What could possibly be too racy for the Super Bowl? A Website for cheaters
Filed under: Entrepreneurship, Extracurriculars, Relationships
Watching the ads that run during football games, one might think that the NFL will allow anybody to advertise. From beer to candy bars to investment companies, it seems that, while advertisers are varied, they share one common denominator: When seeking the coveted football fan demographic, tastefulness runs a distant second to raw idiocy and a willingness to pander to the lowest common denominator. This makes it all the more surprising that the Super Bowl recently determined that some things go beyond the pale of acceptable advertisements. Ashley Madison, a matchmaking service for people seeking extramarital affairs, was informed that, not only was it not permitted to advertise in the Super Bowl program, but it would not be allowed to advertise in any NFL game program, ever.
A big clue lies in the NCAA's 2008 decision to cut a Hooters' ad from its Final Four program. While the restaurant chain doesn't actively support infidelity, it is famous for its well-endowed waitresses in revealing shirts. The common denominator, clearly, is sex; while Superbowl ads capitalize on attractive women, their models are almost always clad in tastefully concealing clothing. In fact, in the greater context of pop culture, Super Bowl ads seems almost puritanical when placed next to the average Britney Spears video or Bratz commercial.
Traditionally, professional sports and women have been perceived as having an oppositional relationship. The standard narrative has a guy watching the game, slurping beer, and neglecting his wife. Over the past few years, female football viewership has climbed significantly, but the lingering sexism attached to the sport means that it has to be extremely careful about how it packages its image. With millions of dollars of ad revenue and a fragile relationship hanging in the balance, professional football simply cannot afford to present itself as being a conduit for sexual temptation and potential infidelity.
In this context, it seems likely that Janet Jackson's famous wardrobe malfunction in 2004 may have been a high water mark for racy sexuality at the Super Bowl. Certainly, subsequent acts have been far more constrained. With more and more women watching the game, one wonders how long it will be before Super Bowl ads start targeting traditionally female products. Forget Bud Bowl: I'm looking forward to Swiffer Bowl 2010!



Reader Comments (Page 1 of 9)
1-16-2009 @ 6:20AM
KJ said...
FINALLY .....someone put a line in the sand on immorality
Reply
1-16-2009 @ 8:13AM
BROG said...
Makes one wonder how many Viagra and Cialis ads we'll have this year . . . Reveling in a sport which highlights - nay, sells - violence (and no, I am not against football) but then draws the line at even a vague sense of sexuality, which is a beautiful thing (for the most part), is so "American" that it defies discussion.
If watching this telecast lasts more than 4 hours, call your psychiatrist.
1-16-2009 @ 10:06AM
Rob said...
No, Brog, the sport is not drawing the line on sexuality, it is drawing the line on infidelity....major difference. The website is only for extramarital affairs. It's to promote and enable cheating. What about that makes it so "American" (as you so derisively state in your post) that is "defies discussion?" What, is cheating on your spouse now the cool thing to do in the "enlightened" EU?
1-16-2009 @ 11:42AM
Donna said...
Well said, Rob! Thank you. Mumbling jibberish is generally what I hear from my 6 month old child, not from a supposedly educated adult. Grow up Brog and find some common sense, rather than idealistic ramblings that make absolutely no sense.
1-16-2009 @ 12:01PM
Vickie said...
Let's stick to the point of this article...there is no "vague sense of sexuality" in an ad by a company promoting extramarital affairs, nor is it a "beautiful thing" to promote extramarital affairs. People do not need to be encouraged to have affairs during a football game; people do a fine job of having affairs (and ruining families while doing so) without a commercial or agency promoting it. Thankfully, regardless of the financial reason for it, there are some topics that are looked down upon in this extremely liberal country of ours.
1-16-2009 @ 1:09PM
belle said...
AMEN! It's nice to see that morality is not an endangered species.
1-17-2009 @ 12:12AM
sweetjuliek said...
Did someone cheat on you? get them this cookbook.. "Get in the Kitchen, BIT@HES!" (bitchcooks.com)
1-18-2009 @ 8:40PM
Karen said...
I agree, it's a disgrace that this is acceptab;e behavior, to run around cheating on your spouse, how sick that it is promoted and that she actually earns a living by matching up people so they can cheat. If you wasto be free to sleep around,then get a divorce
1-16-2009 @ 6:45AM
char said...
It is so nice to see some morals and respect. thank you NFL! IWe always have a party with a mixed crowd of adults , men and women as well as youth. Thanks for making it so we can keep it that way
Reply
1-16-2009 @ 6:48AM
jbjg24m said...
why ??????????
Reply
1-16-2009 @ 11:33AM
Brian said...
if you have to ask why your so friggin stupid you do not realise you are part of the problem
1-16-2009 @ 2:38PM
DJ said...
What part of morality don't you get? Or do you have any?
1-16-2009 @ 6:54AM
Damian Douglas said...
The NFL and morality? You have got to be kidding? People are starving and are homeless and the salary of one player could save a community! Given some of the recent reports of NFL players behavior I don't think that "morality" and "NFL" should be used in the same sentence.
Reply
1-16-2009 @ 12:18PM
Cherish said...
Come come Damien .. how can you hold the NFL organization responsible for the irresponsible, illegal or immoral acts of its employees any more than you would expect any other business to police it's employees on their personal time?? There are bad eggs in every organization you shouldnt hold the NFL in a negative light because, for example, Michael Vick was participating in illegal dog fighting or when some other fella cheats etc. That is, unfortunately, the world we live in. And if we keep expecting OTHER people to hold individuals responsible for their actions, morals etc. then the individual will never take responsibility for him/herself.
1-16-2009 @ 1:10PM
belle said...
do you have any idea how much those players get fined by the NFL for their irresponsible/immoral/illegal activtiies?
1-16-2009 @ 1:36PM
Mike said...
Damian.......whenever someone suggests that money made by others could be given to the starving and the homeless, I always have to ask this question.
What do YOU do to help these people? Instead of passing moral judgment on others and how they should spend what they've earned, why aren't YOU out taking a second or third job so you can donate all those earnings to help others in need? Instead of POINTING a finger, why not try LIFTING one to help instead of criticize?
Easy...because people like you are hypocrites who expect OTHERS to be charitable while you sit on your moral high horse and do nothing.
By the way, NFL Charities, the United Way, and NFL players do more for their local communities than you or any of your friends.
1-17-2009 @ 1:00AM
orionsbow said...
Please, for God's sake, Damian, if that's REALLY your name, please tell me exactly WHAT the starving and homeless have to do with a freakin' NFL player's salary, please, please do that. Tell me just why in the hell you think that a pro football player's salary has anything to do with the homeless. Why do you silly ass liberal weinies assume that everybody should do the same job and make the same amount of money? What makes you think that if a pro ball player made only fifty grand a year someone, God knows who, would give the rest of the typical player's multi-million dollar salary to the freakin' poor? How does that work? Even if we all made whatever YOU consider a "fair" salary, there would STILL be homeless and starving people. Don't you understand that? Or perhaps you're really a Marxist, maybe YOU think we should all live in a commune and give everything to the state so it can distribute everything "evenly" among us all. That way, it wouldn't matter if you worked your ass off all your life or sat around on your lazy duff, we'd all get exactly the same thing. Maybe that's your idea of "fair". Idiot.
1-17-2009 @ 2:45AM
Sheela said...
Ok stupid, so you don't know why athletes get paid more than you do. If your career lasted about 3 years, on average, and you had trained for it all your life (which you didn't), you'd want to make a little money, too. Besides, they work harder than you ever will; and they pay a lot more in taxes (which makes them more patriotic). And they give more to charity than you make. So...unless you're manufacturing loaves and fishes for the poor out of that air you waste breathing, don't diss.
1-16-2009 @ 6:56AM
Mark said...
At last, some signs of intelligence in the U.S. Thank you NFL for sticking it back to advertising agencies and the media, usually run by liberals who love to throw shock value. The NFL obviously stands for more traditional and tasteful values and that is why I watch football every week.
Reply
1-16-2009 @ 7:11AM
Troy said...
Mark, this is hardly a "liberal" vs conservative topic, as there are equal amounts of infidelity on both sides. Belief in any thing less is a lack of knowledge. Besides, I'm quite liberal myself, and I think the idea of that whole Ashley Madison company is disgusting. Marriage has enough strains already, without some company stoking the fires and profiting off the adulterous results.