If you were to listen to the media talk about Tim Tebow, (or should I say gush over Tim Tebow?), you would think that he was a modern day hero destined to save the world! However, if you pay attention to fans, it would seem they are sick and tired of hearing about Tim Tebow. Maybe it’s because they are tired of all the coverage Tebow gets from the media. Maybe they are tired of his squeaky clean image and his very vocal beliefs in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I confess that even I get tired of the Tebow hoopla, but it’s nowhere near as bad as hearing constantly about whether or not Brett Favre will retire…again.
However, more recently, opinions on Tebow have begun to spike again as news of his appearance in a 30-second pro-life spot for Focus on the Family broke. Reaction from pro-choice groups are stating that CBS should not allow the ad because they believe that Focus on the Family is against equal rights for women, among other reasons. One opinion states that during the Super Bowl is the wrong time and place to play the ad. Yet there are others who are applauding the kid for standing up for what he believes in.
I’m going to right away put it out there that I am strongly pro-life, and I’ll even go further and state that I am anti-abortion. I don’t believe that being against abortion has anything to do with equality. I just believe that you are destroying life when having an abortion.
So there is my disclaimer, and in saying that, I don’t really see the problem with the commercial. Let’s think about this: How is Focus on the Family against equal rights for women? Is it because they are pro-life? Is it because they prescribe to follow more biblical principles on family? They don’t say anything about equal wages or any of those issues, do they? So in my view, that opinion is baseless as a reason why CBS should not allow the commercial to air.
What does it matter that Focus on the Family, through donors, forked over the 2 million dollars for the 30 second spot? Are they not allowed to exercise their right to freedom of speech? As for those who believe the Super Bowl is the wrong time and wrong place, I strongly disagree. If you want to get the message out about your belief, there is no better time and place than during the Super Bowl: it’s the highest-rated television program on TV! If they want to pay for the commercial, then more power to them. The point they are trying to make is that Tim’s mother had a choice: She could follow a doctor’s advice and get the abortion or she could keep her baby. If she had chosen the abortion, we wouldn’t have Tim Tebow, who happens to have become an outstanding young man and an asset to society. So what’s the problem? So what if they express their views on national television? Hollywood activists like Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins do it all the time.
Note – So it’s now February 12 and I’m finally completing this entry. I saw Tebow’s ad with his mom, and to be honest, I don’t see why some groups had a problem. The only thing I saw that could be construed as controversial was Tim tackling his Mom, which was criticized by at least one group for its undertone of violence. This is taken from the February 7, 2010 AP article found on CNNSI.com: “The Women's Media Center, which had objected to Focus on the Family advertising in the Super Bowl, said it was expecting a ‘benign’ ad but not the humor. But the group's president, Jehmu Greene, said the tackle showed an undercurrent of violence against women. ‘I think they're attempting to use humor as another tactic of hiding their message and fooling the American people,’ she said.”
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/nfl/super-bowl/02/07/tebow.commercial.ap/index.html?eref=sihp#ixzz0fLEIZ7H1
Sometimes we take things so seriously. So yeah, he tackled his mom, who stood right back up and playfully admonished him as he hugged her. Is that really sending a message for violence or for anti-abortion or for anything of that sort? Maybe, just maybe, it’s what Focus on the Family said it was…a celebration of family life.
