In all my years as a fan, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sports writer actually come out and wish for an athlete to fail. Of course, most sports journalists have various biases that influence how they feel about certain players they cover, and some probably deep down wish that certain players perform better than others. Writer Jeff Pearlman, best known for conducting the infamous interview with John Rocker for Sports Illustrated, has taken it too a new extreme, though. In a piece featured on his blog yesterday, Pearlman wrote that he wants Tim Tebow to fail as a quarterback in the NFL as a response to the controversial anti-abortion ad expected to air during the Super Bowl.

Pearlman: “But I want Tim Tebow to fail. I want a team to draft him in the sixth round, then I want him to report to training camp, throw a bunch of dying quails and be cut. I don’t want him physically injured; hell, I don’t even want him to live anything but a happy life. But I want him to fail in the NFL nonetheless, because a famous Tim Tebow is a dangerous Tim Tebow.

Tim Tebow scares me, and—judging from his father’s website, his upcoming Super Bowl ad and mounting knowledge of his way of life—he should scare you, too. Tim Tebow doesn’t play football merely for the joy of the game. He plays football because he wants to spread the word of Jesus Christ. But not merely spread it. He wants you to accept it and, if you don’t embrace it, he wants you to think again about embracing it. And, if you still don’t embrace it, he wants you to think again. And again. And again. If, in the end, you’re still not sold, you will burn in hell. This is not merely Tim Tebow’s opinion—but he knows it, in his soul and heart and mind. Christians who accept Jesus will spend an eternity in bliss. Those who don’t are doomed.”

First of all, Tebow likely will fail in the NFL. He has the all the intangibles, but they will only take him so far. He has terrible throwing mechanics and will need to make some major improvements if he ever wishes to achieve success at his current position. Also, what is Pearlman talking about when he says that a "famous Tim Tebow is a dangerous Tim Tebow." Seriously, Tebow is already one of the most famous collegiate athletes of all time, and I can't imagine that could ever garner much more fame. How dangerous has he been to this point of his young life?

But Pearlman’s motives for wanting Tebow to fail, simply sticking up for his religious beliefs, are ignorant and prejudice. Indeed, for a writer who seemingly gets on his high horse when it comes to all political issues, he really comes off as a bigot. Rooting for a 21-year-old kid to fail because he doesn’t share the same worldview and religious views as he does is entirely misguided. Now, I’m not saying that I agree with Tebow’s stance on the abortion issue. And, unlike Jemelle Hill seems to think, Tebow isn’t some hero for deciding to participate in the commercial. He's legitimately standing up for what he believes in, though, regardless of what his critics say.

Pearlman really just comes off as a total elitist prick. Like Tebow, he has the right to the freedom of speech. And just because I disagree with this column, and for good measure Pearlman's take on the steroid issue and Pittsburgh Pirates' front office, doesn’t mean that I want him to fail as a writer. For someone who deeply cares what people think about him, he sure knows how to piss people off. Jack Rackels would be wise to put Jeff Pearlman in his next Jackass of the Day feature.