Tim Tebow’s baseball showcase quickly yielded a contract offer, and it could not be further from what he wanted.
The Bridgeport Bluefish, a member of the independent Atlantic League, has offered the former NFL quarterback a contract to play for the team during the 2016 season.
But the Bluefish are the exact type of team Tebow was trying to avoid, an organization that seems to have cornered the market on ridiculous gimmicks to hype ticket sales.
If you need further proof, just look at their dugout on Friday night when they take on the South Maryland Blue Crabs. The Bluefish “hired” members of wrestling’s NWO — Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and X-Pac (Sean Waltman) — to manage the team for one night.
According to Yahoo, the team has also been managed by Roger Clemens, Ozzie Guillen and Jennie Finch this season.
“Do I think [teams are] selfishly going to want to sell some seats? Yeah. And he knows it,” his baseball trainer, Chad Moeller, said earlier this month. “And that’s why he really hopes [and] wants a team that thinks he can do this, and not just, ‘We’re going to send him to every level and sell a whole bunch of seats and sell a whole bunch of merchandise and we’re just going to have a sideshow.’
“He knows he’s partially a sideshow to start with. But he does want a team that actually thinks this is for real and thinks this is someone that can help us. And he’s going to have to go out and perform and show he can do this. There’s no way to simulate that.”
The Bluefish have already accomplished their goal of getting in the news with their offer, which they surely know will be rejected.
“The Bluefish welcome Tim with open arms,” Bluefish general manager Jamie Toole said in a statement. “The Atlantic League is all about giving players opportunity, and we think Bridgeport would be a great place for him to begin his professional baseball career.”
Tebow, who tried out in front of major league scouts on Tuesday, played three seasons in the NFL with the Broncos and Jets. Tebow won the Heisman Trophy in 2007 and led the Gators to a national title in 2008.
“This isn’t about publicity,” Tebow said after his showcase. “It’s definitely not about money. I took a pay cut to do this. For me, you pursue what you love regardless of what else happens. If you fail or fall flat on your face, and that’s the worst thing that can happen, it’s OK. When did pursuing what you love become such a bad thing? I’ll make all the sacrifices to be the best I can.”