Looking For The Pat Boone Of Blogging (Who's Pat Boone?)

First things first: If you don't know who Pat Boone is, he's a nice conservative, Christian, white boy who in the 1950's who covered the hits by black artists like Fats Domino and Little Richard. Record companies decided that white America wasn't ready for the black folk, so the great white hope was sent out to make the soul hits more.....honkeyesque.

But that was in the 1950's. Today with all of the different information outlets opened up, people have stopped trying to force feed people what they think you want to hear, right?

Wrong.

University of Colorado officials decided to create a blog profiling a member of the Buffs football team. They settled on senior defensive back Ben Burney who would blog about the life of a CU football player throughout the season. I thought it was a great idea.

Then Burney wrote his first blog entry. Shockingly, college football players sleep with women.

Burney began his blog with a story of waking up next to a woman in bed and lamenting the fact that the fun filled college lifestyle was about to end with the start of football season. He mentioned a tear-stained goodbye to his libido as the regimented life of a disciplined football player was starting up.

Apparently that was the wrong way to talk. Burney was pulled off the blog and had his only entry censored.

Why?

Are there fans out there so happily unaware that they think college football players don't have sex? Please.

Censoring Burney just shows that the CU folks who wanted to blog about the life of a football player didn't actually want us to hear about the life of a football player. They wanted us to hear about tackling drills and ankle taping. Seen it. Lived it. Not that interesting to talk about.

I can only guess people were worried that some eight year old Buffs fan might read Burney's blog and have their world turned upside down which would lead to angry parents giving negative attention the football program. Instead, officials have taken what could have been an original cynosure that looked into the real life of college football players and cut it's legs off.

Now all that blog represents is the people in charge at CU aren't ready, or don't think we're ready for reality. Instead, they might as well just blog about Tim Tebow some more.

It's just like the 1950's.

Enough Please

I have nothing against college quarterback and world savior Tim Tebow. He's a great player and natural leader who has a nose for the goal line. Off the field, he seems to be a genuinely nice guy who does good things in the world and won't be arrested for playing with firearms at two a.m. in front of a strip club.

But I'm begging people to please stop talking about him as this sui generis being sent from the football heavens to grace us. The more articles I read about Tebow's greatness, the more I dislike him.

Tebow himself has done nothing wrong (apparently ever), but from the moment he announced he was returning for his senior season, Tebow has overshadowed every other part of the college football off-season.

Heisman trophy winner Sam Bradford is returning for his senior season? Who cares, let's talk Tebow!

Colt McCoy has returned to help Texas avenge last year's BCS debacle with Oklahoma? Whatever, Timmy Tebow is still around!

USC might get busted for a legion of NCAA violations? Let's see, does Tim Tebow live in California? Then forget about it!

Do I sound like some bitter college fan who is just jealous? Probably. I don't begrudge Tebow his off-season in the sun, I just don't like the fact that he suddenly seems to be bigger than college football. It's as if the game has never seen anyone great before.

Remember Matt Leinart, Herschel Walker, Archie Griffin, Billy Sims? All were amazing college players who won Heismans and championships. Tebow is college greatness, but he's far from unique.

By now you've all heard of how Tebow is the son of a missionary and spends his off-seasons helping the poor starving kids of third world nations as well as preaching to inmates in prison. Great. I'm glad Tebow is being constructive with his time as opposed to what I did in college which amounted to a quest for alcohol and boobs.

By the way, Arizona State quarterback Samson Szakacsy writes his own music, acts in student films, and writes fashion columns during his spare time. Both McCoy and Bradford give motivational speeches to kids and people down on their luck just as Tebow does. You just never hear about these guys because all you see are stories about TIM FREAKIN TEBOW!

Congratulations Mr. Tebow. You are a good football player and a great human being. I should have nothing against you. But when I see your face in every magazine from Sports Illustrated to Rolling Stone, I can't help but root against you. Please pray for me.