I think this is a perfect instance where the NFL (just like the music industry) is trying to mandate and regulate things that are so far out of their control that they are pushing people away just to make a buck... Who in the world at the NFL thought that this was going to be a good idea?
Thou shalt not watch the big game on the big screen.
That's the message from the National Football League to churches planning to host Super Bowl XLII watch parties featuring giant TV screens and monitors.
The watch parties are popular get-togethers in Oklahoma churches. But many don't realize their parties may violate federal law.
Tommy Bailey, worship pastor at North View Community Church, 8921 Northwest Expressway, said his church was planning to host a watch party for the first time Sunday. He said he was not aware of any legal conflicts but intends to educate himself quickly.
Brian McCarthy, NFL spokesman, said churches' plans for the traditional get-togethers to see the pigskin championship may need to be modified.
He said federal copyright law prohibits organizations like churches, casinos, movie theaters and schools from showing the game on the big-screen TVs and giant monitors.
The game cannot be shown on a screen larger than 55 inches, and it cannot be shown for profit, McCarthy said. Violating either of those two rules is copyright infringement.
Although McCarthy said the NFL won't be peering over ministers' shoulders come Sunday's Super Bowl kick-off, officials do expect affected organizations to comply with the law.
"We don't investigate churches. We don't shut down churches. We don't send people undercover with rulers to measure TV screens," McCarthy said in a telephone interview from his New York office.
Tim Knopps, an Oklahoma City resident who describes himself as an event evangelist, said the copyright law is nothing new. The issue comes up every year as the NFL championship nears and ministries gear up for watch party fellowship and outreach activities. Over the years, his online "Super Bowl Watch Party Playbook" (now called "Watch Party Playbook") has guided ministries as they planned gatherings to view the game.
Knopps said he was in Miami, Fla., last year to help the Super Bowl XLI host city with volunteer, intern and hospitality efforts. Church leaders from Oklahoma and other parts of the country began calling about the watch party dilemma.
Knopps said ministries became alarmed when the NFL warned a large Indianapolis church that it was violating copyright laws by advertising its Super Bowl watch party on its Web site, planning to show the game on a giant TV screen and charging admission (albeit to cover the cost of snacks). "The NFL felt like it had to address it because of those issues," Knopps said.
He said worries increased when the church attended by Tony Dungy, coach of the Indianapolis Colts NFL team, canceled plans to gather for a viewing of the football championship on a big screen.
If even the ministry of a coach whose team was actually playing in the Super Bowl was halting its watch party, where did that leave other churches with similar party plans?
Knopps said he told churches to simply play by the rules "†and that's what he's saying now as the countdown begins for this year's bowl game in Arizona.
"The NFL wants everyone to play by the same rules," he said. "When they say "ËœNo, you can't do this,' they're protecting their rights, the rights of their sponsors, the rights of the (half-time show) musicians."
McCarthy agreed. "If organizations want to show the game, that's fine. That's a good thing," he said. "Some may need to modify their plans."
Playing by the rules
Some churches seem to be taking McCarthy's words to heart.
The Patriot Ledger newspaper in Boston reported Wednesday that a Pembroke, Mass., church canceled plans to hold a Super Bowl XLII watch party on a giant video screen to avoid "getting flagged" by the NFL.
"Even though we think it's a stupid rule, we are still going to abide by it," the Rev. Paul Atwater, pastor of North River Community Church, told the newspaper.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that for-profit sports bars and similar establishments are allowed to show the game on the popular giant screens when nonprofits like churches are not.
McCarthy said sports bars are exempt from the copyright law because TV viewing is part of their year-round business.
Lest folks label the NFL as the bad guy in this pigskin problem, Knopps is there to quash any ill will.
Knopps said the rules causing the latest concerns were approved in 1998 when Congress modified copyright laws.
He and McCarthy said the rule against mass out-of-home viewings ties into Nielsen ratings, which measure home television viewership. Those ratings help determine advertising and sponsorships for televised programs such as the Super Bowl. Televised events such as Sunday's big game always rake in millions in advertising.
While some changes may need to be made to watch party efforts, Knopps said churches can still party on. "Just be sensitive to those guidelines and have a good time," he said.
How would Jesus view?
Essentially, Knopps and McCarthy said churches have to decide how they will view the Super Bowl at their watch parties.
For ministries already planning to host watch party viewings on TV screens bigger than 55 inches, it could be an ethical dilemma of ... er, super-size proportions.
Casinos, movie theaters and schools also must follow the same game-viewing guidelines. This week, a spokeswoman for Riverwind Casino near Norman said she had not heard of the viewing prohibitions, but she guessed that if the Super Bowl is shown at the casino Sunday, it would be in the casino's sports bar, which is legal.
Thou shalt not watch the big game on the big screen.
That's the message from the National Football League to churches planning to host Super Bowl XLII watch parties featuring giant TV screens and monitors.
The watch parties are popular get-togethers in Oklahoma churches. But many don't realize their parties may violate federal law.
Tommy Bailey, worship pastor at North View Community Church, 8921 Northwest Expressway, said his church was planning to host a watch party for the first time Sunday. He said he was not aware of any legal conflicts but intends to educate himself quickly.
Brian McCarthy, NFL spokesman, said churches' plans for the traditional get-togethers to see the pigskin championship may need to be modified.
He said federal copyright law prohibits organizations like churches, casinos, movie theaters and schools from showing the game on the big-screen TVs and giant monitors.
The game cannot be shown on a screen larger than 55 inches, and it cannot be shown for profit, McCarthy said. Violating either of those two rules is copyright infringement.
Although McCarthy said the NFL won't be peering over ministers' shoulders come Sunday's Super Bowl kick-off, officials do expect affected organizations to comply with the law.
"We don't investigate churches. We don't shut down churches. We don't send people undercover with rulers to measure TV screens," McCarthy said in a telephone interview from his New York office.
Tim Knopps, an Oklahoma City resident who describes himself as an event evangelist, said the copyright law is nothing new. The issue comes up every year as the NFL championship nears and ministries gear up for watch party fellowship and outreach activities. Over the years, his online "Super Bowl Watch Party Playbook" (now called "Watch Party Playbook") has guided ministries as they planned gatherings to view the game.
Knopps said he was in Miami, Fla., last year to help the Super Bowl XLI host city with volunteer, intern and hospitality efforts. Church leaders from Oklahoma and other parts of the country began calling about the watch party dilemma.
Knopps said ministries became alarmed when the NFL warned a large Indianapolis church that it was violating copyright laws by advertising its Super Bowl watch party on its Web site, planning to show the game on a giant TV screen and charging admission (albeit to cover the cost of snacks). "The NFL felt like it had to address it because of those issues," Knopps said.
He said worries increased when the church attended by Tony Dungy, coach of the Indianapolis Colts NFL team, canceled plans to gather for a viewing of the football championship on a big screen.
If even the ministry of a coach whose team was actually playing in the Super Bowl was halting its watch party, where did that leave other churches with similar party plans?
Knopps said he told churches to simply play by the rules "†and that's what he's saying now as the countdown begins for this year's bowl game in Arizona.
"The NFL wants everyone to play by the same rules," he said. "When they say "ËœNo, you can't do this,' they're protecting their rights, the rights of their sponsors, the rights of the (half-time show) musicians."
McCarthy agreed. "If organizations want to show the game, that's fine. That's a good thing," he said. "Some may need to modify their plans."
Playing by the rules
Some churches seem to be taking McCarthy's words to heart.
The Patriot Ledger newspaper in Boston reported Wednesday that a Pembroke, Mass., church canceled plans to hold a Super Bowl XLII watch party on a giant video screen to avoid "getting flagged" by the NFL.
"Even though we think it's a stupid rule, we are still going to abide by it," the Rev. Paul Atwater, pastor of North River Community Church, told the newspaper.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that for-profit sports bars and similar establishments are allowed to show the game on the popular giant screens when nonprofits like churches are not.
McCarthy said sports bars are exempt from the copyright law because TV viewing is part of their year-round business.
Lest folks label the NFL as the bad guy in this pigskin problem, Knopps is there to quash any ill will.
Knopps said the rules causing the latest concerns were approved in 1998 when Congress modified copyright laws.
He and McCarthy said the rule against mass out-of-home viewings ties into Nielsen ratings, which measure home television viewership. Those ratings help determine advertising and sponsorships for televised programs such as the Super Bowl. Televised events such as Sunday's big game always rake in millions in advertising.
While some changes may need to be made to watch party efforts, Knopps said churches can still party on. "Just be sensitive to those guidelines and have a good time," he said.
How would Jesus view?
Essentially, Knopps and McCarthy said churches have to decide how they will view the Super Bowl at their watch parties.
For ministries already planning to host watch party viewings on TV screens bigger than 55 inches, it could be an ethical dilemma of ... er, super-size proportions.
Casinos, movie theaters and schools also must follow the same game-viewing guidelines. This week, a spokeswoman for Riverwind Casino near Norman said she had not heard of the viewing prohibitions, but she guessed that if the Super Bowl is shown at the casino Sunday, it would be in the casino's sports bar, which is legal.
