Churches and “The Big Game” Copyright Issues
Photo Source: The Christian Post.
Every year, churches across the USA face huge competition from an event that has become known as the Super Bowl. In fact, as National Public Radio commentator Frank Deford observed in a piece called “A Merry Super Bowl To All, And To All A Good Game”:
Like Halloween and Valentine's Day, Super Sunday isn't an official paid holiday, but let's face it, it's become as much an accepted part of the modern American calendar as President's Day or Memorial Day…And at the end of the day, I'd suggest that Super Sunday is actually much more Father's Day than is Father's Day itself. Why don't we just combine the two and send out cards to Daddy now?
Rather than fight the growing interest in Big Game, churches started taking an “if you can’t beat them, join them” attitude. In fact, as more and more churches installed video projection equipment, Big Game Sunday became a big draw for local churches. That was until two years ago.
In 2007, the National Football League decided to crack down on Indianapolis area churches who held Super Bowl Parties in honor of their home-town Colts.
Last year, the NFL went out of its way to alert churches that showing the Big Game on anything larger than a 55-inch screen was indeed a copyright violation, and that if churches violated the NFL’s copyright, they may face legal consequences. [See NFL Pulls Plug On Big-Screen Church Parties for Super Bowl, by Jacqueline L. Salmon, The Washington Post, Feb. 1, 2008.]
Obviously, no one was happy with this turn of events. Churches found themselves once again in direct competition with the Big Game, and for its part, the NFL came out looking like a money-hungry bully unwilling to play with Mainstreet America.
Last year, all of the legal threats and ambiguity put a chill on the entire event. It was like dumping a five-gallon bucket of Gatorade down the backs of America’s churches. No one knew what to do.
After the game was over, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell softened the NFL’s stance and brought clarity to the issue. In a letter to Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Goodell stated, “The League would not object to live showings of the Super Bowl by religious organizations, regardless of screen size, as long as the viewings are free and are on premises that the church uses on a routine and customary basis.” The NFL stated its intention to implement the policy starting with this year’s Super Bowl. [Source: Television Broadcast cited in “The NFL Goes to Church.”]
So, as you prepare for the Big Weekend featuring The Big Game on The Big Day, make sure you don’t mention the name of The Big Game in any of your promotions. Beyond that, may you have a blessed Big Day and enjoy the Big Game.