• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, February 1, 2011

You probably won't see any TV commercials touting disgust over films in movie theaters during ABC's upcoming Academy Awards telecast.

Still, when you hear that an NFL Players Association (NFLPA) TV ad has been rejected by CBS -- the network that makes hundreds of millions of dollars year from the NFL -- you might think other factors are at work here.

"Let Us Play," the union's one-minute commercial, is a response to the NFL team owners' expected player "lock out" -- which some say is an effort to get the players to cede to a number of demands and a decision that could cancel the entire 2011 season.

On the surface, you might think CBS wants to protect the NFL owners -- the ones who effectively control the purse strings when it comes to the league's media partners. But there is a lot more to it.

First, the obvious: The NFL is not only the most-prized sports TV franchise. This year, it's also the only real success story on big-time television. The league carries a lot of weight (some might say a bit overweight), with CBS pulling in more than $800 million in advertising revenue per year, according to some estimates.

"Let Us Play" has a bunch of athletes, fans, and vendors basically repeating the tag line. The spot doesn't mention the NFL owners -- but the intent is there. Someone is NOT going to let them play.

We all know TV networks routinely reject "advocacy" commercials -- those strongly positioned political-sounding messages, typically steeped in public controversy. We can probably understand this more easily if the NFLPA commercial was rejected from airing during a regularly scheduled NFL game.

Instead it was rejected from airing during the NFL Players Association College All-Star Game, airing Saturday on the CBS College Sports Network. A group's commercial getting rejected from a TV show where its name is affixed to the title? Huh?

I'm all for debate but TV commercials are a poor medium for a discussion forum. Freedom of speech? Sure. But a lot can go missing -- like the other side of the equation. And, to be fair, CBS says it would have rejected any TV commercial from the NFL owners as well. No matter what you think about CBS, it and the other networks airing the NFL, will get hurt big time by losing the games if a lock-out occurs.

We have seen lobbying groups attempt to have a big impact by placing advocacy ads on high-rated TV shows -- like big sporting events or awards shows. What becomes weird is when rejection comes to a group with an association in that program. It turns out advocacy messaging is advocacy messaging, no matter where it runs.

In this regard, I doubt you'd find the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences run a 30-second commercial ripping into the Internet, radio, or other competing media on its own Academy Awards? I'm guessing ABC would put its foot down.

Likewise, CBS was looking to protect, and went for a block.