The NFL's Tim Tebow 'John 3:16' Story Revisited
1 of 6 - Great stories often require introductions. Here we set the stage regarding one of the most memorable episodes in recent NFL history.
In our previous post, we teased an NFL moment so uncanny it appeared to defy chance. That’s synchronicity: the perception of meaningful, non-random coincidences and patterns that defy explanation.
This is the NFL story, and the only time that a captivated American public took synchronicity seriously. If you feel you know the background story well enough, I begin the two-part synchronicity presentation here. Otherwise, for what follows there, the essential background details are here.
Micro Syncs / Macro Syncs – Changing the Terms of Engagement
NFL stadiums are a far cry from Carl Jung’s quiet office, where a beetle tapped on his window at exactly the right moment. Jung’s story is famous because it’s an example of personal synchronicity, which we’ll call micro syncs. We’ll call synchronicities that manifest in public settings macro syncs. In this post, I will mention some of the ways that this micro-macro distinction changes how we debate synchronicity.
For example, if a micro sync story becomes too rich, many skeptics dismiss it outright, on the grounds that no outsider can confirm the "alleged" details. That’s a fair concern, but one that often doesn’t always apply to macro syncs. Our first case study is a stellar example. It concerns two very well-known public events. One took place on January 8, 2009, in Miami; the other on January 8, 2012, in Denver. There’s nothing “alleged” about them.
Subjective vs. Objective Meaning
Skeptics often call synchronicity subjective. That’s easy when talking about micro syncs. Macro syncs are different. In the public realm, meaning can often be objectively established because it involves the group mind.
Objective (group-level) meaning is rarely controversial. However, it is comes to our first case study’s central data point. Therefore, it’s critical to clarify what we mean by “objective” meaning, as that applies to macro syncs.
Our first case study centrally involves a biblical passage, John 3:16.
As noted before, readers’ opinons about this biblical passage will vary. Those opinions are all subjective. We’re focused on the 'objective' fact that John 3:16 is a specific Bible passage, independently of how people feel about its meaning and relevance.
Here are more objective facts that should be mentioned for the benefit of readers who might not know: First, John 3:16 is one of the most well-known and significant verses in the Bible. Rather than being any random Bible verse, it is widely seen as a concise distillation of Christianity’s core message: God’s love for humanity and the promise of eternal life through belief in Jesus Christ. Third, the passage is attributed to Jesus, who describes himself as God’s Son in a nighttime talk with Nicodemus. Another point that should be mentioned, given where our next two posts lead—whether one believes it or not—is that many Christians see Jesus as an all-powerful being who is active in their personal lives, at the ‘micro’ level.
These facts about John 3:16 are rock-solid examples of what we mean by “objective” meaning. It simply doesn’t work to say these examples of John 3:16’s group-level meaning are subjective. Each of the claims mentioned can be easily confirmed by a casual reader. There’s no need to rely on biblical scholars. This reflects our approach in general. Here, we work with only the most basic and accessible facts, because such objective facts can be easily confirmed without expert input.
On that note, let’s turn to the first case study’s two main events.
Event A: Miami, Florida January 8, 2009
Shortly after the turn of the millennium, the Tebows, a family of Christian missionaries, moved from the Philippines back to the USA. They settled in the state of Florida, where one of their children, Timothy, became a star football player.
Tim Tebow quickly became known for his larger-than-life presence, love of football, and devotion to Jesus. He graduated as the state of Florida’s top player and chose to attend the University of Florida. He became an impact player immediately and nationally famous by the time of his second year, when he became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy, awarded to college football’s best player.
By then, it was clear to everyone that Tim Tebow wasn’t just about football. His passionate devotion to Christianity was another hallmark—one that attracted considerable controversy. This was underscored in his third year, when he began wearing a biblical passage on his eye black—specifically, Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” True to form, some people loved Tebow’s outspoken faith. Others believed such religious expressions had no place in football. From the very beginning, Tim Tebow proved to be a magnet for controversy—even among the faithful.
The Promise
Meanwhile, the Florida Gators started to win, win, win. Their one loss came relatively early in the season, after which Tim Tebow apologized to the entire Florida Gators fan base on national television. In what became known (and later enshrined) as “the Promise,” Tebow vowed that he and his teammates would try their very hardest for the remainder of the season.
Florida went undefeated for the rest of the regular season, during which time Tebow kept wearing Philippians 4:13 on his face, and not without controversy. On December 6, 2008, the Gators faced the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2008 Southeastern Conference championship game. As Tebow waited in the tunnel before the game, as he later explained, he had a most unusual thought:
“Why not wear John 3:16 on his face?”
Tebow decided he would do that if his Gators defeated Alabama, thereby earning the right to play in the national championship game.
That’s exactly what happened.
Event A: Miami, Florida January 8, 2009
On January 8, 2009, Florida faced the Oklahoma Sooners in the NCAA title contest. Tebow surprised many football fans by showing up with John 3:16 on his face. He went on to lead the Gators to victory in a performance that earned him the Offensive Player of the Game award and even more attention. This was the only time Tebow wore John 3:16 in his college career, and the social impact was undeniable. Over the next 24 hours, about ninety million people looked up John 3:16 on the internet.
Our first event becomes the act of Tim Tebow wearing John 3:16 in this particular game at this particular time and place. This is Event A.
By the time of this event, 33 days had passed since the Alabama game.
There’s more rock-solid objective meaning, to what we were saying in the previous post.
For those who might not know, according to mainstream Christianity, Jesus of 'John 3:16 died at the age of 33.
Much to the delight of Gator fans, Tim Tebow announced that he would return to college for his senior year. It was another highly successful season for Florida, although they did not win the national championship. Throughout the season, Tebow continued to put Bible phrases on his eye black, but this time he changed them every game. Tebow’s football connection to John 3:16 appeared to be a one-off. Hindsight, they say, is 20/20—a truism worth noting for what follows
From the time he began playing at the University of Florida, many pundits and fans felt certain that he wasn’t cut out for NFL football. This controversy followed Tebow throughout his time as a Gator, during which time his teammates voted him MVP for three consecutive seasons. Controversy seemed to follow Tim Tebow everywhere he went. A few weeks after his final bowl game, word got out that he would be appearing in a Super Bowl ad with his mom. A lot of people didn’t like that and tried to have it cancelled.
On to the NFL. Two months later, the Denver Broncos wound up selecting Tebow in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft.
Once in Colorado, Tebow continued to draw a media spotlight that far outshined his spot on the depth chart. Denver had a starting quarterback, but overall the team didn’t play very well in the 2010 season. As the Broncos kept losing, the calls grew louder to give the miracle worker a chance which, of course, meant making Tebow the starting quarterback.
Those calls grew louder in the summer of 2011—right around the time cat breading took over the internet. Then they grew louder still in mid-September, as the Broncos resumed their losing ways. Tebow had done it again. Just by being himself, he had become one of that NFL season’s main storylines. There was a palpable sense of anticipation about when Tim Tebow would become Denver’s starter—even among those who believed he wasn’t suited for the position.
The big day came in October. Denver’s coach announced that Tim Tebow would be the Broncos’ starting quarterback in their next game, to be played against the Miami Dolphins. A fitting outcome there, although few knew the full picture. Tebow had led Nease High School to a state championship in the same stadium. Dolphin Stadium was also where Tebow won a college national title, at the time of "Event A." As Fate would have it, or chance, or something else, a ceremony had been scheduled to honor those 2009 Florida Gators prior to the start of this Denver-Miami game. Interesting details, since this was the contest that began one of the most memorable story lines in recent NFL history.
As for Tebow’s first start, there are really only a few things that casual readers should know. For most of the game, Denver’s offense struggled, Tebow included. Then, in the final two minutes and forty-four seconds, Tebow and the Broncos began what turned out to be an NFL record-setting comeback.
The miracle worker had done it again.
The Miracle in Miami game set a tone that would last for eleven weeks. Once Tebow became Denver’s starter, the Broncos turned their season around, winning seven of their next eight games after starting 1-4. At times, they won in spectacular fashion; at others, they did so in less graceful fashion. Tebow’s performances followed the same roller coaster pattern. Perhaps the only constant was Tebow’s heart and determination. His performances sparked both inspiration and ridicule. But Denver kept winning, and Tebow maniacs loved it. Tebowing became an international craze, knocking cat memes off the top spot in the meme rankings.
This situation recalls a comment Carl Jung made after telling his famous beetle story: “The more frequently such coincidences occur, the more improbable they become, until they can no longer be dismissed as mere coincidences.” Many people see the same thing happening in their own lives, at the micro level. Unlike individuals, however, NFL fans are not so easy to dismiss. NFL fans know the game—as they knew this drama—better than anyone. They knew the main themes of the Tebow storyline. They understood how Tebow’s ongoing successes continued to extend those themes, and that the overall results, improbably, were unfolding right before their collective eyes. That’s one thing that made this storyline newsworthy: how the results seemed to defy chance.
Jung’s comment surely shared something else in common with what NFL fans noticed during that crazy autumn. Each possible example of synchronicity was different, whether it was a micro sync or a macro sync. As far as chance theory is concerned, this kind of variability tends to favor skeptical interpretations. Outsiders see evidnce that is all over the place, lacking in cohesion.
To all concerned, it seemed like luck had finally caught up with with the miracle worker when the Broncos lost their final three games. Much to the delight of his detractors, Tim Tebow’s roller coaster had come crashing down.
But wouldn’t you know it? Denver made it to the playoffs anyway. They did so based on some win-loss technicality formula—a rather prosaic explanation—just like those three straight losses.
Event B: Denver, Colorado January 8, 2012
The Broncos’ first post-season game was held in their stadium, hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers. They entered the game as 7.5-point underdogs, a significant margin for a home game. Oddsmakers were certain the Steelers would hand Denver their fourth straight loss. The Broncos defied expectations—for fifty minutes. Then they coughed up a ten-point lead. It was so 2011, even though the calendar had flipped to 2012. Fortunately for Denver fans, the Steelers could only tie the game before time ran out. Overtime followed, and then came the moment we’ve all been waiting for: “Event B.”
Here’s the game film. The first 15 seconds are all one needs to see. If you haven’t seen this play or heard of it, know that you are looking at one of the most memorable plays in recent NFL history, and an outcome that - scientifically speaking - literally defies classical science. Then, click here to continue the presentation.
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