02-05-2004, 11:24 PM
It's a big deal because A) it is the Super Bowl, and everything is a big deal when it involves the Super Bowl and B) it is about 60 years of network policy that say something like this doesn't get on the air (as I'm sure you realize, general network television is necessarily far more strictly censored than rated movies or premium cable channels). A lot of the primetime drama shows start with an advisory statement that suggests the show contains adult content. This is typical even for a show with no nudity, no graphic violence, no bad language, but just dealing with some topics like the trial of a rapist. The Super Bowl has no such warning. It's a family show, watched by four year-olds around the country. And of course, it typically gets higher ratings than say, the state of the union address, election coverage, or the series finales of great TV shows. So, it only takes a small thing to be a big deal.
It's simply a matter of standards. People want to know what they are getting into when they turn on the TV set, especially if their kids are watching (but even if not, there are things I just don't want to unexpectedly have to see or hear on TV). Even network news anchors usually make a warning statement before they show pictures of people getting blown to bits. This is done for the same reason. The standards say you will never see this on network television, and then during one of the most watched events on network television it happens with no warning. Whether what was shown is a big deal or not, breaking the standard in that way is.
It's simply a matter of standards. People want to know what they are getting into when they turn on the TV set, especially if their kids are watching (but even if not, there are things I just don't want to unexpectedly have to see or hear on TV). Even network news anchors usually make a warning statement before they show pictures of people getting blown to bits. This is done for the same reason. The standards say you will never see this on network television, and then during one of the most watched events on network television it happens with no warning. Whether what was shown is a big deal or not, breaking the standard in that way is.