Broncos Takeover: Sun Life Stadium Becomes “Mile High South”
By Editorial Staff
By Vaughn Carter
The Miami Dolphins are 0-5 and the Denver Broncos are 1-4, but this week the game is more about one man running than two teams playing.
Tim Tebow comes home to Florida and you can expect a large contingency of both Broncos fans and Tebow followers to invade South Florida when the two teams meet. The Dolphins rank 29th in the NFL in overall attendance and rank 4th with the worst overall average game day attendance, not to mention the team is currently winless this season. Nevertheless, this is not a normal week in South Beach. Broncos and Tebow supporters will be out in record numbers.
Because of the ideal weather in sunny Florida, fans of other NFL teams looking to experience a road trip to see their team play, often choose Sun Life Stadium. Conveniently located, good seat availability and the stadium’s non-hostile environment, makes this week prime for another invasion.
Tim Tebow, a native of Florida has just been named the Broncos starting quarterback, and in the same week he is starting his first game of the season in Florida. If what has been described does not move you, possibly this will. The Miami Dolphins are honoring the 2009 BCS National Championship Florida Gators football team this Sunday and guess who the star of that team was? Yes, Tim Tebow.
Tebow is a mega star, so big that you don’t have to like the Broncos or football to have heard the name. He is a Heisman trophy winner, a two time National champion in college football, and a very likeable guy. He has an image. He has given countless hours of community work in which he provides not only financial support, but his actual presence. He is tirelessly on display giving back on numerous occasions. As if his efforts were not enough, he has built a children’s hospital in the Philippines. All this and he has only played just beyond one season in the NFL.
The media has labeled his popularity “Tebowmania”
Although he appeared in a commercial during the 2010 Super bowl, has never played in a Super Bowl game. Tebow, who only has three starts under his belt as an NFL quarterback, has had the most sold jerseys of any NFL player since his entrance into the league in 2010, and he has barely touched the field.
Tebow’s image has gained even more credibility when he was visited after a game in Denver by legendary rock star “Bono” of the legendary group “U2.” Bono said that he wanted to meet Tebow and commend him on his off-the-field efforts. It seems as though everyone is pulling for Tebow, a kid who lives by playing hard. He has taken the sports world by storm, and has a following that is unprecedented in any sport to date, all of which will add to making this game, this weekend in Miami, almost like a home game for the Broncos.
The stage is set. Tim Tebow will have his first start of the year and Broncos fans and Tebow supporters will be out in record numbers. For one week it’s not “Sun Life Stadium.” It’s “Mile High South.”
Let the Tim Tebow era begin!
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