NFL: Sports bars in, churches out
Feb 1, 2007
By Michael Foust
Baptist Press

INDIANAPOLIS (BP)--The National Football League has told a Southern Baptist church in Indianapolis it will run afoul of federal copyright law if it hosts a Super Bowl party this Sunday, even though the league makes a major exception for such large-scale viewings at sports bars.

Fall Creek Baptist Church in Indianapolis was one of probably thousands of churches across the nation scheduled to host a party this Sunday evening as part of an outreach to the congregation and the community.

But now, the church -- whose hometown Colts will play the Chicago Bears -- has canceled the event under pressure from the NFL, which says large-group events can show the Super Bowl on a TV no larger than 55 inches wide. The church had planned on showing the game on a projector that would have resulted in a 12-foot screen. A 55-inch screen would be too small for the hundreds that were planning on attending. NFL policy also prohibits the use of multiple televisions. The league even said the church legally couldn't show a video highlighting the Christian testimonies of Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy and Chicago coach Lovie Smith. the rest