Tim Tebow booed at Yankee Stadium: So what?
Tim Tebow was booed by Yankees fans. Really? Once Tim Tebow plays, New York fans will have something to cheer - or boo - about.
Miami Heat's Dwayne Wade, left, sits beside New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow during the New York Yankees baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium in New York, Sunday, April 15, 2012.
(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
New York
Tim Tebow has work to do if he's going to win over New York sports fans.
The new backup quarterback for the Jets was booed at Yankee Stadium on Sunday night when he was shown on the giant video board — even though he was wearing a Yankees cap.
Sitting in the third row next to the Los Angeles Angels dugout, Tebow cracked a smile and acknowledged the camera. There was a smattering of cheers, but most of the initial reactions were boos.
Tebow was acquired by the New York Jets from Denver in a much-hyped trade last month. He is expected to back up starter Mark Sanchez, even though Tebow rallied the Broncos to the NFL playoffs last season and became a polarizing sensation in the process.
Could it be that fans really like Jet's QB Sanchez that much? Or maybe Sanchez has something to be concerned about.
"I think everybody's mistaken if you think he's just going to go over there and be a Wildcat quarterback or a situational quarterback," Denver Broncos pass rusher Von Miller told NFL.com. "The Tebow that I know is going ... to be able to compete for that starting job."
James Walker at ESPN.com says that it's too soon for curmudgeonly New York fans to give props to Tim Tebow. "You have to earn their respect. No athlete is given a free pass in the Big Apple, and Tebow won't be the exception. He will be cheered on the football field in New York once he helps the Jets win games."
"I didn't get a chance to see him," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said after his team's 11-5 victory. "I would have loved to get a chance to see him and talk to him. I'm sure he'll be back at some point. Obviously he's going to be around a lot more now. But I'd love to visit with him at some point."
Sitting next to Tebow was Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade, also booed when he was shown on the scoreboard earlier in the game. But those boos quickly turned to cheers when Wade held up his Yankees cap.
Wade and the Heat beat the New York Knicks 93-85 Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.