Tebowing

2011Photo fad / gesture memeclassic
Tebowing is a 2011 photo fad where people kneel with one elbow resting on their raised knee and fist pressed to forehead, mimicking NFL quarterback Tim Tebow's signature prayer pose.

Tebowing is a photo fad from late 2011 where people drop to one knee, place an elbow on the raised knee, and press a fist to their forehead, mimicking NFL quarterback Tim Tebow's signature prayer pose. Created by Denver native Jared Kleinstein after Tebow's dramatic comeback win over the Miami Dolphins on October 23, 2011, the trend exploded within days, drawing comparisons to planking and briefly becoming one of the most recognizable internet gestures of its time. Time magazine ranked it the fifth-biggest meme of 201112.

TL;DR

Tebowing is a photo fad from late 2011 where people drop to one knee, place an elbow on the raised knee, and press a fist to their forehead, mimicking NFL quarterback Tim Tebow's signature prayer pose.

Overview

Tebowing involves getting down on one knee, resting one elbow on the raised knee, and pressing a clenched fist against the forehead4. The pose mimics a prayer stance, loosely resembling Rodin's *The Thinker*4, and the whole point was to strike the pose in random, incongruous settings. Office cubicles, grocery stores, the Colosseum in Rome, underwater. The more out of place, the better.

The official definition from Tebowing.com put it simply: "to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different"1. Creator Jared Kleinstein was careful to frame Tebowing as non-denominational, insisting it carried "no necessary affiliation with any religion or movement other than [Tebow] himself"2.

Tim Tebow, the devout Christian quarterback known for publicly praying before and after games, was photographed in his signature kneeling pose as early as December 20104. But the meme-worthy moment came on October 23, 2011, when Tebow led the Denver Broncos back from a 15-point deficit in the final five minutes to beat the Miami Dolphins 18-15 in overtime10. After the win, Tebow dropped to one knee in prayer amid the post-game chaos.

That same Sunday night, 24-year-old Jared Kleinstein and a group of Denver-raised friends living in New York City photographed themselves in the same pose outside the Sidebar bar2. Kleinstein posted the picture to Facebook, where it picked up an unexpected number of likes and comments1. The next day, he purchased the domain Tebowing.com and launched a Tumblr blog dedicated to the pose4. The first non-friend submission came from someone at Occupy Chicago1.

Origin & Background

Platform
Facebook (first photo), Tumblr / Tebowing.com (viral spread)
Key People
Jared Kleinstein, Tim Tebow
Date
2011
Year
2011

Tim Tebow, the devout Christian quarterback known for publicly praying before and after games, was photographed in his signature kneeling pose as early as December 2010. But the meme-worthy moment came on October 23, 2011, when Tebow led the Denver Broncos back from a 15-point deficit in the final five minutes to beat the Miami Dolphins 18-15 in overtime. After the win, Tebow dropped to one knee in prayer amid the post-game chaos.

That same Sunday night, 24-year-old Jared Kleinstein and a group of Denver-raised friends living in New York City photographed themselves in the same pose outside the Sidebar bar. Kleinstein posted the picture to Facebook, where it picked up an unexpected number of likes and comments. The next day, he purchased the domain Tebowing.com and launched a Tumblr blog dedicated to the pose. The first non-friend submission came from someone at Occupy Chicago.

How It Spread

Within 48 hours of the site's October 25 launch, Tebowing.com racked up over 175,000 visitors. By October 27, the fad was covered by Yahoo Sports, HuffPost, NFL.com, Bleacher Report, and the New York Daily News. That same day, Tebowing trended on Twitter in the United States.

Tebow himself endorsed the trend on October 27, tweeting: "#Tebowing - to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different. Love it!" He also retweeted his favorite Tebowing photos, including one from a child undergoing chemotherapy who wrote, "I'm Tebowing while I'm chemoing". Teammate Von Miller posted his own Tebowing photo from the Broncos locker room.

Photos poured in from the World Series stands, the set of *The Biggest Loser*, Major League Soccer goal celebrations, and locations around the world. The Wall Street Journal ran a feature headlined "The Godfather of Tebowing Tells All", and Kleinstein told the paper that Tebowing was "safer than planking" since there hadn't been any known injuries.

The trend jumped from the internet back onto the football field on October 30, when Detroit Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch sacked Tebow and then Tebowed over him. ESPN commentators Tony Kornheiser and Jemele Hill debated whether Tulloch had gone too far, with some seeing it as mockery of Tebow's faith. Kleinstein defended Tulloch, arguing that since they never attached a religious label to Tebowing, the gesture was fair game.

How to Use This Meme

Tebowing is straightforward:

1

Drop to one knee (either one works)

2

Rest your elbow on the raised knee

3

Press your clenched fist against your forehead, head bowed slightly

4

Hold the pose while someone takes a photo

Cultural Impact

Tebowing crossed over from internet novelty to mainstream cultural moment within its first week. CNN covered the trend within 48 hours of the site launching, and every major sports network followed. The Wall Street Journal, HuffPost, IBTimes, and Bleacher Report all ran features on the fad by October 27, 2011.

The trend tapped into the broader "Tebow mania" gripping the NFL, where debates about the quarterback's faith and football ability dominated sports media. Kleinstein drew a comparison to the Denver Broncos' iconic Mile-High Salute celebration, noting that while both gestures gave fans a way to unite, "Tebowing allows a non sports fan to identify with a cause".

The trademark battle added another layer. Tebow's decision to legally claim "Tebowing" was unusual for athlete-meme interactions, and his stated intention to direct any proceeds to charity through the Tim Tebow Foundation softened potential criticism.

Full History

The fad landed at a moment when Tebow was the most polarizing figure in American sports. A former University of Florida standout who led the Gators to two BCS National Championships, Tebow was the first underclassman to win the Heisman Trophy. During the 2009 BCS Championship Game, he had painted "John 3:16" on his eye black, prompting 92 million Google searches for the Bible passage. By the time he was starting for the Broncos in 2011, he was already a lightning rod for debates about faith, talent, and celebrity in sports.

The ESPN angle of the meme took a different form. On October 31, 2011, ESPN writer Bill Williamson published a skeptical article about Tebow's abilities as a passer. The comments section erupted into a viral game of its own, with readers flooding the post with "X > Tebow" comparisons, naming everything from Netflix to dial-up modems to Rebecca Black's singing career as "better than Tebow". The article drew over 5,000 comments and spawned the Twitter hashtag #OccupyTebow, a riff on the Occupy Wall Street movement then sweeping the country. A dedicated @OccupyTebow Twitter account appeared.

By mid-November, Tebowing photos were being submitted from every imaginable location. People Tebowed in ambulances, in front of Rome's Colosseum, and underwater. The IBTimes noted the fad had "taken over office spaces, airports, sidewalks and beyond". Kleinstein told reporters that after two and a half months, the site had received 20,000 photograph submissions and logged 20 million page views from 2 million unique visitors.

On December 13, 2011, the Global Language Monitor announced that "tebowing" had been accepted into the English language, tracking its citations across the blogosphere, major media outlets, and social platforms. While the GLM isn't an official dictionary authority, the recognition drew coverage from Yahoo Sports and other outlets.

The peak came on January 8, 2012, when Tebow threw an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 in the NFL playoffs. Twitter recorded 9,420 tweets per second related to the play, breaking the platform's record for a sports event and surpassing Beyoncé's pregnancy announcement at the 2011 MTV VMAs, which had generated 8,868 tweets per second. The record was covered by the Mercury News, Mashable, and NBC.

Pittsburgh mayor Luke Ravenstahl Tebowed as part of a bet with Denver's mayor following the Broncos' playoff victory over the Steelers. Robert Downey Jr. struck the pose at the Oscars. Time magazine named Tebowing number five on its 2011 list of "Top Ten Memes".

Tebowing even made it into scripted television. The South Park episode "Faith Hilling," which aired on March 28, 2012, featured Tebowing prominently in a plotline about the dangers and absurdity of memetic trends, including a graphic educational video showing people dying while Tebowing on train tracks.

On October 9, 2012, Tebow was awarded the trademark for "Tebowing" after a legal dispute with two fans who had sought to trademark the name themselves. Tebow explained that he wanted "to control how it's used, make sure it's used in the right way," and said any future profits would go to his charity, the Tim Tebow Foundation.

Fun Facts

The first Tebowing photo submitted by a stranger (not one of Kleinstein's friends) came from Occupy Chicago.

Tebow's favorite submitted photo was from a child undergoing chemotherapy who captioned it "I'm Tebowing while I'm chemoing".

Kleinstein said the best place to Tebow in the world (other than next to Tebow himself) would be "in Antarctica, with a polar bear".

Kleinstein said he wanted to see Moses Tebowing, "because then it would've been added into the bible, meaning it probably would be published in Websters dictionary rather than just Urban Dictionary".

Tebow's January 2012 playoff touchdown pass generated 9,420 tweets per second, beating Beyoncé's pregnancy announcement for the record of most tweets per second during a single event.

Derivatives & Variations

"X > Tebow" comments

After ESPN's Bill Williamson article questioned Tebow's passing ability, thousands of commenters flooded the piece with "X is greater than Tebow" jokes, naming everything from Netflix to dial-up modems[6].

#OccupyTebow

A Twitter hashtag and account that emerged from the ESPN comment phenomenon, riffing on the Occupy Wall Street movement[4].

Tulloch Tebowing

Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch's on-field Tebowing over a sacked Tebow on October 30, 2011, which sparked a media debate about sportsmanship and religious mockery[3].

South Park's "Faith Hilling"

The March 2012 episode used Tebowing as a plot device in a broader satire of photo fad memes, alongside fictional trends like "Faith Hilling" and "Taylor Swifting"[13].

Frequently Asked Questions

Tebowing

2011Photo fad / gesture memeclassic
Tebowing is a 2011 photo fad where people kneel with one elbow resting on their raised knee and fist pressed to forehead, mimicking NFL quarterback Tim Tebow's signature prayer pose.

Tebowing is a photo fad from late 2011 where people drop to one knee, place an elbow on the raised knee, and press a fist to their forehead, mimicking NFL quarterback Tim Tebow's signature prayer pose. Created by Denver native Jared Kleinstein after Tebow's dramatic comeback win over the Miami Dolphins on October 23, 2011, the trend exploded within days, drawing comparisons to planking and briefly becoming one of the most recognizable internet gestures of its time. Time magazine ranked it the fifth-biggest meme of 2011.

TL;DR

Tebowing is a photo fad from late 2011 where people drop to one knee, place an elbow on the raised knee, and press a fist to their forehead, mimicking NFL quarterback Tim Tebow's signature prayer pose.

Overview

Tebowing involves getting down on one knee, resting one elbow on the raised knee, and pressing a clenched fist against the forehead. The pose mimics a prayer stance, loosely resembling Rodin's *The Thinker*, and the whole point was to strike the pose in random, incongruous settings. Office cubicles, grocery stores, the Colosseum in Rome, underwater. The more out of place, the better.

The official definition from Tebowing.com put it simply: "to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different". Creator Jared Kleinstein was careful to frame Tebowing as non-denominational, insisting it carried "no necessary affiliation with any religion or movement other than [Tebow] himself".

Tim Tebow, the devout Christian quarterback known for publicly praying before and after games, was photographed in his signature kneeling pose as early as December 2010. But the meme-worthy moment came on October 23, 2011, when Tebow led the Denver Broncos back from a 15-point deficit in the final five minutes to beat the Miami Dolphins 18-15 in overtime. After the win, Tebow dropped to one knee in prayer amid the post-game chaos.

That same Sunday night, 24-year-old Jared Kleinstein and a group of Denver-raised friends living in New York City photographed themselves in the same pose outside the Sidebar bar. Kleinstein posted the picture to Facebook, where it picked up an unexpected number of likes and comments. The next day, he purchased the domain Tebowing.com and launched a Tumblr blog dedicated to the pose. The first non-friend submission came from someone at Occupy Chicago.

Origin & Background

Platform
Facebook (first photo), Tumblr / Tebowing.com (viral spread)
Key People
Jared Kleinstein, Tim Tebow
Date
2011
Year
2011

Tim Tebow, the devout Christian quarterback known for publicly praying before and after games, was photographed in his signature kneeling pose as early as December 2010. But the meme-worthy moment came on October 23, 2011, when Tebow led the Denver Broncos back from a 15-point deficit in the final five minutes to beat the Miami Dolphins 18-15 in overtime. After the win, Tebow dropped to one knee in prayer amid the post-game chaos.

That same Sunday night, 24-year-old Jared Kleinstein and a group of Denver-raised friends living in New York City photographed themselves in the same pose outside the Sidebar bar. Kleinstein posted the picture to Facebook, where it picked up an unexpected number of likes and comments. The next day, he purchased the domain Tebowing.com and launched a Tumblr blog dedicated to the pose. The first non-friend submission came from someone at Occupy Chicago.

How It Spread

Within 48 hours of the site's October 25 launch, Tebowing.com racked up over 175,000 visitors. By October 27, the fad was covered by Yahoo Sports, HuffPost, NFL.com, Bleacher Report, and the New York Daily News. That same day, Tebowing trended on Twitter in the United States.

Tebow himself endorsed the trend on October 27, tweeting: "#Tebowing - to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different. Love it!" He also retweeted his favorite Tebowing photos, including one from a child undergoing chemotherapy who wrote, "I'm Tebowing while I'm chemoing". Teammate Von Miller posted his own Tebowing photo from the Broncos locker room.

Photos poured in from the World Series stands, the set of *The Biggest Loser*, Major League Soccer goal celebrations, and locations around the world. The Wall Street Journal ran a feature headlined "The Godfather of Tebowing Tells All", and Kleinstein told the paper that Tebowing was "safer than planking" since there hadn't been any known injuries.

The trend jumped from the internet back onto the football field on October 30, when Detroit Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch sacked Tebow and then Tebowed over him. ESPN commentators Tony Kornheiser and Jemele Hill debated whether Tulloch had gone too far, with some seeing it as mockery of Tebow's faith. Kleinstein defended Tulloch, arguing that since they never attached a religious label to Tebowing, the gesture was fair game.

How to Use This Meme

Tebowing is straightforward:

1

Drop to one knee (either one works)

2

Rest your elbow on the raised knee

3

Press your clenched fist against your forehead, head bowed slightly

4

Hold the pose while someone takes a photo

Cultural Impact

Tebowing crossed over from internet novelty to mainstream cultural moment within its first week. CNN covered the trend within 48 hours of the site launching, and every major sports network followed. The Wall Street Journal, HuffPost, IBTimes, and Bleacher Report all ran features on the fad by October 27, 2011.

The trend tapped into the broader "Tebow mania" gripping the NFL, where debates about the quarterback's faith and football ability dominated sports media. Kleinstein drew a comparison to the Denver Broncos' iconic Mile-High Salute celebration, noting that while both gestures gave fans a way to unite, "Tebowing allows a non sports fan to identify with a cause".

The trademark battle added another layer. Tebow's decision to legally claim "Tebowing" was unusual for athlete-meme interactions, and his stated intention to direct any proceeds to charity through the Tim Tebow Foundation softened potential criticism.

Full History

The fad landed at a moment when Tebow was the most polarizing figure in American sports. A former University of Florida standout who led the Gators to two BCS National Championships, Tebow was the first underclassman to win the Heisman Trophy. During the 2009 BCS Championship Game, he had painted "John 3:16" on his eye black, prompting 92 million Google searches for the Bible passage. By the time he was starting for the Broncos in 2011, he was already a lightning rod for debates about faith, talent, and celebrity in sports.

The ESPN angle of the meme took a different form. On October 31, 2011, ESPN writer Bill Williamson published a skeptical article about Tebow's abilities as a passer. The comments section erupted into a viral game of its own, with readers flooding the post with "X > Tebow" comparisons, naming everything from Netflix to dial-up modems to Rebecca Black's singing career as "better than Tebow". The article drew over 5,000 comments and spawned the Twitter hashtag #OccupyTebow, a riff on the Occupy Wall Street movement then sweeping the country. A dedicated @OccupyTebow Twitter account appeared.

By mid-November, Tebowing photos were being submitted from every imaginable location. People Tebowed in ambulances, in front of Rome's Colosseum, and underwater. The IBTimes noted the fad had "taken over office spaces, airports, sidewalks and beyond". Kleinstein told reporters that after two and a half months, the site had received 20,000 photograph submissions and logged 20 million page views from 2 million unique visitors.

On December 13, 2011, the Global Language Monitor announced that "tebowing" had been accepted into the English language, tracking its citations across the blogosphere, major media outlets, and social platforms. While the GLM isn't an official dictionary authority, the recognition drew coverage from Yahoo Sports and other outlets.

The peak came on January 8, 2012, when Tebow threw an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 in the NFL playoffs. Twitter recorded 9,420 tweets per second related to the play, breaking the platform's record for a sports event and surpassing Beyoncé's pregnancy announcement at the 2011 MTV VMAs, which had generated 8,868 tweets per second. The record was covered by the Mercury News, Mashable, and NBC.

Pittsburgh mayor Luke Ravenstahl Tebowed as part of a bet with Denver's mayor following the Broncos' playoff victory over the Steelers. Robert Downey Jr. struck the pose at the Oscars. Time magazine named Tebowing number five on its 2011 list of "Top Ten Memes".

Tebowing even made it into scripted television. The South Park episode "Faith Hilling," which aired on March 28, 2012, featured Tebowing prominently in a plotline about the dangers and absurdity of memetic trends, including a graphic educational video showing people dying while Tebowing on train tracks.

On October 9, 2012, Tebow was awarded the trademark for "Tebowing" after a legal dispute with two fans who had sought to trademark the name themselves. Tebow explained that he wanted "to control how it's used, make sure it's used in the right way," and said any future profits would go to his charity, the Tim Tebow Foundation.

Fun Facts

The first Tebowing photo submitted by a stranger (not one of Kleinstein's friends) came from Occupy Chicago.

Tebow's favorite submitted photo was from a child undergoing chemotherapy who captioned it "I'm Tebowing while I'm chemoing".

Kleinstein said the best place to Tebow in the world (other than next to Tebow himself) would be "in Antarctica, with a polar bear".

Kleinstein said he wanted to see Moses Tebowing, "because then it would've been added into the bible, meaning it probably would be published in Websters dictionary rather than just Urban Dictionary".

Tebow's January 2012 playoff touchdown pass generated 9,420 tweets per second, beating Beyoncé's pregnancy announcement for the record of most tweets per second during a single event.

Derivatives & Variations

"X > Tebow" comments

After ESPN's Bill Williamson article questioned Tebow's passing ability, thousands of commenters flooded the piece with "X is greater than Tebow" jokes, naming everything from Netflix to dial-up modems[6].

#OccupyTebow

A Twitter hashtag and account that emerged from the ESPN comment phenomenon, riffing on the Occupy Wall Street movement[4].

Tulloch Tebowing

Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch's on-field Tebowing over a sacked Tebow on October 30, 2011, which sparked a media debate about sportsmanship and religious mockery[3].

South Park's "Faith Hilling"

The March 2012 episode used Tebowing as a plot device in a broader satire of photo fad memes, alongside fictional trends like "Faith Hilling" and "Taylor Swifting"[13].

Frequently Asked Questions