The Superbowl Will Be Interrupted by an Anti-Abortion Advertisement

212

February 3, 2010

Published in Le Figaro
(France) on 29 Jan 2010
by Pierre-Yves Dugua (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Lauren Messina . Edited by Alex Brewer.

On Feb. 7, the New Orleans Saints will face the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl. The sports and media event of the year will be broadcast live from Miami on CBS. Every year, this game is also a commercial showcase. This year, it is anti-abortion advertising that has become polemical. The Focus on the Family Association has gathered enough donations to afford a spot that is already generating controversy. It features college football star Tim Tebow and his mother. The latter explains that if she had listened to doctors, she would have terminated her pregnancy 22 years ago due to an illness. Feminist organizations are asking CBS to dismiss the spot, but the network has refused, saying that this type of militant message is not out of the norm.

However, this is hiding the real event. For the first time in 23 years, Pepsi will not advertise during the Super Bowl, despite having an audience that is expected to surpass 90 million viewers. The price of a 30-second spot this year fell between $2.5 and $2.8 million, as opposed to $3 million last year.

Le 7 février, l'équipe de La Nouvelle-Orléans (Saints) affrontera celle d'Indianapolis (Colts) dans la finale du Superbowl, le championnat de football américain. L'événement sportif et médiatique de l'année sera retransmis en direct de Miami sur la chaîne CBS. Tous les ans, cette finale est aussi un show publicitaire. Cette année, c'est une publicité antiavortement qui fait polémique. L'association Focus on the Family a recueilli suffisamment de dons pour s'offrir un spot qui suscite déjà une controverse. Il met en scène Tim Tebow, vedette du football universitaire, et sa mère. Cette dernière explique que, si elle avait écouté les médecins, elle aurait mis fin à sa grossesse, il y a vingt-deux ans, alors qu'elle souffrait d'une grave infection. Des organisations fémi nistes demandent à CBS de rejeter ce spot. La chaîne refuse, jugeant que ce genre de message militant n'est pas hors norme.

Cela masque le véritable événement. Pour la première fois depuis vingt-trois ans, Pepsi ne fera pas de publicité durant le Superbowl, en dépit d'une audience qui devrait dépasser 90 millions de téléspectateurs. Le prix d'un spot de trente secondes est tombé entre 2,5 et 2,8 millions de dollars, contre 3 millions l'an passé.

This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

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