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Flattening Tebowmania: Czech Newspapers on Tim Tebow This paper compares and contrasts newspaper reporting on Tim Tebow in US and Czech media, with the goal of introducing the phenomenon of "tebowmania" and highlighting its potential for cultural studies, in particular studies of contemporary American popular culture and sports. While in the United States Tim Tebow, an American football quarterback, has been causing turmoil, nation-wide frenzy and strong backlash at the same time, Czech newspapers – both serious newspapers and tabloids – have only managed to pick up and point out mere pieces of the discussion surrounding this larger-than-life figure; have flattened and simplified Tebow's impact on American culture and even politics. In today’s America, Tebow is not only a quarterback – position, which many experts and fans doubt he is really capable of playing – but also a role model and a scapegoat. His open proclamations of Christian faith, his strong belief in God's providence, his charity work, work ethic, achievements at college and professional level, and questionable quarterbacking skills have fueled a phenomenon referred to as "tebowmania". Rather than a show promoting a Christian and a football player, "tebowmania" stands for a complex phenomenon closely related to Tebow, the player and person, yet also a phenomenon encompassing, propelling, and distorting discussion on some of the most pressing cultural and political issues in contemporary USA: religion, especially Christianity, and its role in American culture, in particular sports; Protestant work ethic, racial equality in the National Football League, marketing, abortion and gay rights, and an emotional debate on values in modern American society. Tim Tebow embodies, symbolizes and reflects these topics through his beliefs, deeds, and behavior.
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