Tebow’s Focus on the Family ad could change future Super Bowls
At about 6:43 p.m. ET, one simple ad changed the Super Bowl forever. It’s now an accepted truism that the Super Bowl is as much about the advertising as the on-field action; of the estimated 100 million people who will view this year’s game, a significant number can’t identify anyone outside of Peyton Manning(notes). But almost everyone will remember the commercials –- in particular, one entitled “Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life.” Focus on the Family – Tim Tebow Ad @ Yahoo! VideoIt appears simple enough: Pam Tebow telling a heartwarming story about her rather famous son, former University of Florida star quarterback Tim Tebow, punctuated with a little CGI’d violence. Indeed, given all the hype that had built up about the commercial — the rumor that it would be a strident anti-abortion screed, for instance — many viewers were left with an “is that it?” feeling afterward. (A slightly different version of the ad aired before the game.) But it’s what’s implied, what the ad represents, that could fundamentally alter the Super Bowl commercial landscape. Over the past 43 Super Bowls, commercials have grown from simple product pitches into pop-art touchstones as companies spend millions for 30 seconds of the nation’s undivided attention. They’ve run the gamut from provocative to subversive, ridiculous to sentimental. They’ve employed celebrities and ordinary people; they’ve praised and mocked their subjects. But until Sunday, they all had one thing in common: They stayed away from the charged worlds of politics, religion and morality. With one gently pitched 30-second ad, however, all that has changed. A door previously closed has now been cracked open. The ad isn’t simply an advocacy of a particular moral position; it has the potential to be a watershed moment in our national discourse if we allow real-world concerns to impact our entertainment. For most of its 44-year existence, the Super Bowl has advocated only one form of morality: worship of the Super Bowl itself and its sponsors. Certainly, some companies have pushed the bounds of good taste, and the Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake wardrobe malfunction of 2004 caused ripples throughout popular culture that are still being felt. But for the most part, the Super Bowl advocated and promoted a mainstream, middle-of-the-road existence that steered clear of divisive or controversial subjects. Some ads make news because they were rejected. Indeed, GoDaddy.com has built an entire cottage industry on promoting its banned Super Bowl ads. This year, GoDaddy’s ad featuring driver Danica Patrick and an effeminate football player didn’t pass muster with CBS, nor did an ad for a male dating site called ManCrunch.com. Both had provocative, potentially controversial themes. Which, in turn, makes the approval of Focus on the Family’s ad an interesting case study. Certainly, there’s no mistaking Focus on the Family’s intent or the magnitude of its controversial message, even if this particular ad’s content doesn’t incite any fiery emotions. The ad is the first chapter of a story, not the story itself. The ad campaign also serves as a stake in the ground for Tebow himself. Tebow embodies unimpeachable, almost unbelievable moral fortitude. He’s gone on record as saying he is still a virgin and will remain so until marriage, and in a post-Tiger Woods world, he makes for an attractive corporate spokesman. Ironically, his willingness to appeal to only a segment of the population may bolster his public image. We’re in polarizing times, where public figures are more than willing to trade mass appeal for targeted devotion. (Think Sarah Palin, for instance, who’s phenomenally popular now with right-leaning crowds despite having deeply unfavorable ratings with other segments of the American public.) If Tebow is willing to make that trade, it puts him in stark opposition to the tradition of megapopular athlete pitchmen like Michael Jordan, who famously declined to take political stands under the rationale that those who might be in opposition to the message buy shoes, too. On a larger scale, though, the Tebow ad has the potential to change the landscape of Super Bowl advertising, and, in turn, the national post-Super Bowl conversation. Advocacy groups tend to follow the approach of siblings appealing to their parents: they did it, so why can’t we? The Tebow ad now serves as precedent; from now on, a network that turns down an advocacy ad is inviting a lawsuit, or at the very least wide-scale protests. The result could be that networks give equal time to opposing points of view, leading to a can-you-top-this cycle of advocacy messaging. Certainly, one of America’s most fundamental rights is that every organization has the right to speak its piece. And if said organization happens to have the millions necessary to buy airtime during the Super Bowl, there’s a valid argument for allowing them to do so. But what about the many millions who look at the Super Bowl as an escape from the thorny political and moral issues of the day, who want nothing more than to watch some football and laugh at a few amusing ads along the way? Should money and political ambition trump the original purpose of the game? Do we need to have moral and ethical discussions involved in every corner of our lives? Or is that exactly what we need? Years from now, as we sit through Super Bowls stuffed with ad after preachy, chastising ad, we just might long for the simpler times of burping frogs. Other popular stories on Yahoo!: • Coach’s gutsy call pays off big for winners • Is Peyton Manning back to being a choker? • New Orleans parties after team wins Super Bowl • Watch: Best and worst of Super Bowl ads • Buy Saints championship merchandise

Winners of the NBA LP Broadband, Mobile subscriptions
You thought we forgot about this, didn’t you? After plowing through nearly 200 entries, Ball Don’t Lie is thrilled to announce the winners of our NBA League Pass Broadband subscription and NBA League Pass Mobile subscription contest. Ho, ho, Hoiberg! (Yes, I’m drunk.)Unfortunately, just like last time, our BDL panel of judges couldn’t come to a consensus on which two entries we liked best, so 12 finalists’ names were dropped into a festive bowl, sprinkled with frankincense and mirth, and left in the caring hands ol’ Lady Luck.Below are 12 of our favorite submissions, as well as the two winners. (Note: We spared you the amateur photographic proof this time around, because, well, I’ve got a grotesque Yao Ming(notes)-like neck beard going on.)Thanks to everyone who participated in the contest. There were many interesting (and hilarious) answers, and we appreciate the effort that went into writing all of them. Once again, have a safe and happy holidays!1. Jerry — “For my holiday dinner, I would invite over Ron Artest(notes), Stephen Jackson(notes) and Ben Wallace(notes) to let them finish business. Then we’ll have a steak together.”2. Christopher A — “I would invite D.J. Mbenga(notes), D.J. Augustin(notes), and Thunder power forward D.J. White(notes), we would discuss how the kid in the wheelchair from Degrassi became tight with Weezy, maybe play some DJ Hero, and above all call J-Roc in Sunnyvale and wish him a Happy Holiday.”3. Sandy D — “I’d invite Bill Walton, Ron Artest, and Charles Oakley. Walton can eloquently say the prayer and use to his loquaciousness to provide dish-by-dish commentary, Artest can break out the ol’ anecdotes and awkward pauses that are commonplace at the dinner table, and Oak can cook (like for real, he can cook) and do his best tough man job by keeping cats out of the kitchen before the grub is better.”4. JM — “I would invite Lawrence Frank-incense, Lamond Myrrh-ay, and Anthony Gold-wire, both for the Christmas connection and because I think they would all appreciate a hot meal.” (*RANDOM WINNER NO. 1, LP BROADBAND*)5. Matthew — “Charles Barkley, Eddy Curry(notes), and Shaq. I hate leftovers.”6. wblambert91 — “Vitaly Potapenko, Calvin Booth(notes), and Jerome James(notes). Hopefully, I can shame them into paying $500 for their food.”7. Jhun — “I would invite Michael Jordan, Adam Morrison(notes), and Kwame Brown(notes) to a nice restaurant and convince Jordan that No. 1 and No. 3 are the best picks on the menu. All the while, in the background, Morrison would be crying over the lack of ‘bird’ on his plate and Kwame Brown would be throwing a cake at a waiter, naturally.”8. Sergeant Sag — “I would invite over Mugsy Bogues, Spud Webb, and Nate Robinson(notes) so that they could have a dunk contest to see who gets the booster seat at the dinner table.”9. Peter — “Out of morbid curiosity, I’d invite Ricky Davis(notes) to see if he’d try to regurgitate his dinner and eat his own regurgitation in an unsportsmanlike effort to pad his eating stats, Kermit Washington to punch him if he pulled this stunt, and J.J. Redick(notes) to immortalize the dinner’s events with an embarrassingly maudlin poem.”10. Eugene — “Cuttino ‘The Cat’ Mobley, Walt ‘The Wizard’ Williams, and Craig Sager. There you have it — The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.” (*RANDOM WINNER NO. 2, LP MOBILE*)11. Markop — “Josh Smith, Kevin Garnett(notes), and Dwight Howard(notes), so I could keep all the kids out of my kitchen!”12. thamartini — “Shane Battier, Bruce Bowen(notes), and Ben Wallace. I’d like to see who would be the first to let down his guard and actually allow my girlfriend to score some brownie points with my hard-to-please parents.” Final legal crap:Nationally and locally televised games are subject to blackout and are therefore not available via NBA League Pass Broadband (regardless of whether team is home or away). This contest was for US participants only. By entering the sweepstakes you agree to release Sponsor, the NBA Entities, Ball Don’t Lie and their respective affiliates and agencies from any and all liabilities for injuries, damages or losses of any kind to in connection with the sweepstakes, prize or any prize-related activity.

TBJ Ep. 472: Big Weekend
Monday to Friday, The Basketball Jones look at the big games and story lines from the night before with a mix of in-depth analysis and irreverent humor. As always, questions and comments are appreciated.On today’s show, Skeets and Tas round-up the weekend’s big winners and losers. Congratulations to Hornets’ fans, the Magic’s defense, Elton Brand(notes) and Kobe YouTube editors. Try again next week Nets, Nate Rob, Vincent Lamar and the Wizards. All that, plus possible first time All-Stars and the league’s best clutch shooters.Welcome to the working week! (Sigh.)Subscribe to the video show on iTunes | Download the .m4v directlySubscribe to the audio show on iTunes | Download the .mp3 directly

Bradford decision postponed to Friday (AP)
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops is waiting another day to make a decision on whether Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford will play against Baylor on Saturday. Stoops had said at the start of the week that he didn't plan to announce whether Bradford would play until Thursday. But Sooners spokesman Kenny Mossman said Thursday that Stoops had put off the decision until Friday.

Cavaliers G West held out of scrimmage (AP)
LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal made their first public appearance together as Cleveland teammates. Delonte West stayed out of sight. The Cavaliers' troubled guard, who is dealing with personal problems as well as legal issues pending from a recent arrest on weapons charges, was kept away from Cleveland's intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday, a workout that served as the Cavaliers'…

Grizzlies eager to learn from Iverson (AP)
Rudy Gay listened as Grizzlies' teammate O.J. Mayo talked of the team's need to meld at practice and couldn't stop himself from piping in, “Practice?” Oh yes, the player who's been with the Memphis Grizzlies the longest has seen video of Allen Iverson's infamous 2002 rant during a feud with Larry Brown about missing practice and heard that word maybe 20 times in the…

Peer beats Brianti in Guangzhou final (AP)
Shahar Peer of Israel has won her first WTA Tour title in three years, beating Alberta Brianti 6-3, 6-4 of Italy in the Guangzhou Open final. The fifth-seeded Peer's last championships came in Prague, Istanbul and Pattaya, Thailand in 2006. The eighth-seeded Brianti was playing in her first tour final on Sunday.

Hingis eliminated from TV dance contest (AP)
The British public doesn't care much for Martina Hingis' dancing skills. The five-time Grand Slam tournament winner on Saturday became the first celebrity lobbed out of “Strictly Come Dancing,” the new BBC reality talent show. After coming in the bottom two when phone votes were added to the judges' score, Hingis and partner Matthew Cutler lost a dance-off against…