Phil Sheridan: Lin and Tebow: Why do they polarize the fans?

Jeremy Lin.

Did the mere mention of his name make you smile? Cringe? Shrug?

How about Tim Tebow? Now that a few weeks have passed since the Denver quarterback dominated every sports-related conversation, can you hear his name without an immediate smile, cringe, or shrug?

The real question for today isn't about your opinions regarding these two out-of-nowhere sports phenoms. The question is why everyone feels the need to have one, and whether that artificial divide between pro- and anti- is ruining our simple enjoyment of sports.

These questions were buzzing around my head during the Tebowmania Era (circa November 2011-January 2012). They went unaddressed for a couple of reasons. The Eagles were the dominant story in Philadelphia and, frankly, commenting on the reaction to Tebow felt like it would be adding to the already deafening noise.

So why now? Well, it is a slower news week, but it's not just that. If the Tebow thing was a legitimately compelling story buried under an avalanche of hype and contrived controversy - how about a new word: contriversy? - the Lin thing feels like that, only on fast forward.

To wit: My social media feeds blew up with sick-of-Lin-hype comments almost simultaneously with the first flush of Lin-is-awesome comments. The backlash started at nearly the same moment as the lash itself. Technology and the worst parts of our nature now allow us to overreact with enthusiasm and skepticism and cynicism in the time it takes your smartphone to refresh your Twitter feed.

So I knew people were sick of Lin before I fully understood who Lin was or what Lin was doing. The New York Knicks rookie guard was barely a week into his joyride when Jason Whitlock, one of the best sports columnists in the country, was being forced to apologize for a racially insensitive tweet about the kid, an Asian Ivy Leaguer.

This would all be easily shrugged off if it were isolated to sports. Sadly, though, the same dynamic pretty much applies to everything in the US of ADD, from presidential politics to pop music. For the sake of sanity (or Linsanity!), we're going to color inside the lines and stick to sports here.

Since we're in the beginning or middle of the Lin craze, let's go all the way back to mid-January for some perspective. Tebow, who had been a star at the University of Florida and was a first-round draft pick of the Broncos in 2010, became Denver's starting quarterback in October. After he split his first two starts, Denver went on a six-game winning streak that included some exciting fourth-quarter comebacks.

Somehow, the universe became divided on the Tebow "issue," which was almost entirely manufactured by the media - starting with the shouting heads on ESPN. You had to choose whether he was the Second Coming (and yes, his kneeling in prayer and unabashed religious fervor were part of this) or whether he was a flash-in-the-pan fraud with a bad arm who would be exposed once defensive coaches adjusted to him.

There was no room for the plain and obvious truth: At 24, Tebow is hardly a finished product on the field. He won a few games, but will need to develop his game to contend for a championship. As for the "Tebowing," players have been kneeling after touchdowns and crediting their savior for 30 or more years.

The shouting-head thing is hardly new. ESPN turned that tiresome format into a regular part of its programming years ago. There's nothing wrong with debating issues. The problem is, the format forces the panelists to invent issues. The shows only work if there is the appearance of conflict and controversy.

Contriversy.

What is new is this: Social media such as Twitter and Facebook have put millions of people in the same position as those shouting heads on ESPN and the radio. There's no sense tweeting unless you take a position. So you either jump on the pro-Tebow side or anti-Tebow side. You either rave about Lin's dropping 38 points on Kobe Bryant and the Lakers or you mock the whole phenomenon.

Or you rush to claim fatigue at the whole thing. Our attention spans are so short now, we get disgusted if our time line is clogged with 10 tweets or status updates about the same subject. It's no wonder we can't focus on serious issues long enough to work through them.

But here in the sports section, there are consequences, too. The whole point here is to celebrate the achievements of gifted athletes, to enjoy the competition and embrace the drama. There is something sad about this need to hang a dark cloud on every flash of silver.

Lin is a great story, defying every expectation and going on a tear through the NBA. Maybe it won't last. Maybe it will. Point is, everyone would be better off waiting more than 15 minutes to pronounce judgment.

Now, if you'll excuse me, my Twitter feed is blowing up.