Furor Brewing over Tim Tebow's Pro-Life Super Bowl Ad

[Liberal_in_LA]

Furor Brewing over Tim Tebow's Pro-Life Super Bowl Ad
By Tim Nudd

Tuesday January 26, 2010 03:05 PM EST

Celebrities drafted for Super Bowl commercials are typically called on to deliver some of the fluffiest, most fun-loving endorsements. Not so Tim Tebow.

The Heisman Trophy-winning Florida quarterback is reportedly set to appear in an anti-abortion ad that's sparking plenty of controversy before it even airs during the Big Game on Feb. 7.

The spot, funded by the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, is expected to tell the story of Pam Tebow, who became ill during her pregnancy with Tim but refused doctor recommendations to have an abortion.

Pro-choice groups are calling for Super Bowl broadcaster CBS to reject the spot, but the network is standing firm, according to CBS News. In fact, producers said they would consider accepting any other "responsibly produced" advocacy ads for broadcast.

The CBS News report quotes Tebow, who defended his participation in the commercial. "That's the reason I'm here," he said, "because my mom is a really courageous woman."

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20339455,00.html

[Me.]

1. Yeah Because A Football Player Is Such An Expert

On women's reproductive rights

[Obamanaut]

2. Several responses on this earlier DU thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7574925&mesg_id=7574925

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. oops. thanks.

[ellie]

4. To whom do I complain?

You can count on me to call and express my disgust with CBS.

[gratuitous]

5. So, what's a "responsibly produced" advocacy ad?

The UCC did a great ad a few years ago for broadcast during the Super Bowl on CBS, and it was rejected out of hand. The ad showed a couple of bouncers patrolling the velvet rope at a church doorway. When the "wrong" sort of person showed up (okay, it was a gay couple) the bouncers turned them away. They weren't sworn at, nobody screamed or hollered at anyone else in the ad. The "wrong" congregants weren't welcome. And CBS said it didn't want to run "issue advocacy" ads during the Super Bowl. Now, in 2010, it's okey-dokey for issue advocacy ads. It will probably be verboten again in 2011, once this Focus on the Family ad runs.

"Tiffany Network" my sweet Aunt Fanny. The whirring sound you hear is Walter Cronkite spinning in his grave.

[meegbear]

6. When ad revenues are down, all ads are "responsibly produced"

[GreenPartyVoter]

7. I remember that ad, and you are right, it was a good one. This whole thing stinks

of hypocrisy!

[Fleshdancer]

8. Hey Tebow, there are 2 things that don't belong in football:

Crying and abortion. Just stop.