A Super Bowl ad that was originally “banned” by Fox Television because it was potentially offensive aired during the big game. The ad features several people watching a football game and the camera zooms in on the television. A football player’s eye black displays “John 3:16”. The people watching the television wonder what it means and one man says, “I’ll look it up.” Watch the video here:
Of course, John 3:16 reads: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (NRSV) This verse from the Bible is used by Christians at sporting events. Tim Tebow was known for scripture verses on his eye black during his college days.
Who is behind this ad? Larry Taunton, the executive director of the Fixed Point Foundation explains:
Corporate America uses its creativity and millions of dollars to come up with 30-second blasts to get you to buy a beer or Coke or tennis ball. Last year, as I began to reflect on this, I thought, ‘If I had 30 seconds to speak to a billion people, what would I say?
Fox Sports, who produces the Super Bowl, claimed that they do not accept religious ads for air time. However, what led to the change in heart? One one really seems to know. With a three million dollar starting price tag for Super Bowl ads, maybe Fox Sports needed the money. With over 100 million watching the Super Bowl, this organization certainly received a prime time spot. Looking at Google search trends, the ad did not produce a Google search of “John 3:16” that cracked the top 20 searches. According to Taunton, hits for his organization’s website peaked.
Fox Television and Fox Sports are companies that are allowed to make their own rules. I’m surprised that Fox revised themselves on the ad. As of Monday, Fox did not comment on the situation. Regardless, it seems Fox does not have the stomach to show religious ads.
Brad Greenburg at Get Religion, comments on the situation and asks the big question:
The prevalence of religion in sports is an important point. (It’s also something I and other GetReligionistas have talked about a lot.) And I appreciate that Oppenheimer mentioned it because it begs a bigger question: What’s wrong with religious advertising if the players themselves can advertise religion? Why have Super Bowl ads involving religious issues become so controversial, for several years now?
Have we become so paranoid of religion that companies will not air religious ads during high viewership times? If someone wants to put up millions for a Christian ad or a Mormon ad or even a Muslim ad, what makes it so wrong? This is America, isn’t it? People have the right to free speech? If Fox is scared of controversy, then why produce shows that are routinely fined by the FCC?
What do you think? Should religious ads run during the Super Bowl?
1 Comment
In fairness to Fox – if I was running a network, I wouldn’t either. Why? Because if a Muslim organization wanted to buy time for a religious ad, I’d be in a terrible situation with a policy that doesn’t forbid or exclude religious ads. If I allow it, I have to deal with the firestorm of controversy and potential racism that would erupt from it. If I don’t allow it, I look like I’M the racist.
The reaction to that would be very, very negative indeed, despite our best efforts to open mind and hearts.