For all of the fuss surrounding the Tim Tebow Super Bowl commercials, one would’ve thought that shopping carts overloaded with aborted fetuses were going to be paraded in front of hundreds of millions of eyes during the broadcast.
Instead, we got two ads — one pregame, one during the first quarter — that contained nothing but an understated message in both and a cool shot of “Tebow” tackling his mother in the second one.
Here’s the first of the “controversial” commercials. Unfortunately, it’s not the one that contains the hilarity of mother Pam getting jacked up by her son.
Once again, the NOW gang is made to look like the fools that they are.
Yes, yes, the Tebow ads were damaging for women’s rights. I wonder what they tought about the Go Daddy ad with Danica Patrick.
bum
The commercial was MASTERFUL. All the hype leading up too it said so much more about the issue then the 30 seconds aired. Very well done !!!
gator_prof
question sir.
Whos said that this had anything to do with womens rights? If I am correct, do we not all have the ability of right to free speech?
Sorry that their scope of reality does not meet yours but they are entitled to it. Accept change my friend, life will be easier on you.
gator_prof,
I have to say that you are spot on with that comment.
Focus on the Family knew the talk of the ad would be more beneficial for their organization than the actual 30 second ad would. So they let all the talk about it raise their profile and then they run a silly, cute ad so the people who don’t really know what FotF is all about will say, “those liberals were worried over this, get a life NOW”. But the reality is if Planned Parenthood was to have ran an ad the same people whining about NOW would have been picketing CBS and the NFL. And say it would have been a similarly goofy ad that had nothing to do with abortion, people would have been, what is the big deal about that commerical? Don’t you think Gator_prof? It is not the content of the ad, it is the character of the organization. Sorry but I don’t have much faith in an organization who’s leader says homosexuality is going to destroy the planet. That is just liberal ole me though.
When CFT ran the original story about this ad, the article shot to the top of the “Most Commented” list in just a couple of hours.
This piece has been up for 15 hours now, and has garnered 6 whole responses.
This is why we can’t have a reasonable, enlightened conversation on subjects on this topic. Too many people get overwhelmed with knee jerk reactions, instead of calmly taking in facts and discussing like adults. Maybe if everyone would put aside their vitriol and take the chips of their shoulders, we might actually make some progess in this country.
For the record, I’m pro-choice. And I think Focus on the Family are a bunch of douchebags. But they have the right to voice their opinions, just as I have the right to disagree with those opinions. I take no issue with the ad, and if Planned Parenthood wanted to run a 30-second spot, I’d be behind that too.
NOW is entitled to disagree with FoF and CBS. But they had no right to try and censor the airwaves. For that, they can go eff themselves.
Seeryer, you have it all figured out. FotF knew ahead of time that NOW would try to make a big issue out of their ad and knew that they would go national to try and get the ad pulled. They also knew that all the surrounding hoopla would only serve to stregthen the viewership of their ad. They spent the money to purchase the airtime knowing with certainity that all this would happen. Dude, seriously….you really are into the conspiracy aspect of everything that happens on the planet aren’t you. Also, I am no defender of FotF but for you to try and define the whole organization by their position on one matter is rather remedial isn’t it? That is the problem with both sides on this issue. Life is a little more complex than that. For your own sanity though, stay simple dude.
Well I guess we cant have it both ways now can we. A nation is chastised for trying to draw conclusions about a persons CHARACTER by the content of what is done and said.
I have seen Planned parenthood signs displayed on the backs of city buses. The message is out there.
“The people who dont know what FOTF is all about,” There ya go assuming that the American people are just too stupid to know what really going on. Must be a huge job fighting for the right of all those people who dont really know whats going on.
Keep up the good fight
@ interested and Winnie,
Nothing conspiratorial about it. FotF knew a Super Bowl ad featuring Tebow would garner alot of discussion and free publicity for the organization. There is not much more that is controversial as abortion and not many people more famous right now than Tebow. Good for them and it worked perfectly. Then they roll out a commercial that has absolutely nothing to do with abortion. And everyone’s immediate reaction is, see, all FotF wants to do is celebrate family. When the reality is they want to force you to believe in their God and live as they live. And if you don’t you are a lesser human being and just don’t get it. Focus on the Family is about christianity influencing our lives from the bedroom to the court room. I don’t want their views infecting my government. That is why FotF is so dangerous and simply not a benign organization trying to help out families.
@overratedgators:
Well said. Glad to know that, for some at least, “reasonable, enlightened conversation” is still the goal.
I read comments from a spokesperson of the Women’s Media Center who said “we think the tackle at the end of the spot creates an undercurrent of violence toward women.”
People with any sense of humor need not apply.
@ Seeryer:
Thanks for TELLING me what message I should have received from the Tebow add and the organization….I feel MUCH better …now we can all move together as one nation….Goosestep by Goosestep
Gatorfan1,
I didn’t tell you how you should receive the message. My opinion of it was that the ad was more about the controversy it would generate than the actual contents of the ad itself. At least that is why I think FotF ran it. You don’t have to agree with that. And we don’t have to move together as one nation. I hate Gators so I would never advocate such foolishness.
By the way. One point I falied to note. Tebow probably improved his draft status more during the commercial than he did all of Senior Bowl week. He showed that he couldn’t play QB that week and in the commercial he showed off his tackling skills. As someone who has ran into Mrs Tebow a time or two in our local groceries, she looked 10 years younger in that ad than she does in real life. For the record, I think she is an attractive woman for her age. The commercial really made her look as vibrant as I have ever seen her. She is usually extremely pale in the face. Not a knock, I am simply observing.
kupsk
NOW was using the “women’s rights, hateful, harmful, etc.” stuff to try to get the Tebow commercial censored.
All that I am asking if they live in that world, where is their stance on the Go Daddy commercial? The Tebow commercial was as benign and benign could be.
Let both sides toss out their agendas and be debated in public. NOW tried to censor this without even seeing it before hand. That is the main problem that I had with this whole situation.
@ gator_prof,
Do you think the Super Bowl’s rejection of other ads in the past that were advocacy ads had anything to do with the uproar? As for the GoDaddy ads, they were benign except for in your imagination unless you went to GoDaddy.com. Did you? What kind of influence does GoDaddy have in the halls of Congress? You think that might have anything to do with why some women groups would be against the FotF ad and not Go Daddy? Go Daddy has no ability to influence elected representatives, FotF whole mission is to influence elected representatives.
Seeryer,
Based on the actual commercial that aired, there was nothing offensive or and there was zero advocacy except for “celebrate family, celebrate life” with a web address. As you pointed out, you have the choice to go to the FotF website.
Have we gotten to the point in which “celebrate family, celebrate life” is too much advocacy for the airwaves and should be censored? Again, you can choose to click on that web address, much like Go Daddy.
Again, much uproar about nothing based on the actual commercial. The NOW gang looked very stupid based on how badly they got their thongs in a bunch prejudging this whole thing.
I have no problem with the ads as such, except that when FotF talks about “Celebrate Family,” they only mean the “traditional” families of strong husband, subservient wife, and rosey-cheeked kids. Single mother? Want nothing to do with you. Gay couple looking to adopt? Not only want nothing to do with you, but will do everything in their power to stop you (or destroy your family if you already have kids). If you don’t meet their strictly-definied idea of “family,” then you aren’t one and are pointed to as an example of how people like you are “destroying America.”
Again, they have a right to spend their money however they wish and voice their opinions…and I have a right to counter their arguments and expose their hypocrisy. If you have a problem with that, then that is what it is: your problem.
Have a nice day.
I bet GoDaddy.com got more hits as a result of their commercials than FotF got.
Lord, give me a child. But no rosy cheeks, Please make him or her pale and sickly. That’ll show all those people who “celebrate family”…
Gator-prof,
If Planned Parenthood was airing an ad, FotF would have gotten their tighty whities in a bunch. Again, it is not the content of the ad but the character of the organization that was being objected to.
@Seeryer
Sure would like to see that commercial – kind of hard for the pro – choice groups to have a “Celebrate Family Commercial” when you’ve gotten “rid” of the Family part!!!!
More evidence of the idiocy of NOW,
From the LATIMES
NOW president Terry O’Neill said it glorified violence against women. “I am blown away at the celebration of the violence against women in it,” she said. “That’s what comes across to me even more strongly than the anti-abortion message. I myself am a survivor of domestic violence, and I don’t find it charming. I think CBS should be ashamed of itself.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-tebow-abortion8-2010feb08,0,1153376.story
Terry and the NOW gang are just plain nuts.
do you realize tha a fetus has tiny fingers, a heartbeat, tiny toes eyes? Plus you can identify the sex.Fetuses are living humans being formed in a females body. does not anyone realize this is a living tiny child. I give any woman high praise for carrying the fetus and lettin it develop into a person like you and me. There are good adoptive parent that are willing to love and care for this child. Its a shame that these tiny fetuses are aborted. they are breathing and living babies. Another “not a choice for our underage children.” This young man is entitled to his respect for human life. Tebow is 1 superstar who is not afraid of the media and truly expresses his opinion. Think about this tiny baby giving up its life because of not being able to make its decision on its very own life.