5 Key Things About Super Bowl Your Family Should Know
You may know the time, the place, and which two teams are playing in the next Super Bowl. But here is a list of 5 key things about the Super Bowl your family should know, but may not. Some are fun facts but most address important issues. Resources and ideas are included.
Super Bowl Named After Wham-O Superball
Okay, so maybe this one is not a necessity to know. But I bet most people have not heard this fun fact. Think how cool you will sound when you share this interesting tidbit.
Back in the mid 1960’s, Lamar Hunt, owner of the AFL Kansas City Chiefs, thought the “AFL-NFL World Championship Game” was a bit stuffy of a title. He thought about the popular bouncy balls his children enjoyed playing with at the time. The Wham-O Superballs gave him the idea to suggest calling the championship football game the “Super Bowl.” (1)
Money Isn’t Everything
The Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia has food vendors making thousands of dollars during their sports events. But money isn’t everything.
No matter where the Super Bowl is held, since the big game takes place on a Sunday, as of this writing, the Chick-fil-a restaurants will forgo the money and stick to their policy of work free-Sundays. (2)
It’s impressive that Chick-fil-a has provided Sundays off for their employees since opening their doors in 1946. Chick-fil-a founder, Truett Cathy, realized the value to employees for a day of rest, spending time with families, and a time set aside for worship if they chose to do so.
You might be surprised to learn of the four times when Chick-fil-a did serve food on a Sunday.
Super Bowl Time Raises Awareness
Did you know some reports say the highest rate of sex trafficking takes place at the Super Bowl?
The game of football is not to blame. It’s because there are a ton of people in one location. Many of those are vulnerable and naïve. And evil lurks to see who it can enslave.
Law enforcement and other agencies diligently work to decrease the statistics. They encourage people to be alert and informed.
According to Christian Heritage News, Heather Harvard and a group of college students from Texas planned to travel to Super Bowl LVIII in Atlanta.
Their goal was to hand out literature to raise awareness stating:
“…that as of 2018, there were more than 40 million human trafficking slaves in the world. In the state of Texas alone, 78,000 children and infants are being sexually exploited.”
Harvard added,
“Traffickers will come from all over the country, and some from places all over the world. They’ll rent out whole hotel floors. Sometimes you’ll find that entire hotels are rented out by traffickers.”
(3)
Opportunities For Sharing Faith Abound
The Super Bowl provides multiple avenues for sharing the Christian faith.
Some organizations, such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, host special events.
The FCA in New Jersey holds a Super Bowl Breakfast where professional athletes share their testimonies. They even host a Ladies’ Super Bowl Dessert where the wives of those athletes share their stories as well.
Numerous Christian organizations host Super Bowl outreach events including the Athletes in Action, a Cru ministry, who also hosts a big breakfast event in the host city of the Super Bowl each year.
Courageous Players and Team Chaplains Share
If you do a little research, you’ll discover several football players who share their faith on and off the field.
Before Super Bowl LIII, I read a great article in the Biblical Recorder about the chaplain of the New England Patriots and what he had to say about Rex Burkhead, Brandin Cooks, and Derek Rivers.
Patriots’ wide receiver, Brandin Cooks, responds to The Biblical Recorder by saying :
“This is another opportunity to use this platform that I have to glorify God and the gift that he’s given me to be able to play this game at a high level,” he said. “You’ve just got to revert back to being a glory reflector and being thankful.” )
(4)
The Christian Post also has an article sharing about the team chaplain for the Los Angeles Rams and the faith of several players including Cooper Kup, a wide receiver, and Rodger Saffold, an offensive lineman. (5)
Family-Friendly Super Bowl Activities Do Exist
There are several things about the Super Bowl that many do not view as family-friendly or Christ-honoring. However, we have a few helpful suggestions for you.
Suggested Super Bowl Activities and Alternatives
- Attend your church’s Sunday worship service before watching the game.
- Skip watching the game altogether and do something else as a family. Perhaps initiate a movie night or a Family Game Night.
- Watch the game but during the times of questionable content, take a break from the TV. Create Minute-to-Win-It challenges for the family to enjoy.
- Check out Pinterest Boards for Super Bowl/football games and activities that are suitable for your family. Perhaps create a trivia game using some of the information from this post. See additional information below!
- Give everyone a square of yellow paper or material. When they witness bad behavior on the TV, (unsportsmanlike conduct or commercials promoting something unhealthy) they throw their yellow penalty “flag.” They state what the offense is and why it’s offensive. Extra kudos if they can back it up with scripture! 😊 Even if you don’t do this activity, watching the Super Bowl together provides parents with teachable moments.
- Consider hosting a neighborhood “Souper Bowl” party. Host a soup and salad meal. Maybe ask friends to bring cans of soup to donate to a homeless shelter.
- During time-outs, mute the TV, and share some of the football players’ testimonies that you’ve read. Take time to pray for both teams and for the work the team chaplains do in the name of Jesus.
Additional Information
“Super Bowl LIII is an upcoming American football game between the two-time defending American Football Conference champion New England Patriots and the National Football Conference champion Los Angeles Rams to determine the champion of the National Football League for the 2018 season. The game is scheduled to be played on February 3, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.” -Wikipedia
The winning team will receive the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Vince Lombardi was the coach of the Green Bay Packers who won the first two Super Bowls.
Roman numerals are used to identify each Super Bowl because the football season carries over into a second calendar year. (1)
Resources
(1) https://www.history.com/topics/sports/super-bowl-history, Feb. 1, 2019.
(2)https://www.businessinsider.com/chick-fil-a-mercedes-benz-stadium-closes-fries-up-sundays-super-bowl-2019-1
(3)https://www.christian-heritage-news.com/2019/01/human-trafficking-during-super-bowl.html
(4)https://brnow.org/News/February-2018/SUPER-BOWL-Patriots-same-team-new-lights-for-Je
(5)https://www.christianpost.com/news/super-bowl-53-4-devout-christian-patriots-rams-players-watch-sunday.html?page=4
Share your thoughts with us! How does your family celebrate the Super Bowl?
