Sunday is the Super Bowl, and a big part of the Super Bowl-viewing experience is the commercials. This year, CBS will air an ad paid for by the Christian group Focus on the Family, that features Tim Tebow, and his mother, Pam. It is expected that this ad will recount the story of how she ignored doctor’s advice to have an abortion, and chose to give birth to her Heisman Trophy-winning son. The prospect of this commercial airing during the Super Bowl has led to much controversy, and objection from groups such as Planned Parenthood and the National Organization of Women. If it’s controversial, and it is somehow connected to the NFL, you can be sure that it will be subject of a Friday Face-Off here at Jaguars Journal, and this is no exception. So let’s get to it.
What are your thoughts concerning the controversy surrounding Tim Tebow’s upcoming Super Bowl commercial?
(Steve) I think the controversy is completely warranted. No one wants to see political ads during the Super Bowl. It’s just that simple. I love Tim Tebow. I love what he stands for. I support him as a fellow Christian, and pray to God that more athletes will follow his example. But there is a time and a place for everything and this is neither the time nor the place.
The controversy is warranted because this is not an issue that either side is willing to budge on. If you believe a woman should be free to have an abortion any time she chooses, then this ad is not going to change your mind. I am a card-carrying, church-going, follower of Christ, and I think this ad will do nothing but stir a controversy that does not need stirred, and give people like me something to write about leading up to the Super Bowl. If you are a Christian and want to end abortion, how about becoming friends with people that have different political views from you and changing one mind at a time instead of spending three million dollars on a 30-second ad that will affect no one?
The controversy is warranted because this opens the door to ads from the other side of the issue, or other issues all together. Politics are best left to people who get voted into office and have no moral standing after they are elected (yes, that was a shot politicians). If you support this ad, I hope you do not raise a stink when next year there are ads for homosexual issues, pro-choice issues, or legalizing marijuana. If you support this ad, you have to support the rights of others to show their ads. Yes, I know there will be sexually-charged ads in every series of commercials, and they should stop running those as well. There is also a button on your remote to change the channel so your kids don’t see those. And if they don’t see those they won’t see this one, so it has no effect.
Finally, the controversy is warranted because this is what the people that paid for the ad want. They want controversy even if it means the ad will not get on the air. If it does not get on the air, then that is money in the bank and enough free publicity to last a couple of months. Don’t think for one minute that the people that put this ad together did not know what they were doing. Any person or organization that does or says things to create controversy does it, or says it for that reason. Politicians are notorious for this. When one of them goes on TV to take jabs at the other side, they immediately send an email blast to their constituents to tell them they need more money to fight the fight. I don’t know if Focus on the Family did this to raise money, but they have used the controversy to further their cause. Here are two Focus on the Family posts about the controversy, Super Bowl Ad Gets Super Sized Response and Touch Down For Life.
(Travis) There is no denying that abortion is a very divisive topic. Both sides of the issue have staunch supporters who are immovable in their opinion. That does not, however, give one side the right to demand a company not do business with the other side.
This is the United States of America. CBS has every right to decide who it does or does not conduct business with, just like any other company. The company I work for reserves the right to decline to do work for potential customers based upon how we feel about that company’s business, viewpoints, etc., and CBS has that right, too. If the people in charge of making the decisions at CBS feel the Tim Tebow Super Bowl commercial is fit to run, then they should run it. If they find a proposed commercial to be indecent, not up to their standards, or just not to their liking, they should turn it down. They have that right.
CBS is catching the most heat from pro-choice organizations. You would think organizations that so adamantly support an individual’s right to choose would support CBS for making a choice. Or is the right to choose only championed by these organizations if the choice being made agrees with there political pet projects?
I don’t understand the problem with the ad. Isn’t the entire purpose of the pro-choice movement to ensure that a woman has the right to choose? To ensure that no one can force a woman to make decisions regarding her body? If that is the case, isn’t the Tebow commercial a pro-choice ad? Doctor’s recommended that she have an abortion, but they did not force her – they left the decision up to her and she chose to give birth to Tim. Did you notice that she made a choice? You see, with a choice, you get more than one option. So what is so anti-pro-choice about Tebow’s mother choosing to give birth to her son rather than having an abortion? It was her body. It was her choice.
Like most Americans, I have a strong opinion on the topic. I am also not a big fan of politically charged ads becoming a part of Super Bowl Sunday. I prefer to have my Super Bowl commercial breaks filled with funny beer ads and hot chicks selling potato chips or Web site domain names. But I also feel CBS should be able to sell their air time to whoever they want. If airing the Tim Tebow commercial opens things up to other causes and organizations that I do not agree with having their commercials run during next year’s big game, so be it. I support an organization being able to choose who they do and do not do business with – even if I don’t like some of the business they accept. I am a grown man. I have the power to see a 30-second ad for an organization or cause that I don’t agree with and not have a mental breakdown and run crying “no fair” to anyone who will listen.
Tim Tebow is catching a lot of heat for filming this commercial. Some say it may hurt his draft status. I think that is wrong. Drop him down your draft board because he doesn’t have the skills you are looking for, but don’t drop him down because he stands up for his beliefs. A quarterback is supposed to be a leader and that is what a leader does. I say good for him. Whether I agree or disagree, I can really respect someone who stands up for what they believe in, even in the face of pressure and criticism. So good for Tim Tebow for standing up for his beliefs. And good for CBS for not backing down and giving in to those who would try to tell them what they can or cannot do with their business.
Now that you have heard our take on the matter, feel free to leave your opinion in the comments section and vote in the poll on the home page.
