Now Here's Something I Can Support In Congress

Bills will be introduced in both houses of Congress soon that are intended to exempt churches from the NFL's rules that prohibit showing the broadcast of the Super Bowl on large screens in large facilities.

From the Christian Post:

Under the legislation by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) of the Senate Judiciary Committee, religious organizations that want to show professional football games would be declared exempt, as reported by The Washington Post.

"The legislation simply provides churches with a limited yet justifiable exemption to allow them to bring their congregation together to watch the Super Bowl," said Specter on Monday. "In a time when our country is divided by war and anxious about a fluctuating economy, these types of events give people a reason to come together in the spirit of camaraderie."

The bill comes as several churches across the country canceled their annual Super Bowl fellowships this past Sunday in fear of lawsuits for copyright violations.

The National Football League has warned churches that showing the Super Bowl game on TV screens larger than 55 inches and in a space more than 2,000 square feet violates the league's copyright. Only sports bars and other businesses that televise sports regularly are allowed mass viewing of the games.

At least an NFL spokesman dropped any pretense that this was about anything other than greed:

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league has no objection to churches hosting Super Bowl parties as long as they abide by the rules. He also noted that thousands of mass showings at churches would significantly reduce network TV ratings, and thus cut the ad revenue.

Yeah, I'd hate to see those numbers drop from 97.6 million to, say, 96.6 million. That would devastate the NFL, wouldn't it?