Commercial’s intent trumped by politics
February 7, 2010 by Opinions · 5 Comments
Tim Tebow made history during the Super Bowl by appearing in a pro-life advertisement with his mother.
The ad, paid for by Focus on the Family, centered on his mother’s choice to see through her pregnancy and deliver Tim Tebow.
If you are going to have a commercial about the abortion debate, this is how it should be done. Rather than focusing on dead babies and Roe v. Wade, which seems to detonate the pro-life camp’s outreach to the masses, this ad focused on choices.
The ad was not about taking away a woman’s right to choose, and it was not about spooking audiences, it was about a family.
Tebow has always been a cultural black sheep, something I respected him for.
He stood up in a culture dominated by sexuality and openly stated his choice to save sex until marriage. This should not have been as shocking as it was, but he handled the attention it brought him maturely without being judgmental of others.
In doing so, Tebow became a role model for kids who felt pressured into sex, allowing them to say “no” and giving them someone they can look up to without necessarily having to share his religion.
In the Super Bowl ad, Tebow was again trying to make it socially acceptable to voice our beliefs, popular or unpopular, taboo or not.
At one level, this should be a non-issue. Everyone has the right to tell their story and express what they believe was a good decision — especially if that story involves giving birth to a future college football star.
However, it is an issue.
Tebow’s mother struggled over whether or not to continue with her pregnancy after falling ill and being advised by doctors to abort the pregnancy. Presenting his mother as an authority on the subject because she gave birth to an athlete is dangerous.
More dangerous, I would say, is that CBS chose to run this ad but refused to run an ad from a gay dating service despite a long-standing tradition of beer commercials displaying straight sexuality.
By running a politically charged advertisement CBS took a political leaning which I don’t believe belongs in Super Bowl advertising; right and left wing advertisement should either run together as they come or not at all.
CBS would never run an image as supposedly shocking as two men kissing. It is not CBS’s place to decide which social issues are and are not fit for our eyes. If they don’t have the guts to allow an ad dealing with a gay dating site, they shouldn’t tackle abortion.
I think the advertisement was a step forward. People on both sides of the abortion debate would benefit from having a more open dialogue about their lives and views that involves less name calling and accusations.
That said, Super Bowl advertisements are not the time or place for such dialogue to occur. There can’t be an open and honest discussion when 30 seconds of air time costs millions of dollars, and all advertisements have to pass inspection at CBS.
I hope people support and rebut the views in the commercial using the same style the commercial was presented in, but not while I am trying to watch sports.
Matthew Christy is a history senior. E-mail opinions@kykernel.com.
I disagree. The only NFL game I watch all year is the Super Bowl, and there are many more people like me. All the commercials don’t have to appeal to the sports fan. I think the commercial was a breath of fresh air from the man’s man commercials that Bud Light always has. Yes they are funny, but a good commercial doesn’t always have to make people laugh.
Too bad it was probably a lie. Abortion was illegal in that country at that time so it is unlikely that any doc tor would have advised her to get an abortion. It makes a nice propaganda bit that really has nothing to do with the political issue at hand. I know many Pro-Choice people that are anti-abortion. I myself are in that category. If you ask me should someone get an abortion i say “Absolutely not. Abortion is a terrible thing!” But if you ask me should we make abortion illegal i say exactly the same thing “Absolutely not. Making abortion illegal would be a terrible terrible thing.” Having the rights one’s own procreative rights means a woman can fully participate in society and control her own destiny. She’s has the difficult decision to make; it’s hard enough without the law coming down on her. And if the decision is not hard for her—well that between her and God.
The ad was a grave misrepresentation, hundreds of women in the Philipines, where Tebow was born, die each year because not even the life of the mother is allowed as a reason to terminate a pregnancy. This ad tries to dress up a very disgusting truth, where abortion is illegal women and children die and uncounted children already on this earth are left without mothers. But so long as we make forcing everyone into a theocracy into a feel good story I guess that’s ok with CBS. I had no idea that CBS had refused pro-gay advertising. They indeed have taken a stand, this is very sad. I guess next year we can look forward to the Fred Phelps half-time show now that we’ve begun to slide down this slippery slope.
Wrong….did you click over and watch Pam Tebow’s whole story. She never struggled with the decision to continue the pregnancy. This ad has every right to enter into the marketplace of ideas in every venue. Football is not sacred. People who watch football need this information just like they need to be entertained by beer commercial.
Why do people put ads on the back of toliet doors in the public restrooms….because that is where the people are and sit long enough to read an ad.
Has anyone even see the gay dating service ad? It was terrible quality that looked like it belonged on television at 4AM, not the Super Bowl.