Tebow Gets Booed at Yankees Stadium In NYC

NEW YORK (The Blaze/AP) -- Tim Tebow has work to do if he's going to win over New York sports fans. The new backup quarterback for the Jets was booed at Yankee Stadium on Sunday night when he was shown on the giant video board -- even though he was wearing a Yankees cap.

Sitting in the third row next to the Los Angeles Angels dugout, Tebow cracked a smile and acknowledged the camera. There was a smattering of cheers, but most of the initial reactions were boos.

(Related: Tebow: ‘The Most Important Thing In My Life Is My Relationship With Jesus Christ’)

Tebow was acquired by the New York Jets from Denver in a much-hyped trade last month. He is expected to back up starter Mark Sanchez, even though Tebow rallied the Broncos to the NFL playoffs last season and became a polarizing sensation in the process.

"I didn't get a chance to see him," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said after his team's 11-5 victory. "I would have loved to get a chance to see him and talk to him. I'm sure he'll be back at some point. Obviously he's going to be around a lot more now. But I'd love to visit with him at some point."

Sitting next to Tebow was Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade, also booed when he was shown on the scoreboard earlier in the game. But those boos quickly turned to cheers when Wade held up his Yankees cap.

Wade and the Heat beat the New York Knicks 93-85 Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.

There has been much discussion regarding how Tebow will be received in New York City, a place known for most liberal politics. Perhaps it was his overt faith or it was simply his outsider status that spawned the boos. Either way, the sometimes polarizing football player certainly has an uphill battle as he works to gain respect in the region.