NFL to Churches: Cease and Desist Your Super Bowl Parties
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Fri, February 02, 2007
- Viewed 67
- (48) comments so far
I can not decide if this is the worst marketing and PR since the wardrobe malfunction or just lawyers gone bad that will hopefully be fixed by the NFL people with common sense.
So the NFL is worried about nielson ratings so much that they don’t want middle and high school students, familes, football fans etc. to “illegally” watch the big game.
Read the article here from Sports Illustrated...
Here are a couple of things that I must comment on from this article:
NFL officials spotted a promotion of Fall Creek Baptist Church’s “Super Bowl Bash” on the church Web site last week and overnighted a letter to the pastor demanding the party be canceled, the church said.
Picture this. It is Superbowl week in Miami. Media Day. Hoopla. A very Big game. But NFL officials are spending their time surfing church websites to see if they can catch any illegality. Here is a suggestion: How about spending some time getting your players to stop breaking the law. Just a suggestion.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league’s long-standing policy is to ban “mass out-of-home viewing” of the Super Bowl. An exception is made for sports bars and other businesses that show televised sports as a part of their everyday operations.
Mr. Aiello, seriously. As a Christian I am mad that they have chosen to pick on churches but not sports bars. But as a marketer I am offended that you could not think of any better way to spin this. Wow, If the NFL would like some consulting on how not to tick off the several million practicing Christians in our country who also love the NFL (like both coaches in this game) I am available for e-mail consulting. Greg - call me - seriously.
And then we see what it really all boils down to:
“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.”
Money, money, money, money...money.
Thank you National Football League for living up to your new name - THE NO FUN LEAGUE.
Shawn Wood serves on staff at Seacoast Church, and has a great blog you can read each and every day right here...
Shawn Wood brings us this story of a real true-life party pooper. It seems that the NFL is shutting down a church Super Bowl party. They actually sent an overnight letter to a church demanding their church cancel their gathering to watch the game. I know this is Friday, but this is a real story... wish it was a joke. Shawn writes...
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Noel on Fri, February 02, 2007
Yuppers. We cancelled our Super Bowl party because of this. It would have been our 6th annual.
That’s OK, though, we lose money on the Super Bowl every year too. Buying all that pizza and giving it away. What were we thinking anyway?
I_am_not on Fri, February 02, 2007
I remember a certain government/military official telling some reporters in New Orleans after Katrina to, “don’t get stuck on stupid.” Well…IMO…the NFL is neck-deep in “stupid” right now.
utech on Fri, February 02, 2007
Everyone is missing the point here. The NFL doesn’t want churches to not have parties for “the big game” the issue that they NFL has to address is the use of “Super Bowl” in advertising. If you have a trademark and 1) don’t defend it or 2) selectively defend it - you will lose it… keep an eye on the whole “iPhone” issue with Cisco and Apple. The NFL doesn’t want to have to go after churches but I can guarantee you that they don’t want some strip club advertising a Super Bowl party. “Super Bowl” is their property and if they don’t defend their exclusive use of it EVERY TIME then they will lose their ability to defend it at all.
So go have your “Big Game” Party for Jesus, just don’t call it a super bowl!
Noel on Fri, February 02, 2007
Not true…Read the entire article. Here’s the end of the article:
Man…I seriously need to go work on my sermon. No more MMI for me today!
Shawn Wood on Fri, February 02, 2007
Utech - If you read the entire article you will see that the church offered to drop any use of the words, “Super Bowl” and still got a no.
The point is ratings, money and power…not brand protection.
In fact you state that they don’t want the to go after churches anymore than strip clubs…I disagree, the article states that bars are exempt…as long as that strip club is a bar I’m betting there will be lots of plasmas showing the game there Sunday night.
I understand the brand protection deal…but in my opinion Brand is much more than your logo being used, it is what the public thinks and experiences about you…hey the NFL’ logo and trademarks are safe…but their brand stinks right now…
Mandy on Fri, February 02, 2007
I hope my Sr. Minister sees this article. I told him about it yesterday and he thought I was making it up to justify why we aren’t having a Super Bowl party this year!
utech on Fri, February 02, 2007
I think my point was to not use “the name” to begin with.
Second, the s**** b*** is a great event to give your small group ministry a good boost. Have the small group leaders host “Big Game” parties at their homes.
RevJeff on Fri, February 02, 2007
Fire Up the SWAT team…. we are having a Game and Grill and I’ll be ready for the County Sherriff and State Trooper (inattendance) to get up out of their seats and arrest me.
However, seeing as we have been using Monday Night Games as a fellowship option following our regular Monday Men’s Bible Study… I guess we are exempt like the bars because it is part of our weekly practice…
I’m sure our cable and satelite companies are wishing they still had the bid over CBS now… fines and penalties assesed to churches could total “tens of dollars…” and then there is the whole rip-off industry that has players and coaches endorsing half-time videos which share the gospel rather than keeping people tuned into the pornography and vulgarity that goes on in the stadium. Advertisers will lose millions of customers during their most expensive commercial air times…
I totally see the NFL’s point on this. Christians MUST be stopped at all costs and the LIONS of the NFL stand less of a chance at doing that than the lions of Nero…
By the way, for those NFL lawyers who are reading this my cell phone # is xxx-xxx-xxxx. Give me a call and I’ll turn myself in.
Kirk Longhofer on Fri, February 02, 2007
I’m on the wrong side again! : > )
The Superbowl is the NFL’s property. They own the broadcast and the trademark.
They have the right to tell viewers what they can do with it. It’s well litigated and pretty settled as a matter of copyright and trademark law. Anyone who questions that simply needs to make a call to any qualified intellectual property attorney.
I’d be willing to bet that other than the folks at Sugar Creek, I’m probably the only church staff person commenting on this who has actually spoken with the NFL’s legal department on the issue.
A few clarifications…
Not all bars are exempt. Only those who show sports as part of their day to day business operations. I’m not certain if strip clubs have TV’s or not. Anyone here with personal experience care to enlighten us? I didn’t think so. : > )
This is about money. No question. If the business across the street from your church decided on Sunday afternoon to host a carnival on your parking lot, you would probably object. If someone decided to borrow your church van without permission, you would object.
The “they already have enough money and shouldn’t be picking on churches” defense likely won’t fly in court. Banks have enough money too. Robbing them is not generally OK, either.
At its heart, this is an integrity issue. If a church didn’t know they were doing anything wrong, that’s one thing.
But for those who have read about it and do it anyway…
a whole different issue.
JHPW on Fri, February 02, 2007
I understand Kirk’s point, and agree that now knowing the legal requirements we should comply with them. One thing I found curious from the SI article though, is that is says that free viewing is limited to one television not more than 55 inches. Does that mean that someone who has a 60 inch home theatre in their house, and invites some friends and neighbors over for the game, is violating this law? If so, then the NFL should go after those folks too. Maybe a nice Public Service Announcement, or a disclosure to consumers from stores selling those monster tv’s - “OK, we’ll sell take your $5000 and let you have this TV, but promise not to watch the ‘big game’ on it. : )
Wayne Sharpe on Fri, February 02, 2007
Hey, this is a bit stupid, no doubt. But as Christians, lets admit we make a bit to much out of sports in general. We need to concentrate on ways to reach out and really be ministering to the needy in our world, not just the sports fans, or other church members. Maybe there is just a bit of a wake up call here for us all.
The NFL is straining on a nat and swallowing a camel here for sure.
Shawn Wood on Fri, February 02, 2007
Kirk,
Totally agree with you. My point is not that the NFL does not have the legal standing but that they are making a monster PR blunder. If people were taking money out of the NFL’s pocket I would agree with their descision.
Smart people at the NFL should liscence a “Party Package” charge a small liscening fee and ask for a report of attendance and add that to their ratings…With church attendance counts it would be the all-time most watched Super bowl ever http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/smile.gif
I am in agreement with interlectual property etc…dont steal music, dont download illegally, dont sync music to vidoes without permission….but I just think this is a real dumb move…
The music industry, movie industry and now the NFL just need to come up with models that work in a 2.0 world…and just use good common PR sense…
Kirk Longhofer on Fri, February 02, 2007
Shawn,
I agree… they should offer a license. In 2005, I actually contacted the NFL and asked them to consider that. They declined. Now, it was in the week before the game, so it was probably not practical.
But… I think I will try again in March. We’ll see what they come up with. I think a lot of people would buy it if it were offered.
kdl
Pastor Al on Fri, February 02, 2007
Wayne,
Amen - I for one have never been a fan of “super bowl parties” hosted by churches. I won’t go so far as to say they are “wrong” but I believe it is one more example of the church in America missing the real “Game” we are in.
PA
Frank on Sat, February 03, 2007
What game are we in? Jesus didn’t stay away from the people.
He went TO the people!
If the people are in a bar, at a football game, at a homeless shelter, wherever,
our commission is to GO TO THE PEOPLE!
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