Super Bowl LIII is officially in the history books, leaving audiences with a foul aftertaste of bitter pills in their maw. The game was downright boring, the halftime show fraught with bared skin and fur-clad gangsta-wannabes. And the highly anticipated, creative-genius-conceived commercials were a failing display of leftist politics on a grand scale.
By all accounts, except possibly New England Patriot Tom Brady’s, a dud of epic proportions. Ratings for the nearly four-hour spectacle were at a decade low of only 44.9, with the two largest markets being Los Angeles and Boston — no surprise there — and a huge loss overall. [perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”24″]…battering the audience with a social justice warrior club…[/perfectpullquote]
Advertisers who beamed at the thought of battering the audience with a social justice warrior club may now be in the fetal position, explaining to clients why no one saw their $5.25 million for a 30-second investment spot. That’s burning $175,000 per second. Yikes.
Claiming moral superiority, CBS chipped away at its profit margins by refusing to run certain ads — one for legalizing marijuana and another for a conservative company that had the cash — and thankfully after the ratings disaster still do. Nine Line Apparel, a Georgia-based clothing brand that promotes itself as a company for “Patriotic Americans,” was pooh-poohed from shelling out its marketing dollars.
CEO Tyler Merritt claims the network refused the ad based on the ability of his company to pay the tab, which it could have with change to spare, but more importantly because of the content.
In a tweet, Merritt said his piece:
“Let’s call this what it is: a blatant attempt to censor a message that their politically correct executives find offensive. We urge Americans who believe it’s important to show respect for our flag and national anthem to join us in calling out this offensive bias. It’s time to give a penalty flag to CBS.”
The Horrific Display of Patriotism
The ad that apparently didn’t meet CBS standards is a direct rebuke of Nike’s promotion of Colin Kaepernick and his national anthem protests. It features the American soldier, first responders, and military graves decorated with American flags. The powerful ad gives them credit for protecting the rights of those like Kaepernick to protest and asks people to “just stand” in respect.
Narrated by a Benghazi survivor, U.S. Marine Mark Geist, the ad begins where Nike’s homage to Kaepernick, the unemployable quarterback, left the audience hanging with this pithy statement, “So don’t ask if your dreams are crazy. Ask if they are crazy enough.”
Geist has a better plan and asks, “Don’t ask if your loyalty is crazy. Ask if it’s crazy enough. Some people think you’re crazy for being loyal, defending the Constitution, standing for the flag. Then I guess I’m crazy.”
Heads at CBS must’ve exploded. And that horrific display of patriotism would not see the light of day.
Hypocrisy at Every Level
Those who watched the “most boring Super Bowl ever” to the bitter end were subjected to other ads that did make the cut. WaPo had a self-serving ad, narrated by Tom Hanks, claiming to be journalists who deliver facts and reminding us that “knowing keeps us free.” Budweiser brought the dog and pony show to slap us around emotionally with critters and renewable energy while Bob Dylan sang “Blowin’ in the Wind.” And Google appealed to a one world order of peace, love, and harmony, with a lot of happy people translating languages and smiling.
They made the cut. Patriotic Americans, however, were denied.
