlegs is right-handed closer Ryan Madson, the ex-Philadelphia Philly who last season posted a 2.37 ERA.

            An $8.5 million, one-year contract brought the assurance that Cincinnati needs in the final innings of what they hope will be a successful year.

That assurance fell, along with many hopes for the Reds, on March 20. The hurler found himself not in Goodyear, Ariz., at the team’s spring training facilities, but rather back in Cincinnati consulting with doctors from Beacon Orthopedics. Dr. Tim Kremchek, the team’s medical director, delivered the news that Madson’s elbow ligament had torn off the bone, and would require season-ending (if you can call it that, since it never really began) Tommy John surgery.

            But that, I’m afraid, is sports.

            Athletes every year are signed to multi-million dollar contracts, with teams throwing essentially all they have into what are truly fragile beings. Every dollar spent is a gamble, a chance and a prayer that each tendon, muscle, bone, and brain of every player in the organization will hold together just long enough to win and make back all the money that was spent on the payroll.

            The Reds, on this particular occasion, took a gamble on a sure thing, and that gamble proved to be a tear in an elbow and $8.5 million down the toilet. Not to discredit Madson in anyway, as injuries are a part of sports, but the point here is that every buck that passes hands in professional athletics is one that may or may not bear results. Freak accidents happen, a single hit, pull, or tear can cause the hopes of a year to go down with a painful wince. Athletics is not a business for the certain, but for the hopeful.

            An example closer to home is Peyton Manning. In July 2011, only a few months after undergoing neck surgery to alleviate pain and arm weakness he had dealt with in the previous few seasons, Manning inked a $90 million, five-year contract extension with the Indianapolis Colts.

            As we all know, this “sure-thing” signing of the game’s greatest quarterback proved to be a gamble too great for the organization, as they could not face the consequences of losing.

            The idea of investing so much in human capital is unlike any other business.  Athletics are a field where everything rides on some of the most complicated machines on the planet, ones that can take years to fix or be permanently damaged. What’s more dangerous about these arrangements is the fact that this human capital is not sitting safely behind a desk. No, the employees are paid to put themselves in danger, to push the limits of physical comfort and safety, to quite literally work until they can’t work any more.

            Maybe that is why people are so drawn to sports, why athletes crave the thrill of the game. The simple truth is, it could end at any second. If one thing malfunctions in the human machine, all could be lost. Everything that is worked for, all the time that is invested, it can all disappear, just like that. A tweak, a twist, a break, a tear, and its finished.

            Ryan Madson and the Cincinnati Reds lost this bet with the human body. For the Reds, luckily there are a few weeks to scramble the rotation in an effort to save the season before it even begins. For many, like the Colts, these chances are not as fixable.

            But that is sports, just a hope, a prayer, and gamble in the riskiest capital of all: human beings.

Peyton politics

18.

It is one of the most recognizable icons in all of sports, a pair of numerals whose symbolic nature is surpassed only by 23. The number immediately calls to mind precision, dedication, and prestige.  It carries the weight of a record-breaking career, has proved doubters wrong, and is pictured only in a field of blue and white.

18 is not just a number, not just a jersey. 18 is even greater than just a man.

18 is Indianapolis.

With this kind of representation, how is it possible that one of the world’s legendary sports icons can be allowed to leave the city, let alone be forced out?  Would Peyton Manning, after missing one season due to a series of regenerative neck surgeries, dare be clothed in red, green, or anything but royal blue next season? 

As a fan, this is unthinkable. A legacy will risk crumbling upon exit, a betrayal reflecting that of Mayflower trucks making a 573-mile drive west under the cloak of night.

First, one must look at what Manning has done for Indianapolis to understand why he is more than just an athlete to Hoosiers.  The fourteen-year veteran began his career with the then less-than adequate Colts and has helped to build the franchise into a perennial division champion. Through his arm and his military-style play calling, Manning has connected with players like Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark to make touchdown tandems seem as commonplace as first-down gains.

The quarterback was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2009, along with Super Bowl XLI MVP after beating the Chicago Bears in the pouring rain.  Even more impressively, Manning has lead a sub-par defensive team to win after win, relishing in his role as Father Time as the clock slips away before opponents can capitalize with the ball. The two-minute drill has become less of a challenge for Colts fans and more of yet another opportunity to see Manning carry the team on his back. He has the ability to make decent receivers look like all-stars, with the definition of accuracy spawning from his left hand.

And that’s just for the Colts.

For the city, one of the most noticeable impacts Manning has made is in philanthropic acts. The Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent, as it has been renamed, has been one of the many organizations to receive gifts from number 18. The PeyBack Foundation has been an exemplary organization started by an athlete to provide leadership and growth opportunities for children at risk.

Directly or indirectly, Manning has been an economic boost for the city. Many attribute Lucas Oil Stadium to the quarterback-led franchise’s success, boosting support and tax-dollars given to the project. The stadium has allowed Indy to host such events as the Final Four and the Super Bowl, with more to come in the future. The on-field success has spilled into the city, giving Indianapolis businesses that expectation of winning week after week.

Sadly, the euphoria surrounding Manning and his relationship with the city has come crashing down to reality. Money has reared its ugly head. The duel wages on every second on ESPN as Colts owner Jim Irsay tweets constantly about how “he has to think about the horseshoe first.” Obviously, the medical situation has caused a large amount of stress for both parties, as it should. If Manning can’t do what he does best, is 18 worth the big bucks?

This question, despite what Jim Irsay thinks, is not what should be asked.

The true question is, what is 18 worth to Indianapolis?