The NFL Players Association tried to buy some airtime the day before the Super Bowl on CBS’s College Sports Network, but CBS is refusing to air their minute-long commercial. Intended to stir fans’ emotions before the impending owners’ lockout, the ad shows an empty stadium and asks the NFL to “let them play.” The union says CBS, which airs NFL games, is kowtowing to the will of the league.

The Hollywood Reporter quotes a CBS source that said the commercial made the network nervous:

A source said the channel was nervous about having to “air the owners’ views as well as the players.”

The league and union are battling over their collective bargaining agreement, which expires in March. The owners are threatening to lock the players out unless they agree to several changes in the CBA, including extending the regular season from 16 to 18 games.

Here’s the ad, which recalls The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training, in which spoilsports try to chase the kids off the Astrodome turf:

Meanwhile, it’s interesting that CBS is turning down ad money, considering this whole situation. Guess they’ve got their fingers crossed that it’ll work out.

CBS Refuses to Run NFL Player Union Ad [The Hollywood Reporter]

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