Focus on the Family Super Bowl Ad

Focus on the Family aired a 30-second ad during the 2010 Super Bowl. The commercial, which features Tim Tebow and his mother, has a theme of "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life," according to the organization.http://www.focusonthefamily.com/about_us/news_room/news-releases/20100115-focus-on-the-family-to-air-super-bowl-ad.aspx The commercial sparked controversy before it aired because some felt that it promoted an anti-choice or anti-abortion message.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/29/tim-tebow-super-bowl-ad-m_n_442808.html

According to reports, the commercial tells the story of how Tim Tebow's mother, Pam Tebow, was advised to have an abortion because she became ill during her pregnancy. She decided to continue the pregnancy and her son went on to become a football star.http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/religion_theseeker/2010/02/should-super-bowl-ads-address-morality.html

The Focus on the Family commercial will air during sometime during Super Bowl XLIV, on Sunday, February 7, 2010.http://adage.com/superbowl10/article?article_id=141168

On Tuesday, February 2, 2010, Dana McClintock, a spokesperson for CBS stated that the company has "for some time moderated our approach to advocacy submissions after it became apparent that our stance did not reflect public sentiment or industry norms. In fact, most media outlets have accepted advocacy ads for some time." McClintock said that CBS would "continue to consider responsibly produced ads from all groups" for the ad spots that were still available for the Super Bowl 2010.http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/2010-01-26-cbs-tebow_N.htm

When it was announced that Focus on the Family, a non-profit Christian organization founded by James Dobson, was to air a pro-life message during the Super Bowl XLIV, several women's right and pro-choice advocates quested why CBS would allow an advocacy ad. Others, like the National Organization for Women's president Terry O'Neil said such an ad would be "extraordinarily offensive and demeaning" and that it is "offensive to hold one way out as being a superior way over everybody else's."http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/religion_theseeker/2010/02/should-super-bowl-ads-address-morality.htmlhttp://www.focusonthefamily.com/about_us/news_room/news-releases/20100115-focus-on-the-family-to-air-super-bowl-ad.aspx