HOUSTON — If you have any sports fan in you at all, chances are you'll be planted in front of a television come 6 p.m. Eastern time Feb. 1. That is, unless you're one of just 70,000 or so patrons who have a ticket to Reliant Stadium for Super Bowl XXXVIII.

But this year even some football aficionados will forgo the annual TV ritual.

It's not that the game — pitting the surprising Carolina Panthers against the proven New England Patriots — doesn't promise to be as exciting as any championship match can be. The problem is that, for millions of viewers, especially parents of young children, many of the commercials sure to air during the game will prove patently offensive.

After last year's game, a number of parents complained to the Los Angeles-based Parents Television Council.

“Add me to the list of people who were very unhappy with the commercials shown during the Super Bowl,” wrote a man identifying himself as Mark W. on the council's Web site. “It was not just the commercials for products but also the advertisements for ABC's disgusting lineup of television shows. My children and I were caught off guard. I can't see how I'll be interested in watching an event [like that] in the future.”

“Parents enjoy watching sporting events with their children,” said Melissa Caldwell, director of research and publications with the Parents TV Council, in an interview with the Register. “They don't expect to have to jump up to change the channel every time a commercial comes on.”

Caldwell added that the council receives more complaints during the football playoffs and Super Bowl than at any other time of the year. “Last year we received complaints about Miller Lite's ‘catfight’ commercial. I expect this year will be as bad.” (The “cats” in the mock fight were scantily clad women.)

Of course, the ads shown during sporting events aren't the council's only concern. In fact, according to Caldwell, the Parents TV Council is receiving an increasing number of complaints about what seems to be a growing trend: networks promoting their adult-oriented fare during family-friendly viewing time throughout the year. (She compared the practice to showing children a preview of an R-rated movie before a G-rated film begins and said the council hopes to release a report on the troubling trend later this year.)

But it's the Super Bowl that annually attracts the single-largest television audience of the year — and, thus, draws the boldest, most-aggressive advertising.

Here's the dilemma facing parents: Well-played sporting events can provide excellent opportunities to show examples of teamwork, character, discipline, commitment and other commendable qualities displayed by athletes and coaches. There's even the undercurrent of the Christian conception of friendly competition: Don't hate a formidable opponent; love him for bringing out the best in you.

Is there any way to enjoy the entertaining and educational aspects of broadcast sporting events like the Super Bowl — while throwing a hard block on the atrocious advertising?

Tough Turf

The good news is, there are both high- and low-tech solutions to the problem. The bad news is that the broadcasters have worked hard to stop you from stopping the hand that feeds them: sponsors and advertisers.

Until recently, customers could purchase a ReplayTV digital video recorder, a device that edited out television commercials for replay. However, shortly after Sonicblue launched ReplayTV in 2001, Viacom, Disney and NBC filed a lawsuit alleging copyright infringement. Time Warner, Columbia Pictures and 23 other entertainment powerhouses did the same. Turner Broadcasting chairman Jamie Kellner even went so far as to say that those who watch television without commercials are stealing.

A similar argument was made 20 years ago, when some in the broadcast business filed a lawsuit to halt the sale of the first videocassette recorders. In 1984, the Supreme Court ruled against the broadcasters, saying that consumers had the right to what the court described as “fair use” of television programs.

In June 2002, in response to the lawsuits against ReplayTV, the Electronics Frontier Foundation, a digital consumer rights advocacy organization, filed a countersuit on behalf of five ReplayTV owners, asking a California court to declare the use of digital video recorders and the elimination of commercials lawful.

On Jan. 9, a federal court ruled to end the case — but not before Sonicblue filed for bankruptcy and ReplayTV was sold to D&M Holdings U.S. Inc. The commercial-advance feature is no longer available on new versions of ReplayTV.

“Skipping commercials is not illegal,” said Electronics Frontier Foundation staff attorney Gwen Hinze. “I certainly think this issue will be before the courts again. DVRs [digital video recorders] are becoming a part of consumers’ lifestyles.”

Another commercially available digital video recorder, TiVo, has been helpful for viewers watching recorded material. Unlike ReplayTV, TiVo, which is owned by Time Warner, Sony and NBC, does not eliminate ads but merely allows viewers to fast-forward through them 60 times faster than an ordinary VCR.

Not surprisingly, the lawsuits are scaring one of the most exciting innovations out of the market — a real-time ad-zapper that lets the viewer skip commercials without having to first record anything.

Designed approximately 11 years ago by engineer George Perreault, AdZapper has been available commercially for the last few years. The device blanks the screen and mutes the volume during commercials.

“The lawsuits being filed against others have certainly influenced our decision to exit the market,” Perreault told the Register.

Zap Central

All is not lost. Crafty viewers are finding ways to create their own ad-zapping systems. Chances are, their innovations will drive some future market offering.

Last year, Stan Gould of Virginia Beach, Va., combined his digital video recorder with his dish satellite system as a way of protecting his 11-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son from inappropriate advertising. His system combines the convenience of a VCR with the benefits of live television.

As the satellite signal enters the digital video recorder, it is recorded to the device's hard drive while also being sent to the television. The recorder allows Gould to “pause” the system momentarily to avoid watching commercials.

“Each time you pause, the signal to the hard drive continues while the signal from the hard drive to the TV stops,” Gould explained.

While Gould's system involves a slight time delay, he says it's the next best thing to live TV — minus the ads. He also likes having the ability to rewind and watch umpires’ calls on close plays.

“You don't lose anything of the game,” he said, “and you get a much more enjoyable experience.”

When in Doubt, Punt

Other parents prefer low-tech solutions for offensive ads. Football fan Michael Gisondi told the Register he and his wife will simply ask their 9- and 12-year-old daughters to look the other way or change the channel during commercials.

He stressed the importance of maintaining a calm demeanor for parents who take a similar approach.

“An overreactive, paranoid approach builds up the curiosity level,” said Gisondi, who works as an engineer for Boeing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “If the kids see something, we may talk about it, laugh and mention that it is an exaggeration for publicity.”

Deb Anne Flynt, a New Orleans Saints fan from Columbia, Miss., takes an old-fashioned approach with her 12-year-old daughter, using what she describes as “mutual love, respect and obedience.”

“If necessary, I'll do one of three things: send my daughter from the room, change the channel or turn it off,” Flynt said. “During halftime we may make snacks for the second half.”

She also cited the value of talking about the commercials with her children.

“We've had many discussions over the past few years about the dangers of underage drinking and why there is an age limit,” she said.

Craig Turner of Burke, Va., uses an entirely different — but equally low-tech — approach. For the past four years, Turner has watched the game with a friend at a nearby sports bar.

“The restaurant turns all their televisions to the game,” Turner said. “We order some nachos and then order burgers about halfway through the game.”

The patrons of Reliant Stadium never had it so good.

Tim Drake writes from St. Cloud, Minnesota.