Believe it or not, it’s not just ESPN that is obsessed about Tim Tebow. The (in)famous New York media is already stepping up to the plate with TebowMania and we’re still over 3 months away from the beginning of the 2012 NFL season. Deep within Peter King’s Memorial Day edition of Monday Morning Quarterback was this interesting tidbit about Tim Tebow being covered by the major local papers and just how many words are already being devoted to the world’s most famous backup quarterback.
You see, there were two major stories to develop out of OTA’s for New York’s two NFL teams. The first story was Giants WR Hakeem Nicks breaking a bone in his right foot, putting the beginning of his season in jeopardy. A major injury to one of the leading receivers of the defending Super Bowl champions is major news. The second story was Tim Tebow’s first OTA’s with the New York Jets, throwing two early interceptions and lining up (GASP!) on the punt team. I wonder which story dominated the New York papers. From SI…
I charted the coverage given the two events in the five major local papers Friday — the New York Times, Newsday, the New York Post, the New York Daily News and the (Bergen, N.J.) Record. You can predict the outcome.
Words devoted by the five major dailies to the Super Bowl champions losing their number one receiver, possibly for all of the offseason training and training camp, and perhaps threatening the start of his season: 2,104.
Words devoted by the five major dailies to Tebow’s first practice visible to the media: 6,971.
So 23 percent of the football writing in Friday’s papers in greater New York was devoted to a serious injury to a top player on the defending Super Bowl champions.
It’s Tebowland, baby.
77% Tebow to just 23% Nicks. Each paper averaged almost 1,400 words dedicated to the first Organized Team Activity of Tim Tebow with the New York Jets. 1,400 words isn’t just a blurb in the transactions section either, we’re talking about several columns devoted to Tebow like here, here, and here. Prepare yourselves now, folks, this is going to make Linsanity look like a mid-January game between Winnipeg and Edmonton.
[SI]
