I, along with millions of others, watched the Super Bowl last weekend. It’s an American tradition that is of mild interest to me but I take one for the team, prepare nachos and meatballs, and settle in for the roughly four hour sports odyssey. One of the most anticipated aspects of the game are the Super Bowl ads. Okay, I game for that too. I actually looked forward to being entertained.
My family gathered around the television at 6:00 P.M. To the horror of my husband and me we watched commercial after commercial with sexual innuendos, violence, and perceived nudity. I looked at my watch. Its dinner time and my elementary aged daughters are sitting here watching a man tell us he wants to sleep with his date, two women who appeared to be nude, another man being repeatedly kicked where no man wants to be kicked, and a woman throwing soft drink cans at people. After several commercials and uncomfortable glances between my husband and me, I suggested that the girls go watch a movie or show more age appropriate.
I am not a prude but I was appalled at the type of commercials shown during this time. Yes, some of them were somewhat humorous but for adults not the millions of kids who want to be included in this sports tradition. I recall the outrage several years ago with the Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake half time Super Bowl performance. The phrase “wardrobe malfunction” was coined based upon this performance. It may have been an accident but there were sanctions and as a result the half time shows appear to be tamer and less risqué.
What about the commercials? I am not interested in having a talk about sex with my seven year old while watching a football game. It is one thing to show these types of commercials after 10 P.M. but quite another to broadcast them during a primetime family event.
Please give us parents a break. We just want to watch a football game.
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