The National Football League (NFL) refused to run an ad by a Georgia gun manufacturer during the Super Bowl next February. The ad did not meet league standards prohibiting ads mentioning firearms. The ad does not specifically mention guns but includes a silhouette of one. (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 6, 2013, by Christopher Seward)
The manufacturer, Daniel Defense, said about the purpose of the ad, “We are trying to exercise our First Amendment rights to give our opinion on the Second Amendment.” The NFL may have wanted to ban the ad since it also violated the league’s ban on “social cause/issue advocacy advertising.” (New Republic, December 5, 20132, by Adam Winkler)
Conservative commentator Michelle Malkin, Amarillo Globe-News, December 4, 2013, blasted the NFL for its hypocritical stance, citing numerous instances of content on their broadcasts that violated reasonable standards of neutrality and good taste.