I am writing and will publish this post Super Bowl Eve (which also happens to be Souper Bowl Eve). Interestingly after writing at least 8 blog posts related to this event in the first five years of So What Faith, I've not made mention of it for a decade. Super Bowl LVIII Tomorrow evening, more people will tune in to watch American football than on any other day of the year as the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs meet in Super Bowl LVIII. And, as in years gone by, there will Read More …
Super Bowl
God’s Role in the Super Bowl (#1309)
According to a new survey, more than half of all Americans believe God has a role to play in this year's Super Bowl. This number includes: Americans who pray for God to help their team (26 percent), think their team has been cursed (25 percent) or more generally believe God is involved in determining who wins on the court or in the field (19 percent). So What? During my adult life, I have watched at least part of every Super Bowl. My reasons for watching have varied: some years I Read More …
Super Stats (#0995)
Much has been written about the loss of productivity in offices around the country immediately following the Super Bowl. Rather than add to the conversation about the big game or the expensive commercials that aired during it, I offer statistics from two recent polls that suggest Americans bring together religion and sports in interesting ways. "Nearly 3-in-10 (27 percent) Americans believe that God plays a role in determining which team wins sports events" (Public Religion Research Read More …
11 Minutes (#0993)
Today, along with a hundred million or so other viewers in the US, I will watch the Super Bowl. In recent years, I have shifted my focus from the game to more of a balance between the game and the commercials. While everyone knows it takes many hours to play a 60 minute long professional football game, it is a bit surprising to learn that the actual playing time amounts to just under 11 minutes (10 minutes and 43 seconds according to a recent Wall Street Journal study). So Read More …
Mobile Phones & Super Bowl Watching (#0630)
A recent poll finds 60% of mobile phone users plan to look at their phone during today's Super Bowl Almost 1 in 3 viewers under age 45 will watch the game with their phone in hand Only 13% who plan to use their mobile device said they will do so during actual game action So What? The Super Bowl viewing experience is increasingly a multi-screen affair. It appears that mobile phone usage (primarily for activities involving data not speech) will peak during commercials and the Read More …
Jesus Hates Obama Ad Canceled (#0253)
Several news sources, including the UPI, are reporting that Fox has refused to air a proposed Super Bowl commercial for Jesus Hates Obama: a conservative comedy website that sells anti-President Obama merchandise. For those who would like to view the spot and make their own decisions, the video can be seen below. For those who are not sure that they want to watch this type of material, consider this summary from the Huffington Post: The ad shows Read More …
Doritos for Eucharist Super Bowl Ad Has Been Sidelined (#0237)
Doritos and Pepsi MAX received more than 5,600 submissions for this year's edition of their Crash the Super Bowl contest, which started in 2007. The field has now been narrowed to a group of finalists and interested parties are now invited to vote for their favorite. Interestingly, one popular option, Feed the Flock, isn't included on the list and has been removed from the contest because it created considerable controversy. Submitted by Media Wave Productions this ad is Read More …
Souper Bowl of Caring (#0167)
From a simple prayer by a seminary intern in 1990 (Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat) to a movement involving over 250,000 youth in 2010, the Souper Bowl of Caring has been a youth-led movement to help hungry and hurting people around the world. According to the organization's website: This prayer . . . gave birth to an idea. Why not use Super Bowl weekend, a time when people Read More …
National Porn Sunday (#0166)
In 2005 Craig Gross and Mike Foster debuted their documentary, "Missionary Positions," and began talking in local churches about pornography and the problems they believe it creates in people's lives. These experiences were marketed as "Porn Sundays" and later became the foundation for an annual National Porn Sunday. To date, over 300 congregations have participated in this event. In 2011, National Porn Sunday has been moved to February 6 to coincide with the Read More …