The Game which Shall Not be Named

Churches have long used Super Bowl Sunday to bring in visitors and build fellowship among members. Some congregations embrace the day with church-sponsored Super Bowl parties and big-screen TVs. Perhaps even a talk about the Gospel at halftime. But many are scaling back in the face of legal threats from NFL lawyers.

THE NFL'S RULES
There are legal restrictions that limit TV screens to 55 inches at public viewings. There is an exception for sports bars and restaurants if they regularly broadcast sporting events - but there's no exception for churches. Presenting the game along with a message, even at halftime, is forbidden, according to the league. Plus, using the phrase Super Bowl on church fliers or on Web sites is illegal because it suggests some NFL affiliation.

OVERREACHING
An intellectual-property attorney says the NFL is exaggerating their ownership rights by saying that any use is prohibited. The Wall Street Journal quotes the lawyer, who has worked with companies like Nike, as saying “trademarked phrases as the Super Bowl are allowed free use under the First Amendment as long as it doesn't damage the brand or imply an official endorsement. And it's unlikely anyone would believe a halftime testimonial reflects an NFL position."

EXAMPLES
• A congregation of New York deaf Christians cancelled plans to broadcast the game with closed captioning after learning the league might sue them.
• The NFL directly ordered Fall Creek Baptist Church in Indianapolis to stop plans to show the game on a 12-foot-wide screen last year. This time, instead of gathering in the sanctuary, the church has planned many smaller viewing parties in the homes of Sunday School teachers.
• Louisville, Kentucky’s Southeast Christian had planned for 700 people at last year’s party but a switch to a smaller, legal screen took the number down to 400. The church is holding this year's party at a Tex-Mex restaurant.
• The Keystone Hills Baptist Church in Sand Springs, Oklahoma plans five house parties for church members. To avoid mentioning Super Bowl on the website, the church’s website: "You know the Super Sunday game we're talking about?...The one with all the expensive funny new commercials and that is usually a blowout by the 3rd quarter?...Yeah, that one."

WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN
Former NFL quarterback and now Democratic congressman Heath Shuler of North says that if the league keeps pushing churches, he plans to introduce a bill that would exempt churches from the screen-size restrictions. And the civil rights group The Rutherford Institute is threatening to sue the NFL on behalf of an Alabama church.