News & Comment - Winter 2007
from the Cincinnati Enquirer, Feb. 4, 2007
NFL stops church SB parties
Today's Super Bowl party at River Hills Christian Church wouldn't have been its first, but it was supposed to be one of its best.
The Loveland church, newly equipped with a state-of-the art audio and video system, had planned to show the big game on a 28-foot high-definition-format television. But River Hills canceled those plans when the NFL quashed a similar church gathering in Indiana, alleging it violated copyright law. . .
The NFL's action has reverberated across the nation, River Hills Executive Pastor Will Mullins said. He started getting e-mails from other pastors after the NFL sent a "cease-and-desist" order to Fall Creek in response to its planned "Super Bowl Bash." . . .
The copyright law restricts viewings in churches or halls to one 55-inch or smaller television set in any single room. In addition, the event can't be specifically billed as a "Super Bowl" party. The law does allow exceptions for places that broadcast sports events as part of doing business, like bars.
Kent comments:
What, oh what, are we going to do? The one truly ecumenical holiday that it seems ALL churches are willing to celebrate on Sunday is the Super Bowl. (Hey - am I allowed to say "Super Bowl" without permission from the NFL?) But now that is a thing of the past - UNLESS churches can get together and persuade Congress to change the law. But then, that would make churches too political, and we mustn't have that either. We're doomed!
This is worse than a medieval pope putting a kingdom under the edict! No Super Bowl showings on those giant church projection systems that all hip churches have these days. Who then can be saved?
And then there are those idiots at the NFL. (Excuse me, oh mighty gods of the gridiron - I didn't mean that. Please don't send your lawyers to cast me into outer darkness, I beg ye.) I thought - foolish me - that their semi-almightinesses at the NFL wanted people to watch the Super Bowl. I never guessed their wrath might be evoked if people got together in large crowds at church buildings to watch the big game. Horror of horrors, from the NFL perspective, that people should consume their product!!!
Wait, I think I have found a way out for all those football-craving Christians. According to the report, the "law does allow exceptions for places that broadcast sports events as part of doing business, like bars." It seems to me that broadcasting sporting events very much is part of many churches "doing business." Why wouldn't that count? To ensure compliance, why couldn't churches start selling non-alcoholic beer at their Something Bowl parties? (Remember, we can't say "Super Bowl.")
Wouldn't that make EVERYONE happy???
But on further review:
Here is more detail from an article in the Indianapolis Star -
The league even took exception to the church's plan to influence nonmembers with a video highlighting the Christian testimonies of Colts coach Tony Dungy and Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith.
"While this may be a noble message," NFL assistant counsel Rachel L. Margolies wrote in a follow-up e-mail, "we are consistent in refusing the use of our game broadcasts in connection with events that promote a message, no matter the content." . . .
"We have contracts with our (TV) networks to provide free over-the-air television for people at home," Aiello said. "The network economics are based on television ratings and at-home viewing. Out-of-home viewing is not measured by Nielsen."
Kent comments some more:
More details emerge from this story. It turns out that the NFL has two worries. First, that NFL material might be used to promote a message. They already have many messages to promote, obviously - things like "sport is the most important thing in life" and "beer and women are right up there too." Of course, people pay them to promote these ideas, so I supposed that is their business.
I can understand this fear, however. If you project the Super Bowl game on a large enough screen at a church, it might cause mass conversions. If thousands decided to "come forward" all at once, some might be crushed and killed. (A small screen just won't attract enough viewers to lead to potential crushings.) Who would be blamed and sued right after the church? The NFL, of course!
But this problem could be solved by simply requiring churches to purchase requisite amounts of crushing insurance. How much could that cost for a single day each year?
The second NFL worry seems to be that group viewing "out of home" won't get properly "measured." Maybe NFL officials could just require churches to take attendance at these parties, and report the numbers to the league office. Churches are used to this, and the infamous "preacher's count" tends to overstate the number anyway.
There are all kinds of possible solutions to this problem for next year. I certainly hope this problem can be resolved. After all, Super Bowl Sunday has become our most important and observed Christian holiday!1
And speaking of the Super Bowl -
from Paul Redwine (he's just a friend, not a news service or anything like that!):
The media sure likes to emphasize the fact that two African-American coaches played each other on the Super bowl this year. It was the first time an African-American won the Super bowl. This is both significant and admirable. However, what the media neglected to say, Tony Dungy proclaimed in his post-win interview:
“I'll tell you what. I'm proud to be representing African-American coaches, to be the first African-American to win this. It means an awful lot to our country. But again, more than anything, I've said it before, Lovie Smith and I, not only the first two African-Americans, but Christian coaches showing that you can win doing it the Lord's way. And we're more proud of that.”
Kent comments:
It’s a good point. Here is a little something more, not directed at these coaches, but the PC mongers that are so influential today. If you consider the percentage of black Americans participating versus the population at large, black American participation percentages in the NFL at all levels indicates racial discrimination against non-blacks in the NFL.
I have no problem with that, but I point it out because the PC crowd never will. Both these coaches seem like excellent gentlemen from everything I know, but they are no more "African" that I am European. They are talented coaches who happen to have darker skin that I do, a fact which is of no consequence whatsoever.
I just wish the PC mongers could understand that! Congratulations to both coaches.