Tim Tebow is named Forbes’ most influential athlete of 2013

Tim Tebow may not have won the Super Bowl, or any other pro sports championship. He hasn’t won any Olympic medals either.

Heck, he doesn’t even have a job.

Yet, the recently released backup quarterback for the New York Jets topped Forbes magazine’s list of America’s most influential athletes of 2013, which utilized surveys of U.S. fans by Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research.

The athletes he beat out included three 2012 Olympic gold-medal winners (No. 2 Michael Phelps, No. 3 Usain Bolt, No. 7 Gabby Douglas), three Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks (No. 5 Peyton Manning, No. 6 Drew Brees, No. 8 Aaron Rodgers) and three athletes who have won titles in other pro sports (No. 4 Derek Jeter, No. 9 LeBron James, No. 10 David Beckham).

Of course, it should be pointed out that Tebow accomplished quite a bit -- two national titles and a Heisman Trophy at Florida, a playoff win with the Denver Broncos -- before spending the season mostly on the bench with the Jets last year.

And it’s no secret that Tebow is a devout Christian -- and an outspoken one at that. He has a huge following, many of whom could probably care less whether he ever plays in the NFL again.

So, sorry Nos. 2-9 -- so much for those 30 Olympic medals and 11 championships. Chances are, many of the people who said they were influenced by Tebow probably weren’t referring to athletic success at all.

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