Tim Tebow has reached the top spot as America’s favorite active pro athlete, according to the ESPN Sports Poll.
The poll is a monthly tally that allows respondents to pick any athlete as their favorite. In the 18 years of the poll, only 11 different athletes have been in the number one position, indicating that maybe Americans aren’t quite as fickle as everyone thinks.
Tebow is only the sixth different athlete to finish number one since 2007. The other five are Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
“To put this in perspective, Tim Tebow rose to the top before the end of his second pro season. It took Tiger Woods three years, LeBron James eight years and Kobe Bryant 11 years,” said Rich Luker, the founder and director of the ESPN Sports Poll. “I think we may be at the front end of a new era in sports stars.”
Tebow was picked by 3 percent of those surveyed, putting him significantly ahead of Kobe Bryant (2 percent), Aaron Rodgers (1.9 percent), Peyton Manning (1.8 percent) and Tom Brady (1.5 percent), who represent the top five.
Also – four NFL quarterbacks in the top five also speaks to the ongoing popularity of the NFL as America’s favorite sport.
