This'll be twice in two days that I've linked to PETA, which might not be something you'd expect from a professional football blog, but I go where the news takes me. As it happens, PETA often likes that to be them.

They wanted to run an ad during the Super Bowl making the claim that vegetarians "have better sex," and they wanted to do so in a somewhat explicit manner. NBC had a look at the ad, deemed it inappropriate, and wrote PETA a letter telling them what had to be changed ... and they did so in a somewhat explicit manner.

First, here's the pulled ad:

And here is NBC's letter in response, and the things in parentheses are things that I've changed. See the unedited version of the e-mail here.

:12- :13- licking pumpkin
:13- :14- touching her breast with her hand while eating broccoli
:19- pumpkin from behind between legs
:21- rubbing pelvic region with pumpkin
:22- (activity commonly involving a screwdriver) herself with broccoli (fuzzy)
:23- asparagus on her lap appearing as if it is ready to be inserted into (lady parts)
:26- licking eggplant
:26- rubbing asparagus on breast

Victoria Morgan
Vice President, Advertising Standards
NBC Universal

Wow. This is almost as classy as the Lingerie Bowl/Nudist Colony dispute.

Now, I'm no fan of censorship, but I don't believe NBC is being unreasonable here. As adults, we can all watch this maturely, but I could see where NBC wouldn't want kids at home asking their parents, "Mommy, why is that lady putting vegetables in her crotch and not her mouth?" And that's a perfectly valid question. Vegetables lose most of their nutritional value when inserted into the wrong orifice.

On the other hand, I'm quite sure that there will be no shortage of other ads on NBC that find other ways to objectify women that are just as damaging. So maybe NBC's splitting hairs here. I hope the two sides can come to a friendly compromise.

Gracias, Bob's Blitz.

Related: NFL Media, The Fairer Sex, Super Bowl XLIII