Before leading his Florida Gators onto the field against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Nov. 7, 2009, Tim Tebow etched the following Bible verse from Colossians 3:23 into his eye black. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” For Tebow, the etching served as a means of personal expression, a vehicle through which he could convey that he served no man, but rather, a divine being.

For religiously devout Tebow fans, the message confirmed what they already knew: One of their favorite football players shared in their relationship with God.

Now preparing to begin his fourth year of professional football, Tim Tebow is one of the most intriguing athletes in sports: On one hand, a leader of men and an outspoken advocate for his religion; on the other hand, a fringe quarterback, who, although likely possessing the skills necessary to compete in the NFL, remained unsigned until earlier this week.

Countless sports reporters and unnamed NFL coaches have suggested that Tim Tebow’s outspokenness regarding his religious convictions left teams reluctant to sign him. Apparently, NFL executives did not want to confront the media circus and the distractions that Tebow inevitably would bring. If this was truly the case, it begs the question, were NFL teams wrong to shy away from Tebow because of his religious beliefs? Should an athlete be punished for publicly airing a set of religious convictions or a lifestyle that they hold dear?

The easy answer to these questions is no. Of course an athlete should not be punished for expressing his or her values. It is interesting to consider, however, what values we as fans truly are willing to accept. It might be easy to say that Tim Tebow’s religious beliefs should not affect his ability to land a job, but what about NBA player Jason Collins’ recent declaration that he is homosexual? Should teams and fans be as willing to accept an openly gay athlete as they are to accept an openly religious athlete? Or how about NFL running back Rashard Mendenhall’s tweet insinuating that the celebration following the death of Osama Bin Laden was inappropriate? Would that tweet be enough to justify an NFL team shying away? Should fans be supportive of Mendenhall’s right to express himself?

Personally, I see both sides. I understand why teams would want to avoid a player like Tebow, a player like Collins or a player like Mendenhall. The distractions, the possibility of locker-room strife and the reality that each player’s skill set is not elite inevitably raises red flags. With so many free agents available, signing a slightly less skilled, yet less distracting, player would not be unreasonable.

I also see how fans could be uncomfortable with Mendenhall’s views or Collins’ lifestyle. Both are different and so often, we fear what is different. Such fear is part of human nature.

That said, it does not seem right that, in a country like the United States of America where free speech is so highly valued, an athlete’s religious convictions, sexuality or political leanings could keep him or her unemployed. At the end of the day, this is a free country. I admire athletes who are willing to stand up and express themselves. It is not easy to etch a Bible verse into your eye black when so many people believe that religion and sports should be separate. It is not easy to come out and admit you are gay when homophobia remains so prevalent within our culture. And it is not easy to come out and question how people could celebrate someone’s death when that someone is a known terrorist.

In the end, we must recognize that each of the above expressions is valuable. We live in a free country where every person enjoys an equal right to express himself. Whether we agree or disagree with what an individual expresses, we should be supportive of the expression itself. We should thank athletes like Tebow, Collins and Mendenhall for allowing us to consider controversial issues.

Sure, sports are first and foremost about fun and games, but any time they force us to think outside the box, it is not a bad thing.

Ian MacLaren is the Journal’s sports editor. Email him at imaclaren@cortezjournal.com.