Did you know that the NFL does not allow out of home viewing on larger than a 55'' screen besides sports bars?
Fall Creek Baptist Church was denied by NFL officials of having a "Super Bowl" party because they were going to show it on a 12 ft screen.
Below is the article in the Indianapolis Star:
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...
Did your church have a party on a larger than 55'' screen?
What do you think of this article?
2007-02-07 05:02:05 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Football (American)
Here are the Rules as stated in the Article:
NFL PARTY RULES
For groups that want to host Super Bowl parties -- other than sports bars and businesses that normally show televised sports -- here are rules the NFL says must be followed:
• No admission fees (even to pay for snacks).
• Only one television (55 inches or smaller).
• No use of the words "Super Bowl" in promotional materials.
• No exhibition of the game in connection with events "that promote a message."
Source: NFL
2007-02-07 05:02:25 · update #1
rumbler_12, please EMAIL me....or add me to messanger. I would like to discuss this with you. I am also a minister.
2007-02-07 05:11:06 · update #2
I'm a youth pastor at a church in Missouri and we had a "Super Bowl Party" and showed the game on two 12 ft. screens. I think the rules are ridiculous, and how in the world are they going to enforce it?
We don't normally have a Sunday Night service at our church and once a month we plan an activity night for everyone, the Super Bowl was the activity for the month of January. The reason we plan these events is to provide a time where the people in our church can get to know one another in a different way then they would be able to during a church service. These events have really helped develop relationships between people that normally wouldn't have been close friends, and developing relationships with other Christians is definitely theologically sound(check out the early church in Acts).
2007-02-07 05:56:32 · answer #1 · answered by real illuminati(Matt) 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes, my church had a "Super Bowl" watching party.
It was broadcast on various TV's throughout the Church as well as the two Large Screens in the main sanctuary.
There was no 'Fee' to enter, however it was a bring your own food/dish. The Church supplied beverages, (Sodas, water, Frapaccino's)
Some of the guys along with the kids got out and played catch during half-time!!!
We had a great time and actually, probably would NOT have watched the game if not for the Church function. I didn't care for either team.
As for the NFL rule...it is what it is. However I do NOT support the rule. If people want to get together and watch the game at a Church then they should be allowed...provided no one is charging to show the game or host the party.
Hopefully the NFL doesn't go after Church or other organizations who help to make this the event that it is. A National Holiday.
2007-02-07 14:09:03 · answer #2 · answered by warequalspeace 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The NFL sells rights to broadcast to CBS. What enforcement power does the NFL have to arrest church members who attend a Super Bowl party watching it on a 55" screen? Where did they get the power to set the law? I'm sure a lot of churches showed it on a big screen TV and didn't care about getting permission from the NFL. Because the NFL made it available to a TV network anyone should be able to watch it on any screen in any setting they choose. If the NFL wants to restrict who sees their games they need to go to pay per view and scramble signals to the church. This is America. The NFL was WAY out of line.
2007-02-07 13:46:44 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
uh..this is pretty old news...but w/e
I see validity in the point about the SB shouldn't be showed in Church in the first place (though I could argue that they intended it as a general gathering (and hey, maybe win people over who wouldn't normally go to church) of christian brothers & sisters).
However, I am totally against the NFL on this one because it's over-air brodcast and I don't see how they can legally prevent people from watching it on a over 55" just because their little ratings will be hurt. The example I use the most is ---what if Mr. Richy Rich has a big house and a 73" TV (or a projecter and a big wall) and invites a ton of people over ----can they tell him he can't let people watch the "big game" for free in his private residence? I think not!
The only counter I heard to that is that using a projector counts as "rebrodcasting" the signal --which is illegal ( 1) you're projecting an image, recievable signal is being sent out, and 2) that's one crappy loophole if I've ever seen one)
2007-02-07 13:20:35 · answer #4 · answered by Andy T 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think the article is terrible because it just portrays what the NFL says you can & cannot do during a Super Bowl Party. My church doesn't do a thing like that because it's against policy & I only watched it at home by myself.
2007-02-07 14:25:58 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
That is very interesting. I did not go to any function to watch this game, but I have in the past been to a church viewing party on a projector which was definetely bigger than 55 inches.
I think that they should stick to what's important. A lot of these churches do it so that high school kids are less likely to go out drinking and driving. It's not the main reason, but that's one purpose other than a social event in the community.
2007-02-07 13:07:51 · answer #6 · answered by stateofwoo 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Why should I feel bad for the Church? Did they ASK for permission from the NFL? No, they just started complaining. I think that the fine for them using the name Superbowl was wrong though. How many realize that is a rule. The Church should have had to say sorry in Public and then the NFL drop it.
2007-02-07 13:16:13 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
seems pretty silly to me.....it must have something to do with people being licensed to use the NFL for advertising and such. If I was putting together the event at the church I wouldn't have asked for permission. Who is gonna care enough to find out.....guess that wouldn't be a good example for a church though huh? haha
2007-02-07 13:06:35 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
i think that is dumb
im not sure what size screen the game was showed on, but i know we used the words "super bowl" to tell people about it. but it was not at our church though, we rented out an elementary school gym to have it at.
and some one from our church shared the message with people at halftime.
2007-02-07 16:35:55 · answer #9 · answered by camijo17 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure that if He exists, God really wants the Super Bowl showed in church. Now a little soccer would probably be O.K. Seriously, if your God is not more exciting than a football game then maybe I'll look elsewhere. Why do churches think they hnave to dumb down their "product" all the time?
2007-02-07 13:09:34 · answer #10 · answered by skimdaddy 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋