by Angela S. Young

Created on: September 26, 2007   Last Updated: September 28, 2007

I believe all viewing during games should be family friendly. After all, how often do family members watch the game together? Children learn the love of the game early by spending time with parents watching games and going to games. Evidently David Smith, a conservative leader agrees with me. In a article by Ed Thomas for OneNewsNow.com, he says that Smith is talking to the Commissioner (Goodel) to convince him to talk to networks about their commercials and promotions during the games.

Many parents are tired of having to keep the remote control handy during games to keep their children from seeing inappropriate content during breaks. Smith says that some of the commercials are "sexually suggestive and inappropriate for family viewing." He says others, especially movie trailers, are "graphically violent and quite disturbing, image wise." Having watched a game or two in my day, I can concur with his assessment. The commercials are not appropriate for children, and need to be reevaluated.

Since the NFL licenses the games to the networks, they do have some control over what is shown during their breaks. Smith and I both hope his letter will have an effect. NFL and other sports games should be kept family friendly so that parents and children can watch the game together without worrying about their children seeing or hearing inappropriate material. The league has a choice and the networks have a choice. They decide what commercials and other things are played during the games, so when we see content that is inappropriate, we can know who made the choice to air it.

If parents want to see clean TV during the games, they need to let their voice be heard by contacting the NFL and/or the networks to air their views. We do have the power, and the responsibility, to make a difference when it comes to what our children are exposed to. In light of the downfall of several NFL heroes' lately, it's even more important to proved wholesome viewing for those in our care. Sports is one of the last bastions of family togetherness viewing and should be protected from those who would introduce adult, graphic, or inappropriate material through the commercials or promotions.

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