An advertisement touting a gay dating Web site was rejected from the Super Bowl commercial line up, according to CNN.com. The ad, which features two men watching the game, begins with both men reaching for the chip bowl at the same time and ends with the two guys kissing passionately. It made me giggle out loud when I watched it, and it didn’t seem any worse than the usual bevy of ads featuring bikini-wearing girls, sexual entendres or scantily clad members of both sexes. So why was it pulled?
CBS claims that the ad was pulled because of financial reasons, but ManCrunch.com, the site that is being advertised, doesn’t buy it, according to CNN.com. ManCrunch.com affirms that it is discrimination, especially considering the anti-abortion commercial featuring college superstar Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam. Of course, this ad is a bit more subtle than the ManCrunch.com ad, but it’s no worse to me than the GoDaddy.com ads or ads for other dating Web sites. Apparently it’s OK to exploit women and old people, but heaven forbid we discuss gay dating.
Is the Super Bowl behind the times in regards to its sexuality? Traditionally stereotyped as a heterosexual male event, is there no room for gay men who like football too? As far as offensive goes, this ad was fairly tame when put up against some of the ads that did run on Sunday. An ad for the Web site CareerBuilder.com featured both sexes running around an office in bras and panties. I think the ManCrunch.com ad would have been a welcome distraction.
Everyone was up in arms all week about the so-called controversial anti-abortion ad featuring Tebow and his mother, but it was barely a blip on the radar. The ad, which never mentioned abortion, choice or anything remotely political, was nothing like it was expected to be.
It seems to me like the networks need to keep up with what’s happening in the world. You can’t ignore a portion of your viewership. All types of people should be represented fairly in commercials and otherwise. There is a serious lack of this type of diversity, especially during the Super Bowl.
It seems to me like 90 percent of the ads are geared toward heterosexual men. I know plenty of women who like to watch football too, but there isn’t much for them. There is even less for the gay demographic. Why can’t the Super Bowl set a new standard for its advertising and be more inclusive? Since the ManCrunch.com ad wasn’t really offensive in any way, that leads me to believe that it’s just an injustice, and not a “financial problem,” that led CBS to reject the ManCrunch.com ad. Personally, I’d rather watch two men kissing than a creepy talking baby giving trading tips.
Christi Aldridge is a senior strategic communication major from Hillsboro.
