I’ve taken a lot of grief in my life for my bizarre and almost ritualistic love of collegiate sports.  I guess that is what happens when you grow up in Nebraska and your choices for entertainment are cheering Husker football or drinking in the Quick Pik parking lot (or both!).  And I’m sure being somewhat of an athlete has something to with it.  I know I’m not alone when I say that athletics was always the quintessential escape–whether from a tumultuous home life, overbearing professional life, what have you.  For the most part it was an avenue kept free from politics, a place where I could get sweaty, bruised (even metaphorically) and feel time and its’ crushing burdens stand still.  At least temporarily.

So I’d like to thank CBS for going and screwing that whole thing up.  Thank you for taking my last, politically-free space and infesting it with garbage.  CBS, you suck.

Yes, even opinionated and at times obnoxious and arrogant feminists want a break from politics.  And yes, for some of us that break comes in sports–as fans, athletes, the point is, even for the most die-hard activists there comes a time where we need to just hit the pause button and not think about politics.  Mostly because that’s all we are doing all the time anyway and lets be honest, athletics, whether amature, professional, participatory or purely passive is one of the best forms of escapism ever.  That was, until CBS decided to go and run this stoopid anti-abortion ad from Focus on the Family.  The ad stars everybody’s favorite evangelical-and-prone-to-choking former University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow praising his mother’s “choice” in not aborting him.  Oh.  Fuck.  Me.

First things first.  Yes I hate Florida and Tebow because I grew up in Nebraska and HELLO he’s a Gator.  Moving on.

This ad, and the decision by CBS to run it, brings to focus all that is disingenous about the anti-abortion community.  Let’s break this down.  Anti-abortion activists celebrating the “choice of life” while simultaneously advocating for eradicating the ability for women to make a choice between keeping or terminating a pregnancy.  And while I’m happy for Tebow and his mother that he wasn’t aborted (I guess, is that even the right response here?) I’m still waiting for the testimonials of mothers who celebrate their “choice of life” for a fetus that died hours or days after birth.  Or the testimonials of fathers who lost both a child and a spouse in labor because of their decision to “chose life”.  Or for the testimonial of an adult who was raised in an institution because of a decision to “chose life”.

So yeah, that’s my problem with the intellectual dishonesty going on here.  On the one hand I’m not at all surprised.  I mean, it is Focus on the Family and the evangelical right (not to mention mainstream broadcasters).  But on the other, c’mon, people.  CBS has previously rejected ads from groups like MoveOn.org and PETA because their content was too controversial.  And you know what?  Good.  When I’m a couple beers into the game with a plate full of chips-n-guac I would much rather see Janet Jackson’s titty than get lectured to by either the right or the left.  Because this is my time.  My brief moment where I don’t have to worry about my crazy boss, the state of the union, or the systemic attack on my ability to have access to reproductive health care services.  And if that makes me a selfish bitch, so what.  Wouldn’t be the first time I was accused of being as much.  All I ask is for my moment to sit back, crack some beers, and enjoy the game.

But since that’s been taken away, here’s what I’m working on.  When the Focus on the Famliy ad runs, do me a favor.  Go online (or pick up the phone if you are feeling oldschool) and contact your favorite advocate for reproductive health.  Maybe it is Planned Parenthood.  Or the National Network of Aboriton Funds.  Or NARAL Quite honestly I don’t care just so long as you reach out.  Give them five bucks in Tebow’s honor.  Hell, give them five bucks in Tebow’s name.  Just give.  Because Focus on the Family spent THREE MILLION DOLLARS to try and convince America that choice means nothing and that football is open season for issue ads and I for one want to get back to just enjoying the damn game.