Tim Tebow, Pope Benedict Named on List of Least Influential People
Men's magazine GQ recently released its list of "The 25 Least Influential People of 2013," which includes Christian quarterback Tim Tebow, a pope emeritus and the president of the United States.
The third annual list is a "collection of people who've overstayed their turns in the spotlight and used their fame for not a good [expletive] thing," according to GQ.
Tebow is ranked number 12 on the list, sandwiched between Lady Gaga (no. 11) and San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver (no. 13). Tebow is also joined on the list by a former University of Florida and New England Patriots teammate, Aaron Hernandez (no. 7), who was charged with first-degree murder this year.
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"[Tebow's] NFL career blissfully ended this summer when he was cut by the Patriots, presumably because he didn't murder anyone," said GQ. "And yet he remains ESPN's pet rock: a kind of Moral Superboy that the network can deploy whenever it senses your eyeballs wandering away from the screen. He is more valuable to the network as a nonplayer than as the Canadian Football League benchwarmer that he actually is. The less you see him bumble around on the field, the more Skip Bayless can turn his struggle into a kind of National Virtue Index."
Earlier this year, Tebow was named Forbe's most influential athlete in America for 2013. Despite his popularity with some fans, the free agent quarterback has failed to find work in the NFL since the Patriots released him, and he has turned down several offers to play in other leagues. He recently hired a broadcast agent, and may look for work in television broadcasting if he cannot find an opportunity to play in the NFL.
The least influential person of the year, according to GQ's list, is former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who visited North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un twice this year. The magazine says Rodman is a "Q-list celebrity willing to commit borderline treason just to hang out with a dictator who himself aspires to be a Q-list celebrity."
He is followed by celebrity chef Paula Deen, whose reputation took a hit after she was accused of making racial comments, and Anthony Weiner, the former U.S. congressman and New York City mayoral candidate whose career was tarnished by sexting scandals.
Among other notable figures on the list are Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (no. 5), who GQ says "assumed the papacy with the sole mission of stubbornly defending all of its antiquated practices," and President Barack Obama (no. 17), who the magazine suggests has been better at giving speeches than making positive changes.
