You probably know by now that former college football star, NFL player and college football commentator Tim Tebow—currently a minor league baseball player—is a very religious man.
He popularized athletes wearing “John 3:16” on eye black, and his status as a Christian cult hero has neared miraculous levels.
The Charleston RiverDogs, a minor league rival of Tebow’s Columbia Fireflies, decided to poke fun at Tebow with his religion. They did so by:
- Playing the “Hallelujah” chorus every time he hit
- Putting a picture of him crying on the video board
- Having their mascot “Tebow” and wear “John 3:16” eye black
Some examples:
We're not sure who IS batting, but we're relatively sure it's not @TimTebow. @MiLBPromos pic.twitter.com/EJIk2XfjdZ
— Charleston RiverDogs (@ChasRiverDogs) June 16, 2017
VIDEO: @ChasRiverDogs top @ColaFireflies (and Tim Tebow) 3-0 tonight at The Joe. Charlie T. Tebowing, Tebow bat-flipping, it was a good one. pic.twitter.com/dxhRQm1Ban
— Daren Stoltzfus WESH (@DarenStoltzfus) June 18, 2017
One could imagine that this would not go well in the Bible Belt, and—surprise!—it did not. Subsequently, the team apologized.
Dave Echols, president and general manager for the RiverDogs, said the antics were all in good fun. He said the team has gotten both positive and negative feedback from the weekend.
“While we believe that our promotions were poking fun at Mr. Tebow’s celebrity status rather than his religion or baseball career, our intent was not to offend anyone, and for the fact that we did offend, we are sorry,” Echols wrote in a statement to The Post and Courier.
