As every sports outlet in the world is reporting, the New York Mets signed former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow to a minor league contract yesterday. Tebow last played baseball in high school but worked out for MLB teams last week and showed off some nice athletic ability, notably some speed and power potential. He's also very obviously quite raw as a ballplayer and is already 29 years old. Michael Jordan couldn't make it work and he's twice the athlete Tebow is.
I don't begrudge Tebow giving baseball a chance and it is a low risk move for the Mets; it isn't like they are putting a lot of money on the line here, just a minor league salary, and I suppose it is good publicity for them, sort of a baseball version of media company "click bait."
But I have to admit, the whole thing bothers me. There are dozens of players in independent baseball who have put in the work and effort to earn a shot in organized ball. Tebow gets to jump ahead in the line just because he is famous for non-baseball reasons.
Just another nail in the coffin of the idea that baseball is a pure meritocracy.
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