NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is trying to cut down on the number of sexual assaults against women by players in the league. With Super Bowl XLIX just around the corner, American Family Association (AFA, afa.net) says Goodell can take at least one step this weekend to help.
Carl’s Jr., owned by CKE Restaurants (which also owns Hardee’s) is scheduled to air a sexually explicit commercial during the Super Bowl on Sunday, and millions of families and children will be watching.
The commercial features a woman who appears to be completely nude as she walks through a farmer’s market as men ogle her, until the end, when it’s revealed she is wearing a bikini while eating a hamburger from Carl’s Jr. AFA says Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s have a long history of airing smutty ads, and this one falls in line with CKE Restaurant’s consistent practice of disrespecting and degrading women and families.
“The Super Bowl should be a time when we can sit with our families and children and enjoy the biggest football game of the year,” said AFA President Tim Wildmon. “Instead, we see values annihilated as Carl’s Jr. blatantly demonstrates to little girls that they should aspire to look, and worse yet, act like this woman, and suggests to young boys that women are objects of lust. Families shouldn’t have to worry about shielding their kids’ eyes during the commercial breaks in the Super Bowl. If the NFL truly wants to clean up its act and show that the league respects women, standing up for clean ads is well within Roger Goodell’s authority.”
AFA suggests that those concerned with the disrespectful ad contact Goodell before this Sunday’s Super Bowl game, urging him and the NFL to reject the Carl’s Jr. ad in favor of respecting women and protecting families who will be watching the Super Bowl.
- Call NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at (212) 450-2000.
- Connect with Roger Goodell on Facebook, Twitter or on the NFL web site
- E-mail Roger Goodell (via his public relations director) with this message:
Subject: Stop the filthy Carl’s Jr. commercial during the Super Bowl
Dear Commissioner Goodell:
The NFL has the right and authority to ensure the Super Bowl broadcast is decent and quality entertainment for families, and especially children, who might be watching.
I urge you to use your influence to reject a planned commercial by Carl’s Jr. The ad is tasteless, highly sexualized and degrading to women.
As one who has shown concern over the recent number of sexual assaults against women by NFL members, this is an excellent opportunity for you to send the message that you will not tolerate any disrespect of women, even in television commercials.
Please tell the networks that the Carl’s Jr. commercial must not be a part of the NFL Super Bowl presentation.
Monica Cole, director of OneMillionMoms.com (1MM), a division of AFA, recently wrote about Super Bowl ads as well.
“After several years of speaking out about inappropriate commercials during the Super Bowl and also thanking those who have kept it clean and used their financial dollars wisely, 1MM saw a positive change in the advertising during the big game last year,” Cole said. “Even though there is still room for improvement, 1MM believes that our voice is being heard. Families should be able to watch the game together if they choose. Last year’s game was remarkably improved from years past because viewers were not bombarded with sexually explicit and disgusting ads during every commercial break. Parents should remain on guard, but it is encouraging to see that our voice kept crudeness to a minimum. That is 1MM’s goal again this year.”
Besides the questionable Carl’s Jr. commercial planned for this year, another ad for T-Mobile features a scantily clad Kim Kardashian talking about smartphone data.
AFA urges concerned viewers to contact CKE Restaurants, owners of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s before this Sunday’s Super Bowl game by visiting onemillionmoms.com/current-campaigns/carls-jr-super-bowl-ad.
American Family Association offers its friends and supporters several mobile apps through afa.net/resources/mobile-apps/. The AFA Action Alerts app, with breaking news and action alerts, is available for the iPhone and iPad on the Apple App Store, on Google Play and on the Amazon Appstore for Android. The AFR (American Family Radio) app is available for Apple and Android products, and the AFA Action app with, for example, voter information at election time, is available on Apple and Android platforms.
For more information on American Family Association, visit afa.net.
