NFL Stops Church Party

Well, this certainly takes some of the excitement away for me. I've got my Colts blue and white on, ready to go to work, and I see this:

Are you ready for some football? The Fall Creek Baptist Church of Indianapolis was, until attorneys from the National Football League (NFL) learned of their plans to throw a congregation-wide Super Bowl party. The Indianapolis Star reports that Pastor John Newland received a letter, overnighted from the NFL, demanding that the party be cancelled because it violates "copyright laws" to project the game on a television screen larger than 55 inches. But what's truly troubling is that NFL headquarters also sacked the church's plans to show a video highlighting the Christian testimonies of coaches Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith. Assistant Counsel Rachel Margolies writes, "[The NFL] is consistent in refusing the use of our game broadcasts in connections with events that promote a message, no matter the content." This is an interesting contradiction, since the League allows businesses such as sports bars to broadcast the game to crowds in an environment that encourages alcohol consumption. Obviously, the NFL is more comfortable promoting substance abuse and half-time nudity than it is endorsing positive role models like Dungy and Smith. Rather than provide a safe, healthy environment for families to gather and watch the Super Bowl, the NFL is suggesting that they abandon the church for the nearest bar. Attorneys at the NFL should concentrate less on intimidating churches and more on preventing another "wardrobe malfunction."

My first question is, can they really do that? Can they really tell a group of people that they can't watch the game on private property because their T.V. screen is too big? And...why would they do that? Surely there is more to this than meets the eye, but the Family Research Council does not normally print things that are inaccurate. How would the NFL have even found out about this, and why should they care? I am going to write to the FRC and try to get to the bottom of this, it just doesn't make sense to me.

I still have to say...GO COLTS! What's your prediction, Jim?

JASmius adds: They don't call the NFL the "No Fun League" for nothing. And yes, they would shut down that church Super Bowl party, and a lot of Americans would applaud it, because persecuting Christians is politically correct. Bank on it.

I've got to say that this Super Bowl matchup was the one I least wanted to see. Bears-Patriots would have been a re-match (of sorts) of Super Bowl XX, and the Saints making the big game would have been a great story coming just a year after Hurricane Katrina obliterated New Orleans. That the Saints lost the NFC title game by three and a half touchdowns is, of course, George W. Bush's fault.

But Indy-Chicago? I can't stop yawning. These Bears are neither as impressive or as colorful as their antecedents from 1985, and the Colts are getting there a year too late. I suppose I'd prefer to see the Bears win just so Peyton Manning can choke (and whine afterwards) on an even bigger stage, but just as my numbers pointed in the opposite direction from my heart last year, so they seek to deny me what minimal entertainment value there might be had from tomorrow's matchup.

Indy 27, Chicago 21.

I'll be watching, but you'll probably have to wake me before it's over.

Jenny answers: I'm sorry I asked....