NCAA Pulls the Plug on Focus Ad After Protest

by Nima Reza, managing editor

Organization caters to homosexual activists over benign ad.

The NCAA took a Focus on the Family ad off of its Web site after homosexual activists complained.

The print ad shows a father holding his young son. It's titled:

Celebrate Family. Celebrate Life.

And the picture is captioned:

All I want for my son is for him to grow up knowing how to do the right thing.

The activists claimed Focus was too controversial for being pro-life, and in favor of one-man, one-woman marriage. They said that runs counter to the NCAA's policies.

Gary Schneeberger, vice president of ministry communications at Focus on the Family, said he was "befuddled" by the NCAA's decision.

"Have we really become a society where it's considered distasteful and controversial for a dad to hope the best for his son?" he said. "If so, we have a lot of soul-searching to do as a nation."

Steve Maegdlin, CEO of the CSK Strategic Marketing Group which produced the print ad, said there's no reason for it to be pulled.

"There's no hidden message or hidden agenda in here," he said.

Calls to the NCAA were not returned.

The ad was part of a CBS Super Bowl package. The network ran the much-talked about TV commercial by Focus on the Family featuring Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mother.

"We said during the weeks of controversy before our Super Bowl commercial with the Tebows aired that – despite the charges of critics who hadn't even seen it – the spot was not political or divisive or hateful," Schneeberger added. "And, it wasn't. The print ad now being protested is even more non-threatening – if that's possible. It simply says, 'Focus on the Family is here to help you raise your kids, thrive in your marriages and tackle the challenge life throws your way.'"

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Call the NCAA to express your disappointment over the ad's removal.

NCAA Comment Line 317-917-6762.