01/19/2012 The Jersey Girll, Aubrey Beem

My article about my grandson that I had planned for this week will have to wait. There’s something more urgent right now; something I feel very strongly about.
Even my own mother said I had to do it – my first controversial column.
Some will love it, some will hate it, and I promise you will read all about my precious grandson next week.
OK, here goes.
Why do people love to hate Tim Tebow?
I watched the Bronco vs. Steelers game in awe, but then was astounded and disappointed the next day by the comments I heard or read such as, “he’s a fake,” “he got lucky,” “he thinks he’s the greatest player there ever was,” “he’s a punk” or “he’s full of himself.”
What? Are we talking about the same guy? 
In 2008, I went with my dad and my youngest daughter, Alicia, to see the Gators celebrate their National Championship. A rather unknown young man stepped up to the microphone and began to speak about life, about his family and about his God. It was quite a show. All I saw was goodness. All I still see is goodness.
Is he the best quarterback there ever was? Of course not.
Is he one of the best? I have no idea.
All I know is that he strives for perfection and tries to live a “good” life and he loves God. Isn’t that all we really need to know?
Let’s not forget, this is a very young man we’re all talking about. This is also his first full year starting in the NFL, and he’s from Florida. Can’t we all just try to like him?
In a country where our leaders and our mentors are sometimes on drugs and often cheating on their wives, isn’t this a refreshing change?
You won’t read about Tebow doing these things; he’s an all around good guy. He helps under-privileged children all over the world, he treats people with respect and kindness and he believes in God. End of story.
Are people threatened by his faith? Does it make people uncomfortable to see him kneel and pray the way it does when mothers choose to breast feed in public? What are we scared of anyway? Is it so hard to believe that he could really be sincere? Or have we become so jaded and so cynical that this guy must have an agenda?
When somebody acts different or gets too much positive attention, people are pretty quick to hate. Is it fear or jealousy or just disbelief?
We all want our children to have role models. Do we want them to look up to a person like Tim Tebow or do we want them to worship Kanye West? How about Jerry Sandusky?
I’m sure many still worship Tiger Woods and trying to separate his private life from his professional. We make excuses for the John Edwards’ of the world.
No excuses needed for this young man.
Ninety-four million people read a bible verse because Tebow wrote it in his eye black.
The Steelers-Broncos game was the most watched wild-card game since 1988.
He inspired 9,420 tweets per second post-OT touchdown.
Even though Beyonce and Jay-Z had their baby the same night, more people were interested in Tebow and what he stands for.
This is all positive news.
Even if you aren’t a fan of the NFL, you can still find inspiration in him.
I know there are plenty of good guys out there.
Drew Brees, John Travolta and Steve Jobs come to mind, and yes maybe the media is making too much of this guy. But that’s what sells and you can’t fault him for that.
I bought my granddaughter a Tebow Broncos jersey for her birthday. She already has his Gator jersey. I’m more than happy that she loves him, too. If your child says they want to grow up and be just like Tim Tebow… well, that’s a good thing.
Like Paul McCartney, another man I admire, once said, “Let it be, people.”
Just let him be.