Tim Tebow on ‘Amazing’ Baseball Career, New Book ‘Shaken’ – ABC News

Tim Tebow said his passion for the sport of baseball is making it “so much fun” to play with the New York Mets after transforming from a football star.

“It’s amazing when you do something for the love of it,” Tebow, 29, said today on “Good Morning America.” “I’m so passionate about the game and pursuing it and playing every day is just so much fun.”

The former NFL star, Heisman Trophy winner and college-football analyst for ESPN re-entered the world of professional sports this year as an outfielder with the New York Mets farm team. Tebow famously hit a homerun in September on the first pitch of his first at bat as a professional player in the instructional league games in Florida.

Tebow signed with the Mets in September after not having played organized baseball since 2005, while still in high school. After his time at the University of Florida, Tebow played in the NFL for the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and New York Jets.

Tebow discusses the highs and lows of his time in the NFL in his new book, “Shaken: Discovering Your True Identity in the Midst of Life’s Storms.” The book also focuses on Tebow’s Christian faith and how it has guided his high-profile career.

Tebow said he was able to make his life about something more than just football by having an identity that was bigger than the sport.

“I think it’s really understanding what matters, what’s important in your life and having something bigger than just what you do,” he said on “GMA.”

“When you have an identity that’s bigger than what you do, even when that fails or you crumble or someone says you’re not good enough or you can’t or you won’t or you shouldn’t, you can still prevail over that because your life is bigger than that.”

Tebow said his foundation of faith also helped him deal with setbacks in his NFL career, pointing to when he was cut by NFL teams.

“I’ve been told by a lot of different teams that I’m not good enough so how do you handle that?” Tebow said. “For me, it’s to be able to have a foundation of something bigger than yourself, understand what God says about you, that you are important, that you have a life of significance and you have a life of meaning.

“When you understand your purpose, that will totally change your identity.”

One story in Tebow’s book focuses on a trip his family made to the Philippines, where Tebow was born, as missionaries. Tebow recalled meeting a disabled boy named Sherwin whose feet were backward and who was looked upon by his fellow villagers as cursed.

“Leaving that village, I was leaving with tears in my eyes because I wanted to fight for people like that,” Tebow said on “GMA.” “I knew that I wanted to be the best athlete that I could be but what I wanted to do with my life was fight for people like Sherwin.”

Tebow’s foundation now operates a hospital in the Philippines where he says 2,000 orphans are cared for.

With all his success on and off the field, Tebow said helping others keeps him humble.

“I think humility comes, not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less, meaning try to look for the people around you and what they need and how you can help them,” he said. “I think the greatest form of love is choosing the best interest of another person and acting on their behalf.”

Tebow has found that when you help others, he added, “You never know how big of an impact you’ll really make.”