[speechlesstx]

Peyton Manning and Drew Brees may be shooting it out on the field in the Super Bowl coming up, but a future high profile NFL QB will be stirring it up in an ad. No, not in a beer commercial, but in an ad for Focus on the Family.

He's not even in the NFL yet, but former University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is making a starring appearance at the 2010 Super Bowl in Miami.

While the Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning and the New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees will be the quarterbacks on the field, the Heisman Trophy-winning college star will appear with his mother, Pam, on TV in an ad for the pro-life Christian group Focus on the Family that will air during the game.

The 30-second ad's theme is "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life" and a Focus on the Family press release said the Tebows agreed to the ad because "the issue of life is one they feel strongly about." As a result, the ad is widely expected to focus on Mrs. Tebow's pregnancy with Tim, when she was encouraged by doctors to abort him.

Still, Focus on the Family is keeping the specific content of the ad under wraps until its Feb. 7 debut, in an effort to build anticipation.

"The Tebows, they have a lot of really inspiring stories. And [Mrs. Tebow] and Tim are going to share one of those stories on February the 7th," said Gary Schneeberger, Focus on the Family spokesman.

Jim Daly, president and CEO of Focus on the Family, said in a statement, "Tim and Pam share our respect for life and our passion for helping families thrive."

The Tebows are evangelical Christians who have served as missionaries in the Philippines on numerous occasions and founded the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association, which continues to evangelize in the Philippines, where Tim was born.

During one of the mission trips, Mrs. Tebow came down with amoebic dysentery and slipped into a coma, requiring a treatment regimen that included strong antibiotics that can damage or kill an unborn child. When Mrs. Tebow learned she was pregnant, doctors advised her to abort the baby, whom she and her husband had prayed for and already named Timothy, she told the Gainesville, Fla., Sun in 2007.

Tim Tebow grew up to be one of the greatest players in college football history — becoming the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy as the game's best player, being nominated as a Heisman finalist two other times, and helping lead the Florida Gators to two national titles in his four years at the university.

Tim Tebow has frequently evangelized about of his Christian faith and literally wears it on his face.

He puts the numbers of Bible verses on the black anti-glare patches that players wear under their eyes. In his last college game, a Sugar Bowl victory over Cincinnati, he displayed Ephesians 2:8-10, which reads in part, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

The Tebows' ad will be Colorado-based Focus on the Family's first during a Super Bowl, typically the year's most-watched TV show, with the most expensive advertising rates — from $2.5 million to $3 million for a 30-second ad. The world's biggest companies pay millions of dollars for specialized ad campaigns designed to create buzz separate from the action on the field, particularly if the contest is a blowout.

I think this is awesome, but I bet knees will be jerking from all over left field on this. Oh wait, they already are.

Jehmu Greene of The Women's Media Center said in a released statement, "An ad that uses sports to divide rather than unite has no place in the biggest national sports event of the year."

The National Organization for Women called the ad "extraordinarily offensive and demeaning."

Since they're keeping the ad under wraps I'm unsure how these groups can launch such criticisms but that's nothing new. Exactly how is telling a personal testimony of how a mother who basically risked everything to have her child - divisive, offensive and demeaning? Maybe next they'll have one from the Palins and Tebows together. :D

[tomder55]

A women's organization finds it offensive that a mother made the CHOICE to keep her baby ? I thought they were pro-choice.

[speechlesstx]

If the woman was pro-choice it might be different, but they surely can't have pro-life women making choices on their own, especially choices contrary to what they would have chosen for them.

[spitvenom]

I read about this today and I don't care at all if they run this commercial. Strange the article I read was more about how much money Tebow will lose in endorsements by doing this commercial. I say good for him for standing up for what he believes even if I disagree with him.

Personally I think they shouldn't run it during the super bowl simply because no one really cares about super bowl commercials anymore. Why spend all that money for a 30 second spot. When you could get so much more use out of that 3 million on any other day.

[Synnen]

Funny--the problem that *I* have with Focus on the Family is that they are ANTI-choice. Or rather, they want to eliminate one of the LEGAL choices a woman has.

I am pro-choice. I have no problem with ANY woman choosing adoption, abortion,or parenting--as long as they are parenting NOT on taxpayer money, just like they can't get an abortion with taxpayer money.

I don't have a problem with someone CHOOSING to be pro-life for themselves. What I have a problem with is people who are pro-life CHOOSING that others don't have all of their options.

Our Position (Abortion)

You can believe whatever you like--but pro-life groups push to make abortion illegal, which is infringing on MY right to believe what I like. If you don't believe in abortion, then don't have one.

Oh--as far as the "offensive and demeaning" aspect of it--well, I haven't seen the commercial yet. However, I usually am offended by the pro-life attitude that anyone who is pro-choice MUST be a baby-killing maniac with no common sense or morals. At least, that's the way their ads seem to talk down to me.

[NeedKarma]

^^

What she said.

[speechlesstx]

Funny--the problem that *I* have with Focus on the Family is that they are ANTI-choice. Or rather, they want to eliminate one of the LEGAL choices a woman has.

I am pro-choice. I have no problem with ANY woman choosing adoption, abortion,or parenting--as long as they are parenting NOT on taxpayer money, just like they can't get an abortion with taxpayer money.

I don't have a problem with someone CHOOSING to be pro-life for themselves. What I have a problem with is people who are pro-life CHOOSING that others don't have all of their options.

Our Position (Abortion)

You can believe whatever you like--but pro-life groups push to make abortion illegal, which is infringing on MY right to believe what I like. If you don't believe in abortion, then don't have one.

Oh--as far as the "offensive and demeaning" aspect of it--well, I haven't seen the commercial yet. However, I usually am offended by the pro-life attitude that anyone who is pro-choice MUST be a baby-killing maniac with no common sense or morals. At least, that's the way their ads seem to talk down to me.

As I said in the OP no one has seen the ad, so why the rant? Focus on the Family can't have a position? You can't handle them expressing their belief without feeling offended?

How should I feel when pro-choice groups treat me as an irresponsible lunatic that only divides and is "extraordinarily offensive and demeaning" without having an ounce of evidence to base it on?

Well guess what, we don't have the right to not be offended, and if one side can fight to keep at-will abortions of any kind for any reason legal, then the other side can darn sure fight against it. Pro-lifers don't have a monopoly on intolerance...

[speechlesstx]

Another question, are you pro-choicers afraid that someone telling their story of how they went against the doctor's recommendation at great risk, with great faith to bring their child into the world might inspire someone else to do the same?

[Synnen]

Nope.

I'm afraid that someone telling their story of not choosing abortion and instead parenting that child and having that child end up being famous enough to be on TV will cause a whole SLEW of single 15 year old girls to get pregnant, stay pregnant, and use my tax dollars to raise the kid on Welfare because ONE mother made it work.

It's like saying that showing Jesus walking on water during the Superbowl would have a whole bunch of idiots drowning trying to do the same thing because ONE extraordinary person could.

[speechlesstx]

Why so little faith in people? I don't want to add to welfare rolls or encourage teens to get pregnant any more than the next person, but I think it's a pitiful excuse to discourage women from giving the child in their womb a chance. That child could be a Heisman winner like Tebow - or something much greater.

However, your rant indicates something much deeper, and I noticed you didn't answer my response to it.

[NeedKarma]

However, your rant indicates something much deeper, and I noticed you didn't answer my response to it.

Every one of your threads is a rant as well but you're the pot calling the kettle black here - don't you have some vested interest in any abortion discussion?

[Synnen]

Why so MUCH faith in people?

Some women who choose abortion do so because they are giving THEMSELVES a chance.

Why is a fetus more important than the mother?

I think you forget sometimes that I'm in a unique position on the whole thing: a teenage mother who chose NOT to get an abortion, but chose adoption, and is now dealing with infertility issues. I think that I've had a very INTIMATE relationship with the whole issue--and STILL think that the choice of the mother should come first.

Frankly, though, we could get rid of the abortion problem entirely if we just had laws on who could and could not have children to begin with.

[speechlesstx]

Every one of your threads is a rant as well but you're the pot calling the kettle black here

Oh really?

don't you have some vested interest in any abortion discussion?

What person that gives a damn one way or the other doesn't? I'd be content to just sit back and watch you pro-choicers make the point for me for a while, you're doing a great job of it so far.

[speechlesstx]

Why so MUCH faith in people?

Some women who choose abortion do so because they are giving THEMSELVES a chance.

Why is a fetus more important than the mother?

I think you forget sometimes that i'm in a unique position on the whole thing: a teenage mother who chose NOT to get an abortion, but chose adoption, and is now dealing with infertility issues. I think that I've had a very INTIMATE relationship with the whole issue--and STILL think that the choice of the mother should come first.

Frankly, though, we could get rid of the abortion problem entirely if we just had laws on who could and could not have children to begin with.

See my last response to NK. Meanwhile, I'll be waiting for you to respond to my first response to you also.

[Synnen]

See my last response to NK. Meanwhile, I'll be waiting for you to respond to my first response to you also.

What?

Your response to NK makes absolutely no sense to me in relation to the response I gave you.

I am far too close to this entire issue at the moment to form a coherent reply to you. I shouldn't have responded in the first place. My emotions are far too tied up in the entire thing right now for me to be at all rational in a discussion.

[thisisit]

It is awesome, and I love happy endings! Glad they will get a chance to share their personal good fortune.

[speechlesstx]

It is awesome, and I love happy endings! Glad they will get a chance to share their personal good fortune.

The outrage is way premature, I find it so laughable that people are actually worried that, as the AP put it, the ad will "use Tebow and his mother to convey a pro-life message." Oooh, how outrageous. Better to stick with wardrobe malfunctions and beer commercials for our kids.

[tomder55]

This is what Palin said on her Facebook page

NOW is looking at the pro-life issue backwards. Women should be reminded that they are strong enough and smart enough to make decisions that allow for career and educational opportunities while still giving their babies a chance at life...


My message to these groups who are inexplicably offended by a pro-woman, pro-child, pro-life message airing during the Super Bowl: please concentrate on empowering women, help with efforts to prevent unexpected pregnancies, stay consistent with your message that for too long women have been made to feel like sex objects in our “modern” culture and that we can expect better in 2010.

[spitvenom]

Personally I think Tebow is doing it just so he will be associated as a QB at least once on super bowl Sunday . Have you seen the tape of him at the senior bowl practices?? He can not play under center and will never be a QB in the NFL. Tight end maybe running back probably QB no way.

But seriously the reality is they are going to have a 30 second spot during the Superbowl. Half the people who are going to see it will be drunk and not even remember they saw it. The other half will forget about it after the Budweiser Clydesdale's fetch a tree or play football or whatever they are doing this year.

And come to think of it I will bet that the Tebow commercial is ran Long BEFORE the opening kick off when there are even less people watching. So as usual with superbowl commercials the pregame hype will be better then the actual commercial.

[NeedKarma]

...stay consistent with your message that for too long women have been made to feel like sex objects in our “modern” culture and that we can expect better in 2010

She's such an idiot. LOL!