In case anyone thinks Tim Tebow invented the combination of sports and religion – think again.

I am quite frankly getting tired of all the attention this mediocre NFL quarterback is getting from both sides of the pews.

When going through my Facebook page Monday morning there was a story from Yahoo about Tebow speaking in church on Sunday morning.

So what?

I would bet my house that he wasn’t the only professional athlete to speak in a church during this past religious season. Heck, he probably isn’t even the only one who did it Easter Sunday.

Seriously people, his 15 minutes of fame have long expired. Let’s move on to the next big thing.

The thing that struck me most about the story was the fact that this church didn’t invite Tebow to come speak Sunday morning. He called them and invited himself.

I am all for being devoted to your religion and being proud of it, but come on. Isn’t this getting a little out of hand?

What if no one wanted to hear Tebow speak at their Easter service? What if they preferred to have a regular service without any “Tebowing?”

Worse than that, Pastor Joe Champion at Celebration Church in Georgetown, Texas, was quoted as saying, “when it comes to Christianity, right now it’s the Pope and Tebow.”

Are you serious?

Religion and sports have been intertwined forever. I can’t remember when baseball players began praying before stepping into the batter’s box and making the sign of the cross.

I know it was before I graduated from high school and believe me, that was a long, long time ago.

For probably a decade or more, football players have gathered together following games and prayed before leaving the field.

This is not a new thing.

So why does Tebow get so much attention? I can’t figure it out.

Are we so faithless as a society that we will latch on to anyone who isn’t afraid to put his faith on display like it’s some kind of Broadway show? Are we that desperate we need to make someone like Tebow a “savior” of sorts?

I don’t think so.

I can remember back in the late 1980s or early 1990s that people were getting out of hand with their worship of sports figures. They wanted to hold them up as role models for their kids. The bad thing was, most of them are not role models.

With some professional or college athlete getting busted for drugs, domestic violence or worse almost on a daily basis, people have gotten away from placing these people on pedestals.

We could be heading for the same fate with holding up athletes as religious role models.

I am sure Tebow is a nice guy, but even nice guys fall off the pulpit every now and then.

If you want a religious role model, head to your neighborhood church, synagogue or mosque and find one there.

I think you will find out that they make a much better role model than a professional athlete does.

Scott Novak is sports editor for Leader Publications. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com.