With a sky-high level of popularity, the sky’s the limit for Jets backup quarterback Tim Tebow.
And lurking among the clouds could be political office.
“I haven’t ruled it out,” Tebow tells Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. “Whatever avenue I feel like I can make a difference in, I’d love to do. I haven’t ruled out anything like that. It won’t be anytime soon in my future, but it’ll be something I’ll at least look at and consider one day.”
Plenty of football players have gotten involved in politics after their careers ended. Few if any enjoyed the mainstream appeal of Tebow, who continues to draw headlines even as his football skills slide (for now) into irrelevance.
Could Tebow eventually be the first former NFL player who becomes president? The fact that he was born in the Philippines to a pair of U.S. citizens could give rise to legal challenges and interpretations.
Then there’s the question of which party he’s join. On social issues like abortion, he’s already made clear his conservative leanings. But one of the most frustrating realities for conscientious Christians is that each party has planks in the platform that mesh with the teachings of Jesus -- and that defy them. (That sentence alone should draw 250 comments.)
Tebow has enough popularity to run, and win, as an independent. Given the unique way his life has unfolded, that could be the path that best suits him.