Friday, March 23, 2012

Dunce Cap Award: Pat Robertson

Rev. Pat Robertson, host of the long-running 700 Club, has been making headlines in recent years for all the wrong reasons, and the latest example of his being out-of-touch has netted him a Dunce Cap.

Commenting on the Denver Broncos' decision to trade QB Tim Tebow to the New York Jets earlier this week, Robertson came down on the Broncos' new signal-caller, Peyton Manning, suggesting that maybe if Manning suffered an injury upon returning to action after missing all of 2011 with a neck injury, it would serve Denver right for trading Tebow away.

This isn't so much Robertson defending a fellow Christian in Tebow, but rather the televangelist again showing his age and letting most of America know that he is out of touch with the world at large. The biggest challenge facing Tebow, who will enter his 3rd NFL season, is adjusting to the relentless media scrutiny in the city without compromising his faith. He doesn't need Robertson, or anyone else, condemning a fellow player just because the team that drafted him displaced him on a whim based on a perceived need to upgrade the position.

At worst, Robertson's comments make Tebow look bad, and paints a very bad picture of Christians in general with some parts of the media. As sports fans, we're rooting for both Tebow AND Manning to succeed in 2012. Manning because he is making a comeback from an injury that would've ended his career had he been playing years ago before all the modern advances in sports medicine. Tebow because he is now playing in the toughest media market in the league, where just about everyone has an opinion, whether they've formed it themselves or they're following the sheep mentality of the scandal-obsessed media.

Once upon a time, when 700 Club was in general syndication----it's been in and out of my local market over the last 30 years---Robertson was a genial host and interviewer. Today, however, he's another one hanging on when he should be passing the baton of his ministry. Picture Vince McMahon with a Bible in his hand, and you get Robertson, let's put it that way. Now, Robertson & McMahon have one other thing in common. Both have gotten Dunce Capped.

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