While we can question many things about Tim Tebow, the one thing we seem to not be able to question is his mission in life to help others.  Time and again, we have not only seen him do charitable work, but we have also seen him take an active role in things rather than just being the proverbial person who does nothing more than cutting a check.  We heard about it again just the other day:

The Mets excused Tim Tebow from camp two weekends ago so he could attend his foundation golf tournament in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. He wound up raising $2.2 million for children in need. (Photo courtesy the Tim Tebow Foundation.) pic.twitter.com/XO8XRPY6zM

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) March 12, 2018

Not even the most cynical among us can find fault with Tim Tebow the Man as he raises $2.2 million for his foundation which does things to help the mentally and physically challenged.  No, there is no fault with Tebow the Man.  However, what about Tebow the Baseball Player?

We all knew the deal when Tebow first announced his intentions to play baseball.  By and through his celebrity status, he was going to get a chance to play professional baseball, a chance that not even some other professional athletes might have received.  An organization, like the Mets, would be interested in Tebow because he would not only be a positive presence with their young and developing minor leaguers, but he would be a revenue machine.

To a certain extent, he was likely Jimmy Dugan in A League of Their Own.  As Dugan would so eloquently put it, “It was made very clear to me what I’m supposed to do here. I smile, wave my little hat… I did that, so when do I get paid?”

Sandy Alderson has really made no bones about it.  On the topic of signing Tebow, Alderson said, “Look, we signed him because he is a good guy, partly because of his celebrity, partly because this is an entertainment business. My attitude is ‘why not?’” (Newsday).  While Alderson has recently touted Tebow as someone who could one day make the majors, it should still be noted, Tebow was never originally signed to make the majors.

To that extent, Tebow was signed to be a side-show of sorts.  People would pay the Mets money to watch the former Heisman Trophy winner try to play baseball.  They would cheer wildly when he hit that unexpected home run.  They would call and beg for his autograph.  They would be disappointed but not surprised when he made an error or struck out.

If Tebow wants more out of this experience, or experiment, it’s really up to him.

It’s incumbent upon Tebow to show he’s dedicated.  He needs to show us all he’s not just a side show.  He has to show us he is here to be the best baseball player he can possibly be.

While I understood this was a side show, I never doubted Tebow’s integrity in wanting to become a Major League player.  That is until now.

We can argue about his having an offseason job w0rking college football.  We can debate whether his charitable endeavors really stand in the way of him becoming the professional athlete he always wanted to be.

What we should be all willing to agree upon is if Tebow’s serious, he can’t be leaving Spring Training to do work for his charity.  Yes, it is amazing his charity raised $2.2 million.  However, shouldn’t we all ask why this didn’t happen a month or so ago?  This is his foundation, and as a result, you would think he had some say as to when the event would be held.  Someone who was truly interested in his baseball career WOULD NOT have HIS FOUNDATION’s charitable golf outing during Spring Training.

He just wouldn’t.

Then again, maybe Tebow was never truly interested in playing baseball.  Maybe he was just interested in keeping a high profile to help boost his charitable efforts.  In the end, there’s nothing wrong with that.  In fact, you could argue his willingness to subject himself to ridicule and to withstand the rigors of a minor league season with the end game of helping those in need makes him an even better person than we believed.

What we can’t argue is this means he wants to be a baseball player.  Real minor leagues with a real hope of making the majors don’t skip out on Spring Training.