A tip to Tebow: Politics and Super Bowl not a good mix

I t's been reported that Tim Tebow and his mother will appear in a Super Bowl commercial that is being described as an anti-abortion message.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the 30-second spot has been recorded, and the Christian group Focus on the Family says the theme of the ad will be "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life."

This won't be the first time Tebow has espoused his Christian beliefs to an unsuspecting audience. As Florida's Heisman Award-winning quarterback, he dropped the name of Jesus frequently in interviews and wore Bible verses on his eye-black patches during games.

Now Tebow is venturing into territory seldom visited by high-profile athletes, though any comments about the ad - either supportive or snarky - could be premature because there is no guarantee that CBS and the NFL will run it.

Last year, NBC and the league agreed in the days leading up to the Super Bowl to pull a pro-life ad from a Catholic group. Pro-choice commercials also have been routinely rejected by the league and its TV partners.

That's the way it should be. That goes for PETA, too. A Super Bowl audience shouldn't be ambushed by political advocacy ads. Super Sunday is a time for debating which animals make cuter commercials - the Budweiser Clydesdales or the computer-generated dancing lizards - not arguing left-wing-right-wing ideology.

We'll have to wait to see whether Tebow's presence makes this pitch more palatable to the league and CBS, which is charging no less than $2.5 million for a 30-second spot.

But whether the ad runs or not, my advice to Tebow would be to tone it down.

Not because he isn't within his rights to express his spirituality. And not because it's almost always annoying when athletes proselytize.

No, Tebow should dial it back simply because the more often he promotes his message - even if it's just wearing John 3:16 under his eyes - the more it will fall on deaf ears.

It can be a great thing when men and women believe in something bigger than themselves. There is too little idealism in the world. On the other hand, few of us like to be preached to.

Also, by teaming up with Focus on the Family, Tebow and his mother are stepping out of the spiritual arena into the political, where idealism doesn't stand a chance.

While some - mainly the media elite - are fond of saying that athletes should stand up for a cause, fans really don't want their jocks mixing sports with politics.

Famous athletes, like movie stars, are useful for raising money for earthquake victims and other charities. But if there's anything more ill-advised than a grown up buying a brand of underwear because of an athlete's endorsement, it's being politically manipulated by one.

Toward the end of a hotly contested U.S. Senate race in North Carolina in 1990 between Republican Jesse Helms and Democrat Harvey Gantt, the Gantt campaign sought out Michael Jordan, North Carolina's favorite son.

Would he pose for a picture with Gantt? Issue a brief statement of support? Anything could help make a difference.

Jordan declined, famously concluding that, "Republicans buy sneakers, too."

Though his words were crass and stupid, Jordan hit on a sound philosophy that benefits everyone. While still active, athletes shouldn't get involved in partisan politics; those who do shouldn't be taken seriously.

In religion or politics - and it's even worse when the two are hand-in-hand - one man's inspirational message is another's boorish agenda.

Tebow could be walking that line any day now.

Bob Molinaro, (757) 446-2373, bob.molinaro@pilotonline.com