Tim Tebow Trademarks ‘Tebowing’

Tim Tebow, who has spent much of the current NFL season as the league’s most well-paid bench warmer, has tradmarked the phrase that he made famous:

Tebow has trademarked Tebowing.

“I knew that this stuff that had been talked about, but I didn’t know everything had gone through,” he said on Friday. “I knew it was something that was cool for me in the past; but it’s not something I do as Tebowing. It’s something I do that’s prayer for me and it got hyped as Tebowing. I think one, more to control how it’s used as well. Make sure it’s used in the right way.”

We can argue that the intention of prayer shouldn’t be a copyrighted exercise, but Tebow’s legal and business acolytes would clearly disagree. According to the New York Post, the trademark was filed by California attorney Anthony Keats, on behalf of XV Enterprises Limited, which is Tebow’s marketing arm.

Yea right, it’s all about the prayers.

FILED UNDER: Sports, , , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. MM says:

    Tim Tebow, who has spent much of the current NFL season as the league’s most well-paid bench warmer

    Matt Flynn would like a word.

  2. Anderson says:

    Yes, just like Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer and then copyrighted it.

  3. Gromitt Gunn says:

    That’s cool. I’ll just go back to calling it Matthew 6:5.

    Somehow I think Tebow got confused as to what his reward is supposed to be.

  4. ernieyeball says:

    Matthew 6:5,6 (New Living Translation)
    When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.
    But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

  5. 11B40 says:

    Greetings:

    I just can’t stand the thought that he might have stolen this silly idea from (St.) Trayvon Martin’s grieving parents.

    Oh, and by the way, have those Kevlar “hoodies” hit the market yet ???

  6. al-Ameda says:

    Maybe he should have trademarked “bad quarterback” ?

  7. grumpy realist says:

    Wait, did Tebow actually get the trademark? There’s a great difference between filing a trademark and getting one. (I should know, I deal with enough of the little suckers.)

  8. OzarkHillbilly says:

    It’s something I do that’s prayer for me and it got hyped as Tebowing. I think one, more to control how it’s used as well. Make sure it’s used in the right way.

    “A way that will make me money.” Finished TFY Tim.

  9. Mikey says:

    The concept that a being, whatever its nature, powerful enough to create the universe and everything in would give a frog’s fat ass about who wins a sporting event on a small, watery planet in the outer arm of a rather unremarkable spiral galaxy strikes me as the very pinnacle of hubris.

  10. CSK says:

    @grumpy realist:

    According to Newsday, the trademark was approved on October 9.

    If his intent is protect himself from parody or satire, doesn’t First Amendment law specifically protect parody and satire? Maybe he can trademark the word “Tebowing” (in which case I can see people using the term “Elbowing” or “T-Boning” or some such to circumvent that) but how, precisely, do you trademark a posture or a gesture? Can the Roman Catholic church trademark genuflecting, which is remarkably similar to “T*bowing” (I put the asterisk in because, geez, I don’t wanna violate a trademark.) Can Jews trademark davening?

    I don’t know what his true motive is, but I suspect it’s financial. I’m always suspicious of ostentatious displays of religiosity.

  11. rodney dill says:

    Guess I’ll just copyright
    TeamBowing – (TM) 2012 – rodney dill

  12. rodney dill says:

    I think The patriots may have a stronger claim.

  13. It’s his name, so why the heck not?