Super Bowl Offense

By: American Decency Staff

In what has become one of America’s biggest modern-day traditions, millions of families gathered around their televisions last night to watch the Super Bowl.  And while defense may be key to winning the game, offense – as in offensive – is what marked several of the multi-million dollar Super Bowl ads, as well as the halftime show.

First the ads. 

Take Action!  Click here to contact these advertisers which were the worst offenders during last night’s Super Bowl.

While numbers of corporate advertisers steered away from the blatant, sexualized commercials, instead producing creative and even heartwarming ads, it seems to have become a practice among some corporations to see who can stoop to the lowest level in producing the most vulgar Super Bowl ad.   Interestingly, however, the cute, cleaver and touching ads are once again the fan favorites. 

The following commercials were, in our opinion, the worst Super Bowl ads of 2013.

1.      By far the worst advertising offender was once again GoDaddy.com, the website and domain name hosting company.  In the past several years, GoDaddy has produced some of the most vulgar and tasteless Super Bowl ads ever to air on network television.

This year’s ad was crude in more ways than one.  The ad featured extremely close-up shots of a super model open-mouth kissing a nerdy, overweight guy.  Between the close–ups of their tongues touching and the stomaching-churning slurping sounds of the two “swapping spit,” the ad was truly disgusting.  The original cut of this GoDaddy commercial was so explicit that CBS nixed it and this one – supposedly less steamy?? – aired instead.

2.      Calvin Klein got into the sexual exploitation as well – this time of men.  Their multimillion dollar ad for men’s underwear was nothing more than a nearly naked man posing in tight briefs as the camera seemed to focus on his groin.

3.      Gildan clothing company featured an ad for men’s t-shirts.  It shows a disheveled guy waking up in bed with a woman.  He has sex-toy handcuffs attached to one wrist.  The ad gives the impression he had just picked up this woman for sex as he tries to sneak out without waking her.
 

4.      The Best Buy ad featured references to the sexual-bondage book “Fifty Shades of Gray” which promotes S&M. 

5.      Mercedes-Benz teased viewers before the Super Bowl by pre-releasing their Kate Upton car-washing ad.  (See here.)  Instead, Mercedes-Benz pulled a bait-and-switch and instead ran an ad (also featuring Kate Upton), which focused on the devil trying to persuade a young man to sell his soul in exchange for sinful pleasures  which included multiple women and the Mercedes-Benz.

Other concerning ads include Budweiser (sexual imagery and promotion of devil worship/voo doo) and Taco Bell which offered a disrespectful portrayal of the elderly.

The halftime show featured singer Beyoncé, clothed – in the barest sense of the word – in a skimpy leather bustier´ as she performed.  However, the risqué outfit seemed almost modest in comparison to the erotic display on stage.  With camera angels set to give viewers close up shots of every hip thrust as she lewdly spread her legs, the spectacle seemed like what one might expect in a seedy strip club – not at the biggest family television viewing event in America.

Some Super Bowl viewers posted comments on NBC’s entertainment site criticizing the halftime performance as too risqué, with comments such as: “… Beyonce was over the top trampy.  I was embarrassed to watch it with my 9 year old son.”  Another wrote, also referencing the stripper-like performance:  “The only thing that was missing was a brass pole …”  Another stated:  “You can have clothes on, and still perform well.”

Yet, the overwhelming response on the Internet today gushingly praised Beyoncé for her halftime performance. 

What an indicator of where we are as a nation.  When such a crude and explicit display is the entertainment at a family event and the majority of viewers see nothing wrong with it. 

And then there’s Beyoncé herself who actually gave credit to God for her performance stating:  “God was on my side.”

The Super Bowl should be a family event.  Families should be able to watch this national sporting event without being subjected to such sexualized images and vulgar themes.   However, until things change, the Super Bowl is not fit for family viewing. 

Read here as we ask “What should Christians do with the Super Bowl?”

Take Action!  Click here to contact these advertisers which were the worst offenders during last night’s Super Bowl.

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American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

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