NFL pulls plug on churches' parties ( talk about bullshit! )

[LynneSin]

:wtf:

What's the big deal about a Superbowl party being hosted by a church. I mean does it differ any from going to a bar and watching the Superbowl?

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080203/NEWS/802030314/1006/NEWS

NFL pulls plug on churches' parties
No using big screens to watch Super Bowl
By JACQUELINE L. SALMON, The Washington Post
Posted Sunday, February 3, 2008

WASHINGTON -- For years, as many as 200 members of Immanuel Bible Church and their friends have gathered in the church's fellowship hall to watch the Super Bowl on its six-foot screen. The party featured hard hitting on the TV, plenty of food -- and prayer.

But this year, Immanuel's Super Bowl party is no more. After a crackdown by the National Football League on big-screen Super Bowl gatherings by churches, the Springfield, Va., church has sacked its event. Instead, church members will host parties in their homes.

Immanuel is among a number of churches that have been forced to use a new playbook to satisfy the NFL, which said that airing games at churches on large-screen TV sets violates the NFL copyright.

In Delaware and elsewhere, ministers are not happy.

"There is a part of me that says, 'Gee, doesn't the NFL have enough money already?' " said Steve Holley, Immanuel's executive pastor. He pointed out that bars are still allowed to air the game on big-screen TV sets. "It just doesn't make sense."

The Rev. Brad Kellum of Bible Baptist Church in Brandywine Hundred agreed. "I wonder if a rule like this won't create some backlash," he said.

The Super Bowl, the most secular of American holidays, has long been popular among churches. With parties, prayer and Christian DVDs replacing the occasionally racy halftime shows, churches use the event as a way to reach members, and potential new members, in a non-churchlike atmosphere.

"It takes people who are not coming frequently, or who have fallen away, and shows them that the church can still have some fun," said the Rev. Thomas Omholt, senior pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Washington.

The NFL said, however, that the copyright law is long-standing and the language read at the end of each game is well-known: "This telecast is copyrighted by the NFL for the private use of our audience. Any other use of this telecast or any pictures, descriptions, or accounts of the game without the NFL's consent is prohibited."

[KitchenWitch]

1. I blame Paul Tagliabue for this shit.

[meow2u3]

2. Separation of church and football

That's the American way :eyes:

[SeattleGirl]

3. That doesn't even make any sense.

You can go to a bar, get drunk on your ass, and the NFL is okay with that, but you can't go watch the game in a church, drink pop or punch or whatever, and that's NOT okay?

What am I missing here?

[LynneSin]

4. Perhaps if the churches were getting their guests shitfaced and letting them drive home

then perhaps they could host the event just like bars do

:eyes:

[SeattleGirl]

5. Maybe that's it.

What a bunch of crap.

[northzax]

28. bars pay additional TV rights

simple.

[jberryhill]

6. I'm surprised they still do this...

One of my sons had friends at Immanuel, who were watching the Super Bowl at church when Janet Jackson had her wardrobe malfunction.

Something about being at church with a bunch of folks to watch a football game, and have a titty pop out just cracks me up.

In point of fact, though, the bars pay licensing fees to show the games to their patrons. The churches don't.

[CC]

7. According to the article they don't have to.

They have an exception.

The league bans exhibitions of its games on screens larger than 55 inches because smaller sets limit the audience size. The federal copyright law giving the NFL protection over its programming exempts sports bars, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said.

[jberryhill]

10. It gets complicated because of all of the fingers in the pie....

They don't have to pay a license fee to the NFL directly, that is correct.

[northzax]

29. right

they pay the equivalent of ASCAP, which divides the money by a complex formula. the NFL, let's be clear, doesn't care if a bar pays THEM money, only if the network paying the NFL rights fees is compensated. because then they will compensate the NFL.

[petronius]

12. I don't understand the logic - why does it matter how many people watch the same screen?

As long as no one is charging, or otherwise using the broadcast for commercial gain or in ways that infringe on the NFLs business, why does it matter if a bunch of people watch one big screen together, of if they all watch smaller screens somewhere else?

:shrug:

[jberryhill]

18. The theory is....

That making available a big screen for a lot of people for free impacts the value of others who have bought individual or package licenses (which the sports bars buy) for public viewing.

[theredpen]

8. In the South, football and Christianity are competing religions. n/t

[MonkeyFunk]

9. I could swear I read this same story

last year.

[pokerfan]

11. You did

because I remember posting it.

Last year it was a church in Indianapolis that was charging a a modest cover.

It was silly then, too.

[orleans]

13. bans viewing on screens larger than 55 inches to limit audience size

what the fuck do they care that a church group or a REALLY BIG FAMILY watches their game together?

why don't they just tell us what we can and can't eat while watching, or drink, or the color of the fucking walls in my living room for that matter.

(how far up the ass do they want to climb?)

[JCMach1]

14. The should just ditch the half-time, offer prayers, analysis and lessons

from the minister and you would have "fair use" and a big FU to the NFL.

[Crazy Dave]

15. Ever since Tony Dungy said God helped his team win the Superbowl

They're just trying to keep it fair for all the teams. No more divine intervention affecting the outcome of the game y'know.

[CreekDog]

16. I watched it at church, screw them

They didn't charge and there were just a handful of us.

I think it's bogus that it's legit to go watch it at a bar where everybody is drunk and rowdy but not legit to watch it at church where people are watching the game (and the rest are watching the commercials) and the scene is relatively calm.

Although we did get a bit excited at the end of the 4th quarter. Wow. :wow:

[JVS]

17. Do bars pay money for the written consent?

If I recall that the cable rate for bars is higher than the residential rate, Could it be that part of this is licensing agreements that the cable company takes care of?

[Wapsie B]

19. I'm with Rev. Holley on this one. The NFL doesn't make enough $$$?

If this billionaire boys-club called the NFL insists on enforcing rules such as this perhaps it's time to rethink the laws allowing public funds to pay for privately-owned teams and facilities, including stadiums. Take one thin dime of from the public trough and the citizens automatically own 50% of that franchise. Come to think of it that might be a good way to stop korporate welfare altogether.

[Iggo]

23. No doubt.

"...perhaps it's time to rethink the laws allowing public funds to pay for privately-owned teams and facilities, including stadiums..."

That's the deal-breaker in Los Angeles. Funny thing is, we had the public funds for the last expansion team, and had already been AWARDED that exansion team, but they got offered more money after the bidding was closed. So they reopened the bidding, and now ladies and gentlemen let me introduce to you your Houston Texans!

Now public funding is off the table, and the NFL seems to have lost interest in Los Angeles. And the parade of teams threatening to move to L.A. seems to have stopped, too. Weird, huh?

Back on topic, yes, this comes up every year, famously a few years ago in Las Vegas (the opposite of a church get-together, I'm thinking...lol.)

[RoadRage]

20. I also heard that this has something to do with T.V. Ratings as well...

If 500 people watch ONE T.V. it's only going to register as "one viewing".. so this somehow impacts thier Ratings from year to year...

And RATINGS.. as we all know are very important in pricing for T.V. Commercials. If ratings go down from last year to this year - then the price that can be charged for TV commercials (at about $2,000,000 per 30 seconds) could drop, or the demand could be lower.

It's all about the $$$

[LynneSin]

21. What if the 500 people are all in a bar geting shitfaced watching the game?

Wouldn't that be the same exact thing

[newmajority]

22. The churches have been overruled by the Higher Authority

God: Thou hast forsaken My Church!

Homer: Uh, kind-of... b-but...

God: But what!

Homer: I'm not a bad guy! I work hard, and I love my kids. So why should
I spend half my Sunday hearing about how I'm going to Hell?

God: Hmm... You've got a point there. You know, sometimes even I'd rather be watching football...

If God would rather watch football, then why would it be banned in His house??

[ProdigalJunkMail]

24. well I guess I am in HUGE trouble then...

I had people over...lots of em...chips...dips...drinks...hotdogs...hamburgers...and a 200" projected screen in HD! Hot damn we had a good time and, well, I guess the NFL can just take their 55" rule and feel...somehow...a need to...measure UP!

sP

[Deep13]

25. So churches have giant-screen TV sets, apparently.

The parishioners might want to rethink their tithes.:eyes:

[ProdigalJunkMail]

26. our church uses projection screens

for all the texts and lyrics in the service...much cheaper than hymnals and much easier over time on the paper usage...

sP

[TCJ70]

30. They're probably using a projector...n/t

[lost-in-nj]

27. Casinos had to cancel SB parties a few years ago

because of the screen size rule....
they tried one year to have multiple screens but the patrons didn't like it
so they don't have SB parties anymore.....

lost

I had people over last night and watched it on my big screen....

maybe I shouldn't answer the door today... :)

[Deep13]

31. Okay: 100 people watching at home on 100 TV sets.

Not okay: the same 100 people watching on one TV set.

:shrug:

[Javaman]

32. "Drop kick me jesus through the goal posts of life!" nt

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

33. Contact Your Local United Way

Tell them that because of their affiliation with the NFL, you can no longer support their organization (then give directly to the recipient of your choice -- bypassing the UW).

That should get somebody's attention.

[jmowreader]

34. And what does a church need with a 72" TV?

Shouldn't they be using the tithes and contributions to...oh, I dunno, how about PAYING for a guy to direct traffic outside the church on Sunday instead of relying on the police that MY tax money helps pay, instead of buying a six-foot television?

[ProdigalJunkMail]

36. wow...what a woefully uninformed post

I don't know of one church (and I know administrators and pastors from loads of churches) that do not pay for their traffic cops on sunday morning (or whenever they hold services). Most of those cops are just there to earn a little cash on the side and it is not generally frowned upon by the local police depts.

Oh, and that 72" TV is probably and much more likely a projection system for worship lyrics and texts/notes used in the sermons. It is much cheaper that purchasing hymnals and over the long run ends up being cheaper than printing all that information on pamphlets every week for a few hundred people.

sP

[jberryhill]

37. Most states require ANY public gathering of a certain size to pay for the police time

That's the law in Delaware, at least. That's a net revenue positive.

Churches use videos in Sunday school etc., just like many other organizations use instructional or documentary videos. Is there something wrong with that?

[Rabrrrrrr]

35. All the churches have to do is pay the same licensing fee that bars pay

It's a no-brainer.

Yeah, the NFL has shitloads of money, but they DO own the copyright - and copyrights are worth protecting. And sadly, if they knowing let one copyright violation go by the wayside, they will have a more difficult time fighting other copyright violations.

As one who makes a certain amount of money off copyrighted materials, I have to side with those who protect their copyrights.

There's no reason that the churches can't get a license for showing the Super Bowl on a big screen. Those churches are also taking money away from the businesses that HAVE paid.