Religion and sports have co-mingled since early civilization. From the first ancient Olympic games to Medieval jousting (where prayer was prohibited lest one should gain an advantage) to the New York Jets. Tim Tebow has arrived.
   It's funny to see that most of the skill that Tebow has, or what he even makes due with, is lost to the public. In its stead, is a hot, white light of religious discussion. Many have gone on to love and support him solely for this reason, and just as equally hated because of it. It gives one to question: why is so much attention being given to him based on religious grounds?
   In a society where cynicism is increasing; Tebow's sign of religious profession is what polarizes people; it has also become popular within the youth culture. This is called Tebowing.

   The public showcasiing of faith is also among the MLB's Latin Players, most famously Sammy Sosa.

   Before the steroid scandal that destroyed his career and his legacy, Sosa was the most popular player in baseball. In his heyday with the Cubs, he was a six-time Silver Slugger winner who was known for his own unselfishness (1998 Roberto Clemente Award winner). According to a 2005 Sports Illustrated article detailing Sosa's return to the big leagues: "attendance at Wrigley Field increased 50% from his first season to his last." And yet as he crossed himself before his at-bats or after his lengthy home runs, he was never as heavily scrutinized as Tebow.

   If one were to look at Census records, the statistical analysis for religious affiliation is ever-present. In today's legal culture, there is ever the emphasis of separating Church and State; this argument cannot be deemed as new. Since the period of the Enlightenment, the issue of how much role religion can play in politics and the legal sphere has been debated, but with the new modes of information which include a twenty-four hour news cycle and the high-speed of internet, the spot light on said debate has narrowed into a white-hot blaze. It would seem that it is a battle between snarky secularists and outraged defenders. It seems that the stats would point likewise as there are a growing number of the non-religious from 14,331,000 (1990) to 34,169,000 (2008). This is far more than Sammy Sosa's time. The population shows that there has also been an increase in the Christian population as well and that they are still the overall majority.
   The increase of the non-religious has always been seen by Christians as a sign of decline; could it be that the secularist movement is the beginning of the end? Has religious tolerance shifted so much since Sosa's prime? Even though the "non-religious" increase probably helps make Tebow a star, the fact that there are so many Christians make it look as though it should be a smaller issue.
   Maybe there is a more broad issue at work than religious divide. In an insightful article by Daniel Foster, circulated by the National Review, he dissects what's at the core. Foster deems Tebow the "last boy scout." It's not so much a religious struggle as it is a skepticism of authenticity. There are many athletes and high-profile people who have thanked God, but all of them seem trite and insincere. People who have celebrated Him, have gone on to disparage His image with their actions (a very human thing to do). Foster final paragraph encapsulates his message perfectly: 

   For the faithful, Easter is a reflection on the life after. It seems that even if it is right to assume that the division between Church and State is widening, there is still a religious zeal. A zeal, which in sports at least, has found a center in Tebow. If anything, at least, it will open the average sports fan to the philosophical challenges of metaphysics and that the worth of a man is in his deeds.