The "Desperate Housewives" spoof involving Nicolette Sheridan and Philadelphia Eagles star Terrell Owens at the start of a "Monday Night Football" telecast has generated all sorts of controversy — and all sorts of publicity for ABC.

The biggest criticism came because Sheridan dropped her towel in her attempt to seduce Owens, which offended some parents — even though their kids probably can see as much skin from the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Still, the parents do have a valid point: The promo was much racier than what they would expect their kids to see on a football telecast.

So ABC and the National Football League both apologized and all have been forgiven and forgotten, right? Well, no. The whole thing generated a ton of publicity on newscasts and in newspapers all over the country; as of Sunday morning, the IFILM Web site (www.ifilm.com) had gotten nearly half a million hits from people wanting the see the whole commercial.

Will some parents boycott football or ABC because of this? Maybe a handful. Most will just grit their teeth and hope the apologies were sincere.

Right or wrong, what ABC did was what some workers have to do if they want to move up: Take a risk. Some parents were offended, some people were upset about the racial undertones involving a black man and a white woman, for a variety of reasons. But a lot of people liked it.

If you play it safe, it’s hard to get people’s attention. In an inept organization, a sycophant can inch toward the top, but most companies want strategic thinking.

If you have ideas, don’t let a few negative voices dissuade you. Look at all the potential ramifications, and whether the results will overcome the naysayers.