After spending eight days in Houston covering the Super Bowl, I returned to Los Angeles and spent three nights on my radio show breaking down the halftime show and Janet Jackson's memorable moment. I will not get into the details of Jackson and her friend Justin Timberlake’s attempt to gain more publicity, but I will tell you that real sports fans are very upset by that stunt.
CBS and MTV are not to blame just as we should not throw the NFL under the bus for this racy halftime stunt. It was Janet's fault, and she knows it. I have seen various polls that describe America’s degree of frustration and offense after witnessing Janet's uncovered breast, and I have digested all of the numbers. The only people who should be asked to comment on this should be the parents of kids between 8-16 years old. These are the people who were most greatly affected and had to stop having fun on Super Bowl Sunday and move toward damage control. Who cares if a 33-year-old man with no kids laughed at the halftime show and continued to hit the rewind button on his TiVo? I could care less if a father of two children in their twenties thought that Jackson didn't cross the line because he sees much worse each night on cable television. I have two young boys that are 2 1/2 and 7 months in age. I feel lucky they are not of the age where I would have had to sit them down and explain to them the definition of sexual harassment.
Parents who called into my radio show were outraged because they don't want to be forced to "fast forward" the discussion of sex with their kids because of what they witnessed during a football game. This topic isn't about the lack of morals in America or the fact that several kids don't have the proper supervision at home to keep them sheltered from acts like we watched last Sunday. This is about a Super Bowl that for many people was ruined because a pop star wanted to sell more CDs.
A 31-year-old male called my show from Boston and was outraged because the Patriots didn't get the proper credit that they deserved for winning the Super Bowl. "I have to listen to sports talk radio shows describe what Janet Jackson exposed instead of breaking down Tom Brady's MVP performance."
Another caller, a 42-year-old mother of two kids ages 14 and 11, was concerned because several kids at her son's school were passing out flyers that showed in detail the blown up version of the Internet pictures of Janet Jackson's breast.
I thought I’d seen it all since I've entered the sports media world and this is by far the most publicized event that has directly affected a major sporting event. For years, I have covered stories about athletes who cheat, beat women, take drugs and drive under the influence of alcohol. This Super Bowl halftime has angered more sports fans than all of those stories combined. It was estimated that over 14 million children watched Timberlake expose Jackson's breast. Unfortunately, we cannot rewind that image in the minds of young kids. Parents can't ask CBS television for a "do-over."
Each week at NFL games, I see many disturbing images. Some fans get out of control because they abuse alcohol and use foul language around children. Adults have the right to leave their kids at home when they go to a professional sporting event, but responsible parents had no warning or ability to turn off the television sets when Janet Jackson hit the stage in Houston.
Sports fans could care less if the FCC fines CBS, Jackson and Timberlake. They care about being able to watch a major sporting event without a woman bearing her breasts or rappers using foul language during a performance. We have come a long way since network censors tried to stop Elvis Presley from making sexual gyrations from the waist down. Elvis would have rolled over in his grave if he turned into halftime of the Super Bowl.
I'm sure I'll get back to you throughout this year with a few other disturbing images that have a negative effect on sports fans throughout this country, but the Super Bowl halftime show will be a tough act to follow, let alone top.