Friday, February 02, 2007

NFL vs. God in Indianapolis

Super Bowl XLI between the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears will take place on Sunday, the Lord's Day for a lot of people.

Fall Creek Baptist Church in Indianapolis advertised on its web site that it would show the game on a projection television--like the ones found in sports bars--for a church Super Bowl party.

Then some National Football League Internet snoop found out, and told the church to cancel the party--which it did.

From ABC 6 Indianapolis:

The NFL objected to the church's plans to use a projector to show the game, saying the law limits it to one TV no bigger than 55 inches.

This week, 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.

So the NFL says the church in Indy can't show the Super Bowl on a big TV Sunday, but it's okay for a bar in Omaha, for instance, to show the game to the many thirsty Bears fans in Nebraska (Who knew they were there?) with the same type of projection equipment.

I'm sure that law is on the side of the NFL, but common sense is not. Laws can be changed, and considering that many NFL teams play in publicly funded stadiums (such as the Bears and the Colts), perhaps Congress should take a close look at laws covering sports broadcast rights.

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