Tim Tebow. The name alone conjures up all kinds of reactions, especially to sports fans. His success on the college football field, coupled with the interest in seeming succeed and/or fail on the professional level is just one of the things that makes his a polarizing figure. Another Tebow attribute that inspires conversation and reaction is the way he throws the football.

His throwing motion, which to some observers, is that of a trebuchet, has long been the topic of discussion since he first stepped onto the field as a collegiate freshman. Because of that, debate rages over whether his ability to win in the college ranks would translate to the NFL, making him a successful quarterback, a career that demands an ability to throw the ball with a certain style of mechanics.

This video should help clarify the Tebow debate:

Without turning this post into a Football Outsiders breakdown, let’s just say there’s a lot of debate about Tebow, and because of that, there’s a little Twitter war that’s been going on in the name of Tebow’s potential as a legitimate NFL quarterback. The social media hubbub was started by Ben Roethlisberger yes-man, Merril Hoge, who also moonlights for ESPN as an NFL analyst.

As is the norm when people want to draw attention to their opinions, Hoge took to Twitter to blast Tebow, who is starting his second year for the Denver Broncos and is/was competing for the starting quarterback position.

Hoge was less than complimentary, so much so, in fact, his rant seemed almost personal. In a incredibly popular social media setting, something like that with such a polarizing figure does not go unnoticed:

Why Hoge felt necessary to completely tear down Tebow is unknown. Perhaps Hoge is jealous of the fact that he’ll never be as famous as his target and took it upon himself to point out to the world just how horrible Tebow is? Whatever the case, Hoge’s critiques felt like personal attacks instead of simple observations.

Too bad Hoge isn’t as emotionally charged about the safety of college co-eds in Milledgeville, Georgia.

As is the social media way, Hoge’s Twitter blasts didn’t go unnoticed and none other than LeBron James chimed in, taking up for Tebow–and with that, we’re playing the Twitter feud. James’ first tweet took up for Tebow, but after that, his target was Hoge and the way in which he blasted Tebow:

Even Tebow got in on the action:

And now, there’s a Twitter trend dedicated to him. Needless to say, the reaction swings many different ways, because that’s the nature of sports talk, especially when it hits Twitter:

This next one might be the most accurate take on the whole subject:

And then there’s this from the Denver Broncos official Twitter page:

Was Hoge a little too critical? Time will tell, but it’s always fun when social media is used in such a matter, especially when it leads to things like this:

Tebow was/is (?) perhaps the most famous virgin in the world at one point. He’s also clearly still a polarizing figure, which leads to such inventive and creative uses of Twitter. One thing’s for sure, the even if the controversy was generated by ESPN, it’s certainly a buzz-worthy story now.

Ain’t social media grand?