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Anti-Who Super Bowl Campaign Intensifies

A child abuse group has delivered a flyer to residents who live near the Landshark Stadium in Miami in an attempt to prevent guitarist Pete Townshend performing with veteran rockers the Who at Super Bowl XLIV which will be staged there next month.

The message on the flyer reads, "Townshend is a British citizen who was registered as a sex offender in his home country in 2003, for an offence related to child pornography. He will be at large in Miami on February when he arrives to perform at the Super Bowl with his musical group known as The Who. This is a community notification distributed in the interest of public safety."

Townshend was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years after admitting using his credit to access images of child pornography which he said was done in the name of research for a book. Though cautioned by the police, he was never charged.

Despite the campaign, the National Football League (N.F.L.) and Super Bowl XLIV's sponsors - Coca Cola, Burger King, I.B.M. and Visa - are standing firm.

NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said, "UK police cleared him since he was doing research for a project on child abuse."

Townshend, meanwhile, has shrugged off the campaign and is concentrating on the show. Speaking to Billboard.com, the guitarist revealed The Who's plans for their half-time appearance, "We're kinda doing a mashup of stuff.

"A bit of 'Baba O'Riley,' a bit of 'Pinball Wizard,' a bit of the close of 'Tommy,' a bit of 'Who Are You,' and a bit of 'Won't Get Fooled Again.' It works - it's quite a saga. A lot of the stuff that we do has that kind of celebratory vibe about it - we've always tried to make music that allows the audience to go a bit wild if they want to. Hopefully it will hit the spot."

The Who will play at Super Bowl XLIV on Feb. 7.

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timsored

The Who Rock!

January 30 2010 at 11:47 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tim Eimiller

I don't know why some of you are making this a left or right, Democrat or Republican political issue. I'm a conservative Republican and I support Pete Townshend and think these child abuse groups are shameful publicity seekers. Scotland Yard investigated Pete Townshend for months and declined to press charges. If he was a pedophile, they would have found evidence to support that. They confiscated everything from his computers to his diary and found zero evidence of pedophilia. These child abuse groups are on a witch hunt. They aren't really even child abuse groups. It's just two guys named Kevin Gillick and Evin Daly. As far as I'm concerned, they're the sick ones. That flyer is a disgraceful castigation of a likely innocent man who was never convicted of a crime. They're publicity-seeking glory hounds.

January 29 2010 at 8:06 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
richir

the tebow ad is a joke. imagine if hitler's mom had aborted little adolph. it works both ways. the religionists who yell the loudest are hiding something. remember ted haggard ?

January 29 2010 at 4:53 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
JustinOpinion

LIGHTEN UP!!!! Jeeeeeeesh! Is there anything out there that doesn't offend someone?!?!?! Tell you what? All of you people who are sooooo offended by every little stinkin' thing are what offends me!

January 29 2010 at 4:18 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Kelly

Get a LIFE!! Pete Townsend was never convicted of anything and has no other record of any type in any way shape or form connected to children. Child abusers are predatory if they do it once they will do it a thousand fold. Its safe to say that he is in no way a threat to anyone....otherwise he would have a lengthy record.

Would these same folks who don't want Townsend have done the same to Michael Jackoff if he was still alive? There was a lot more evidence against him.

January 29 2010 at 4:02 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jerry

I would just like to reply to "joquarin" in that it seems very ironic that you would deny the freedom of CHOICE to someone else based on YOUR belief. 'Nuff said.

January 29 2010 at 3:39 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Pat

REgarding Townsend, do the research. He is not a pedaphile, he is exactly the opposite. Regarding Tebow ad - the law provides a women the choice to have an abortion or not. If you happen to be a women, you can choose. You are not compelled to either have one or not. Hello?? Let a women decide for herself what she wants to do. Consider the flip side - nobody is compelling a women to have an abortion based on some religious criteria that has no relevance to her beliefs.

January 29 2010 at 3:13 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Pat's comment
jpuzzlewhiz

If you're going to use a word, use it correctly, please.

"Women" (with an E) is plural, pronounces WIM en.

"Woman" (with an A) is singular.

January 29 2010 at 4:15 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jpuzzlewhiz

Oops, that word was supposed to be "pronounced". I never claimed to be perfect, either.

January 29 2010 at 4:17 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tena

GET OVER IT!

January 29 2010 at 3:12 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
k6185

This is the " SuperBowl " which is becoming almost an American tradition . So why can't we have an American Rock icon like "THE BOSS" Forget the "who" Bring on BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN !

January 29 2010 at 3:03 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
John Ventura

I traveled with Peter back in the 60's, when the "Groupies" were falling all over the Who. Of all of the members, he was the gentleman of the group. The others were great guys, but were a bit more prone to going off and "partying" with the "ladies".

January 29 2010 at 2:59 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply