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Poll: 43 percent of people think Tebow’s success is due to divine intervention … including 54 percent of Republicans

Jan 12, 2012, 11:04 AM EDT

109 Comments
Wild Card Playoffs - Pittsburgh Steelers v Denver Broncos Getty Images

So it’s come to our attention that you’ve been taking this Tebow-divine intervention thing seriously all this time? Sigh.

Noticing a Tebowing craze that’s swept the world and the fact that the Broncos are still alive in the playoffs, the folks at the survey company Poll Position decided to find out exactly how many folks think that Tebow’s success is indeed due to the Lord’s intervention. Their findings.

Among those aware of the Tebow phenomenon, 43% said they believed divine intervention was at least partly responsible for his success. Forty-two percent disagreed, and 14% expressed no opinion.

Yep, more people (among those aware of Tebow) believe that God is influencing NFL games than don’t believe. But here are some interesting breakdowns of the survey:

The numbers fluctuate greatly with the age of the respondent. But when it’s broken down between races, 50.5 percent of African Americans said yes to divine intervention, to only 37.1 percent of Caucasians. And a whopping 81.3 percent of Hispanic respondents answered yes, God has a headset.

And among Republicans, 54.2 percent think God helps Tebow win. Among Democrats, it’s 38.2 percent.

Oh, and men are less likely (40.6 to 46.8) than women (46.4 to 37.3) to think that God has a Tebow poster on his wall.

Meanwhile an ESPN poll rated Tebow as America’s favorite athlete: the quickest a pro athlete has ever topped their survey.

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Poll: 43 percent of people believe that Tim Tebow’s success is due to divine intervention [Sportress of Blogitude]

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109 Comments (Feed for Comments)
  1. budshot - Jan 12, 2012 at 6:06 PM

    This statistic, in a nutshell, is one of the biggest things wrong with this country. With all of the billions and billions of problems going on in the world, with a universe of over a trillion galaxies with countless stars and planets, 54% if the people (polled) in this country thinks their god chooses to intervene in a football game and make one millionaire athlete the focus of all attention. I guess 54% also believe that they should pray to a piece of toast or a potato chip when the image of Jesus appears on it.

  2. play4blood - Jan 12, 2012 at 6:27 PM

    43% of americans are complete imbeciles. Hmph. I thought the number would be higher.

    • tricwhyte - Jan 12, 2012 at 8:30 PM

      It is higher. Some atheists are complete imbeciles too.

      • tricwhyte - Jan 13, 2012 at 2:21 AM

        Hey, why are you giving me a thumbs down?? ;-) I was just supporting what play4blood was saying. It simple math. Like he said, the number of american imbeciles is higher but clearly the delta has to be made up of atheists otherwise the 43% number would have been higher.

        Not all us atheists are wicked smart. ;-)

  3. captnemo08 - Jan 12, 2012 at 7:05 PM

    All I know is “Men plan, God laughs”

  4. archaictoolhunter - Jan 12, 2012 at 7:19 PM

    if God is really that interested in football my money is on the Saints. Just saying.

  5. marzxyz - Jan 12, 2012 at 7:26 PM

    Ummm…excuse me, but perhaps Tom Brady is real the Chosen One. His regular season record (after 12 seasons, as opposed to Tebow’s 2 seasons) is 120-35 (a winning percentage of .780). For the record, it’s the the highest winning percentage among quarterbacks in NFL history. Brady’s playoff record of 14-5 with 3 Super Bowl victories isn’t too shabby either.

  6. tricwhyte - Jan 12, 2012 at 8:28 PM

    I’m not sure what shocks me more 1) that 43% think Tebow’s “success” is due to divine intervention or 2) that people actually consider him a successful quarterback.

    Statistically he sucks and the only reason why Denver is in the playoffs is 1) their defense got them this far and 2) San Diego and Oakland were more bone-headed in their execution than Denver.

  7. jimeejohnson - Jan 12, 2012 at 8:38 PM

    I get enlightenment from a purple dot, but Tim Tebow had a fantastic high school and college career. He is a Heisman Trophy winner on a two time national college champion. When you separate his personal beliefs from his performance you can better evaluate his contributions to his team.

    • tricwhyte - Jan 13, 2012 at 2:28 AM

      If your focus is on contributions to the team then we should be talking about their defense. If you want to focus on an individual contribution then I’d choose Von Miller over Tim Tebow any day of the week. Fundamentals… And Tebow doesn’t have them.

      Keep in mind that I prefer an offensive focus over a defensive focus but I’m also not blind to reality.

  8. godgambling - Jan 12, 2012 at 8:45 PM

    Poll also found 95% of people think God is betting on NFL games.

  9. dafc0n - Jan 12, 2012 at 8:57 PM

    I doubt that Tebow actually prays for a victory, hearing him speak, he sounds at least mature enough to know that in the grand scheme a win or a loss is comparativley insignificant. But I do believe that he requests divine assistance to maximize to the fullest extent all of his physical and mental capabilities. Obviously he has met with more consistent success than numeric odds would generally allow! I have lived for sixty years and have learned that while all humans are recipients of the Creators common grace, those few, who honor Him with fidelity and obedience, after making request, frequently become the beneficiaries of special grace !!!

    • bitsinmotion - Jan 12, 2012 at 9:10 PM

      Yeah, well I’ve lived 47 years, and you’re full of it.

      • dafc0n - Jan 16, 2012 at 8:10 PM

        WOW ! I’m really sorry you feel this way, let me know how you feel in about a hundred years, if you can get a message to me from where you’re at. THANKS AGAIN !

  10. bitsinmotion - Jan 12, 2012 at 9:01 PM

    Well there must be some reason that a QB who is so painful to watch attempting to throw a football could have success in the NFL. I’m starting to wonder about divine intervention, and I’m an atheist.

  11. luvsheat - Jan 12, 2012 at 9:04 PM

    Tebow may give credit to Jesus and God but it’s not for guiding his throwing arm. Tebow gains confidence from his beliefs and that’s IT!! Anyone who believes that either Jesus or God has time for football is a FOOL!!!!!

  12. rubbernilly - Jan 12, 2012 at 9:04 PM

    At first I thought, “43%? Really?” But then I realized that by definition fully 50% of people are going to fall below “average” intelligence… so…

  13. jcluma - Jan 12, 2012 at 9:19 PM

    This is a logical inquiry, particularly since a huge number of people are skeptical of God’s intervention in our world and believe, to the contrary that, as John Kennedy said at the end of his inaugural address, “God’s work is truly our own.” I happen to be one of those many skeptics. But it is worthy of joking about. When you see someone succeed against all odds, against the establishment know-it-alls, against the sports pundits who HOPE he will fail, against even John Elway who is himself one of those caught in his disbelief of Tim Tebow, then you can understand his huge media spotlight. Mmm… Maybe God really IS the answer here. But remember this: America loves the underdog, the redemption story, the burdened individual who rises to prominance. So whether you believe Tebow has God’s intervention here, it doesn’t matter. He is a genuine, old-fashioned hero. He is a pure true-believer in God, country, and the value of perseverance in the face of overwhelming strife.

  14. mornelithe - Jan 12, 2012 at 9:44 PM

    Just another reason why PED’s (Performance enhancing deities) need to be banned from sports.

  15. Valerie Tarico - Jan 12, 2012 at 9:54 PM

    Is praying before football games cheating? ” . . . what they’re trying to do is to get a twelfth man out there on the field on their side—an invisible guy with superpowers who can play any position, like Mr. Incredible only better because he can go inside the other players and no-one can even see him doing his magic.

    Is that cheating? My friend, Mary, a devoted soccer player with an interest in ethics and law would say no. Praying before games isn’t against the rules, and Mary says you play to the rules. Within the rules, it’s a team’s job to seek every advantage. . . . ” (http://new.exchristian.net/2011/02/is-praying-before-football-games.html)

  16. harbourimages - Jan 12, 2012 at 9:55 PM

    AND these people VOTE!!! I think God better help US, not just Tebow!

  17. framma - Jan 12, 2012 at 10:27 PM

    Apparently, God also loves people who use steroids.

  18. Ben Milano - Jan 12, 2012 at 10:35 PM

    LMAOAROTFL

    He’s a football player who makes millions a year.

    Talent makes him win along with a good offensive line :) – nothing else.

  19. stinkfoot51 - Jan 12, 2012 at 10:45 PM

    George Burns is rolling in his grave laughing his worm eaten ass off. god couldn’t care less about this little marble when she has 100 trillion other inhabited planets in the universe to deal with.

  20. AreYouFreakingSerious - Jan 12, 2012 at 11:13 PM

    Seriously…you’re an adult and you still believe in fairy tales…they should take a poll and see how many people believe in santa claus and the tooth fairy. Grow up people. There’s no god.

    In football (like all professional sports) what you see on TV is the result of professional athletes at their best performing as a team. It’s a combination of good athletics, good couching, and good execution. By the way, I didn’t see Tebow score that overtime touch down. It was his receiver that did all the hard work of fending off two tacklers…geez ppl.

  21. marvelousa - Jan 12, 2012 at 11:14 PM

    I think the kind of people who believe God’s assisting Tebow are also the kind of people who are most likely to respond to a survey like this. You can’t draw any kind of conclusion about statistics among the general population from surveys involving religion.

  22. garyrocktown - Jan 13, 2012 at 12:00 AM

    o.k. msnbc so you put on the headlines 50 something % of republicans but yet african americans & hispanics make up a huge % who think divine intervention is responsible…I thought minorities were mostly democrats who would be the progressive thinkers in your world. I am not being racist I am just laughing at your own silly report with your silly headline. For you clowns that blast Tebow for parading his religion be honest, the media is the one that perpetuates this angle more than anyone. I for one think it is just a feel good story, no more no less. A man defying the establishment in this case an unconventional quarterback succeeding in the NFL when doubters say it can’t be done. Keep on Tebowin’ Tebow till you can’t Tebow no mo’!

  23. 1943mrmojorisin1971 - Jan 13, 2012 at 12:07 AM

    Religious crazies never fail to amaze. If even Tebow doesn’t believe God has a hand in his games then why should anyone else? Ridiculous.

  24. saintsfire - Jan 13, 2012 at 12:25 AM

    Reading some of the replies here it would seem 90% of people online are Athiests, humanists, or something along those lines.

    One of the cheif complaints I see is about starving children. How many of the complainers have donated to organizations that feed the hungry? Do you know in Africa many of the men there have as many children and wives as they can? That isn’t God’s fault. That is the fault of those men with 16 wives and 90 children.

    Free will, God didn’t create Robots, the evil in the world is because men do nothing about it. All this suffering y’all blame God for is caused by men, women, and in some cases childen.

    But I guess y’all would rather be robots than have the free will to CHOOSE whether to do good or to do evil.

    So go have yourself lobotimized, or DO something positive about what you complain about soooo much.

    Y’all want to blame God, but y’all are just too lazy, selfish or plain old dumb, to serve another human other than yourself.

    • rubbernilly - Jan 13, 2012 at 12:12 PM

      The question isn’t just about starving children. Plenty of humanists, agnostics, atheists, naturalists, wiccans, druids, hindus, buddhists, etc., do help with such organizations. Sometimes, of course, the trick is finding an aid organization that isn’t about missionary work that holds a bible in one hand and food in the other.

      Back to the point, though, it’s not just about starving children. They are just an easy touchstone for suffering in the world. I brought up Epidermolysis Bullosa. Look it up. Then tell me that that suffering serves a purpose in the world. Better yet, go tell a kid with that disease why they need to suffer.

  25. framma - Jan 13, 2012 at 12:34 AM

    Saintsfire, it is entirely possible to have a strong faith in G-d and a belief in free will without believing that He cares who wins a football game. I think it trivializes Him to portray Him as someone who is easily manipulated into determining that one team beats another. Many of us here who share my beliefs spend a great deal of money on feeding the poor, providing medical care through the Red Cross or Doctors without Borders, or serving humanity in other ways without buying into superstitious beliefs which diminish G-d and do not exalt Him.

    • rhodefan - Jan 13, 2012 at 10:18 AM

      What’s with spelling God “G-d”? It’s not a dirty word. Is it some kind of code? One thing that will be nice when Tebow’s done, or we finally get tired of all of this, is a focus on the game we love. The Broncos ran the ball down the Pats throat in the first half of the last game. If they control turnovers and just get one good stop in the second half, where most teams get crucified (sorry, couldn’t help it) by the Pat’s O, then this could be a scary game for the #1 seed that hasn’t won a playoff game in 4 years. Yikes, sorry, I started talking sports here.

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